Chicken Marsala
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Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish of golden pan-fried chicken cutlets and mushrooms in a rich Marsala wine sauce.
Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish of golden pan-fried chicken cutlets and mushrooms in a rich Marsala wine sauce. It’s the most popular chicken recipe on this website, and though it’s a classic restaurant dish, it’s really easy to make at home. With just one pan, you can have it on the dinner table in 45 minutes. The recipe makes a lovely sauce that is delicious over pasta, polenta, rice, or Parmesan smashed potatoes.
If your family loves Italian food like mine does, once you master chicken Marsala, try your hand at other Italian restaurant favorites, such as chicken cacciatore, pasta e fagioli, eggplant parmesan, penne alla vodka, and lasagna.
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Marsala
Marsala is a brandy-fortified wine from Sicily that is 100% worth adding to your pantry, if only to make this dish time and again. It will keep in a cool, dry spot for months.
I buy boneless skinless chicken breasts and pound them thin myself, as opposed to using the ultra-thin sliced cutlets sold at the supermarket, since pounding tenderizes the meat. This adds an extra step but you can save time by using pre-sliced mushrooms. (Or you can skip all this hassle by using chicken tenderloins.)
How To Make Chicken Marsala
If your chicken breasts are large, like the ones in the photo above, it’s best to first cut them in half horizontally. (If you pound them without first halving them, they’ll be ginormous and oddly shaped.)
Once you’ve got four flat filets, pound them each to an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a ziplock bag.
Add the chicken to the bag; seal the bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.
Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a stainless steel pan for the best browning. Nonstick will work too, but you won’t get that nice golden color on the chicken.) Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first.
Cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the shallots, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Add the broth, wine, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
Gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you’re going for a thin cream sauce; it won’t start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time).
Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
Video Tutorial
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Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish of golden pan-fried chicken cutlets and mushrooms in a rich Marsala wine sauce.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-inch thick (see note), or chicken tenderloins
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 (8-oz) package pre-sliced bella or button mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, from 1 medium shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅔ cup chicken broth
- ⅔ cup dry Marsala wine
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag; seal bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.
- Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a stainless steel pan for the best browning. Nonstick will work too, but you won’t get that nice golden color on the chicken.) Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, Marsala, heavy cream, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you’re going for a thin cream sauce; it won’t start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time). Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
- Note: If your chicken breasts are large (like the ones in the photos that are about ¾ lb. each), it’s best to first cut them horizontally to form four flat fillets, then pound them to an even ¼-inch thickness. If you pound large chicken breasts without first halving them, they’ll be huge. Of course, you could also pound them thin first and then cut them in half vertically; the only drawback is that they’ll lose their natural shape (which, admittedly, is not a big deal!).
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Calories: 537
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 43 g
- Sodium: 877 mg
- Cholesterol: 203 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Outstanding! Thx
I’ve now made this a few times and it NEVER disappoints!!!! My partner is gluten free so I use Namaste flour. Also I would recommend brinning the chicken before you pound it out! Thank you for this deliciousness!!!
I’ve made this dozens of times now (literally, my husband loves it THAT MUCH!), and I follow it to the letter for absolute perfection. Now for my question: my husband is trying to keep carbs down; how strange would this be if I omitted the flour for coating the chicken?
Glad you like it! I think you could get away with omitting the flour.
My husband and I made this recipe for the first time this weekend. I chose it because he loves mushrooms. It was absolutely delicious. Your directions are so easy to follow. I left out the salt (I have kidney disease) and it was still wonderful. Can we substitute half and half or non-fat cream for the heavy cream to make it a bit more healthy?
This is another of your many recipes to add to my recipe box. Thank you so much!
So glad you both enjoyed it! (And I’d stick with cream for the best results.)
My family can’t have cream. Is there any substitute?
Hi MS, For a non-dairy option, some readers have commented that they’ve used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen) and Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with either of these.) Hope that helps!
I made it tonight with fat free half and half… it worked just fine. Just remember to deglaze them pan first with the Marsala and let it cook a little or it will get a little curdle-y on you… still taste okay but not as pretty of a sauce
For a non dairy option I always substitute heavy cream by using equal amounts of silken tofu and almond milk and purée with a hand blender. It works perfectly in any recipe.
Absolutely love this recipe. It’s delicious! I also love your flawless, presentation of recipes.
Thank you. It’s a keeper for sure!
What can I use to substitute the Marsala and can I use Whipping Cream? Thanks
Hi Cheryl, You could try substituting Madeira if you have it. If not, you could try red or white wine. It won’t taste like chicken Marsala, but should still be good. Also, whipping cream is fine. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for your quick reply. I am off to buy Marsala Wine to cook up this recipe today !!
Yvonne
Hello Jenn, Could I substitute chicken stock for the Marsala? All of your recipes always turn out perfectly every time.
Thank You
Yvonne
Glad you like the recipes! Unfortunately, in this recipe, there is no good alternative to the wine. I’m sorry!
Tried this for the first time tonight! Absolutely amazing. Followed your recipe completely. Instructions simple and easy to follow. Thank you. Will be making this on a regular basis. Will also be trying some more of your recipes. Superb!!
Maureen 😀
can you leave out the cream?
Unfortunately, the sauce won’t work without the cream — sorry!
Hands down, this was one of the best meals I have ever made. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! Definitely a keeper.
My new favorite!!! This was UHmazing. Next time I will double the sauce…I think I could have made a meal out of that alone!
Tonight marks my 4th time making this recipe. It has become a family favorite. I subbed sherry for marsala one time (I ran out) and it was equally delish, although not “Marsala”. We use fresh herbs from the garden and have served this with egg noodles, pasta and even left over basmati rice. Always a hit.
Hi, I want to make this to serve 8 instead of four. Will it work to just double all ingredients?
Sure – hope everyone enjoys!
Can the recipe be doubled for the broth?
Hi Christine, you can double the sauce, but keep in mind that the color will be different (you’ll have fewer pan drippings to contribute to the darker color of the sauce). Hope that helps!
Fantastic! Possibly the best meal I’ve ever made in my life. Served with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. As good as any Italian meal I’ve had in a restaurant. Would make for company but easy enough for a fancy weeknight dinner. 10/10 would recommend.
I made this dish on a whim for Sunday lunch today and luckily I had all the ingredients. My Father in Law who’s not in the habit of filtering his opinions about the food on his plate loved it! I gave it 5 stars and now I have a new dish to impress with. Thank you!
I followed the recipe and it was perfect.
Thank you for this recipe and the detailed, easy to follow instructions. Served it over rice with roasted broccoli. It was a huge hit.
Great recipe! Served over rice with roasted asparagus and carrots. Thank you!
Jenn, my husband first made your Chicken Marsala recipe and we loved it! I added bacon, similar to a Coq Au Vin recipe, and incorporated that to your Chicken Marsala dish. The dinner last week was amazing! Our Son and Daughter-in-Law loved the Chicken Marsala as well. We agree, the sauce should be doubled. We served with mashed potatoes and a steamed vegetable. And, to echo a prior review, thank you very much for so generously sharing your recipe!
I would like to personally thank you for being so gracious as to share this perfect recipe.
I subscribed only after making it and it is so simple although there are lots of ingredients. I doubled the liquid ingredients and left it in the oven for an hour and the next day I heated them up and OMG….
I thought I had died and gone to heaven because they taste like smothered pork chops( Only WAAAY BETTER) without the guilt of eating swine. That’s my personal opinion as I have not eaten pork chops since my children were very small. I am a grandmother now and I take great pride in preparing recipes that I can leave behind for them to enjoy for years to come and this one is going right in my top 10 probably number TWO and that’s hard to do because I am quite the cook so God-bless you.
❤️❤️
Hello,
I made the chicken Marsala for the first time and was hesitant about adding the dairy in with the wine and the broth as I was afraid it would curdle….which it did! 😳. What did I do wrong?
Hi Phuong, Sorry to hear you had a problem with this. Did you use heavy cream as the recipe indicates? If so, the only thing I can think of that would cause this is that the cream was spoiled. Is there any chance that could’ve been the case?
Thanks Jenn, for your response. I used half and half hoping it would be an ok substitute. I didn’t notice any indication of spoilage but despite it all the family enjoyed it for a first time home cooked meal. I’ll try it again with heavy cream next time since we still have Marsala wine to use!
Finally got a chance to try again with heavy cream and it came out as promised. The family enjoyed it very much. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
👍
Easy to follow and DELICIOUS. Thank you for the recipe.
I made this last night with the green beans and shallots. I served it over buttered egg noodles, a family favorite. I also doubled the sauce because if there is not enough sauce in anything we make, everybody is disappointed!
This was delicious! Went together easily. Recipe was straightforward. Chicken was nice and tender, the sauce was soooooo good, and plenty to coat the noodles nicely.
Thanks for another winner!!
A few weeks ago I made your Chicken Piccata recipe and it was DELICIOUS, so zesty and wonderfully lemony. Today I’m making from your recipe, chicken marsala and anticipate it will be just as wonderful. Thank you for making these recipes available, they’re, so far, so easy. Im 84 and cannot stand for more than 5 or 6 minutes at a time and with your recipes, that doesn’t pose a problem. Thank you once again
Mo
So glad you like the recipes (and it’s great that you’re active in the kitchen at 84) — hope you enjoyed the chicken Marsala! 🙂
Made this recipe tonight. My husband and I enjoyed this very much! Delicious and restaurant quality! Thank you.
My wife and I made this yesterday. It was amazing. Will finish the leftovers tonight being that we cooked twice the amount. Thank you.
can this be made ahead of time, and heated up?
Hi Susie, This is really best if served right after it’s prepared.
Hello Chef Jenn,
Does the Santini Marsala come in a ‘sweet’ vs. ‘dry’ ? Seems both pop up on my internet search…
Which one would you recommend for this recipe?
thank you in advance.
Hi JooJoo, I definitely recommend dry Marsala for this. Enjoy!
Hi JooJoo, I know it’s a late reply but my boyfriend and I used sweet Marsala wine as well and it came out really good
I made this and we both loved it!!! Definitely adding to my rotation. Thank you!!
Im a rock star tonight after making this delish recipe. Easy to prep and make. I bought thin cutlets from butcher which were great. Not too thin and not too thick. I pre-cooked the mushrooms and added them after making the marsala gravy. To the gravy, i added gravy browner. I like my Marsala gravy a darker color. It was Yum Yum and oh so easy to make.
This was absolutely delicious!
I will have to try it again. But, way too much salt for our liking.
Excellent recipe for Chicken Marsala. How can I print it? My Daughter even liked it & she doesn’t like mushrooms!
Glad you liked it! To print, when you’re viewing the full recipe (near the bottom of the page), look in the upper righthand corner of that box – you’ll see an icon there that looks like a printer. Select that and it and it will open a dialog box that gives you printing options. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. 🙂
Loved this recipe. Had to make some adjustments: 1) didn’t have chicken and had to use up pork medallions, so pounded those out instead; 2) had to use up some mushrooms that were getting old, so ended up with about 3 times the mushrooms as in the recipe (white and crimini), not an issue because I love mushrooms; and 3) used dried thyme instead of fresh. Increased the sauce a little to compensate for the additional mushrooms, but otherwise followed as written.
It was amazing! The marsala wine really makes the dish, as that distinctive flavor is what I enjoy whenever I go to an Italian restaurant. I ended up serving it with mashed potatoes, but will definitely do this recipe again in the future with chicken, and serve with some pasta.
I made this tonight and my husband and I both agreed that it was as good as any chicken or veal marsala we’ve had in fancy Italian restaurants. Thank you! (Actually everything I’ve made by you is wonderful, but this is the recipe that convinced me to leave a comment. I usually lurk.)
Changes: none! Except that I sliced up whole creminis instead of using pre-sliced.
Absolutely delicious! I’m living in Mexico, so I had to make a couple of substitutions, either because an ingredient wasn’t available or my Spanish wasn’t good enough to find it in the store.
So my Marsala was wine was 2/3 white wine and 1/3 brandy. Shallots were replaced with red onion and “chicken stock” was made from water, soy sauce, salt and a splash of wine. Also, I used whipping cream instead of heavy cream. Even with these substitutions, the end result was incredible. Thanks!
A classic. Wonderfully balanced. Rich cream sauce, butter mushrooms & garlic and a beautiful Marsala wine. Chicken was fork tender- Added al dente pasta to the sauce to finish.
Oh my goodness, this recipe is perfect! So delicious! My family didn’t leave a single bit of leftovers when I made this last night! Perfect!
Just made it exactly as the recipe yummy. Love the Marsala wine. Will definitely do this dish again
It came out perfect, next time I will double the mushrooms (personal preference). Thanks!
I decided to try making chicken marsala because we got an ad from one of our favorite restaurants where I usually would order it. We’re not comfortable going out yet, so we’ve been trying to recreate our favorite restaurant recipes. Family said it was even better than the restaurant!
Ohh my! So yummy. My husband made this while I made the French apple tart. We grilled some polenta from trader joe to go with the chicken Marsala and whole family loved it! Even the picky teenager. Will definitely so again.
Very happy family. Delicious 😋
Jenn- Do you think this can be prepared in advance and re-heated?
Hi Kelly, Lots of people have wondered that. This dish is definitely best served right after it’s prepared. That said, if you’d like to give it a try, one reader commented that she made this ahead, stored the sauce & chicken separately, and reheated it briefly before serving. Please LMK how it goes if you try it!
So delicious!!! Made exactly as written (used the first option of slicing and pounding thicker chicken breasts – I feel it comes out more tender this way). Wouldn’t change a single thing about the recipe – the flavor was amazing. My husband and I loved it! We are sensitive to gluten so I used all purpose gluten free flour for the chicken, and served alongside buttered gluten free pasta.
Hi Jenn!
Made this dish last night and my husband said it was the best chicken dish he ever had ! Even with using cutlets it was tender and juicy. A couple of questions please: I cut back on the salt and also used low sodium chicken broth; not sure if it would benefit from a little more seasoning—would it be better to use regular broth, and cut back on the actual salt additions, or low sodium broth and add the full measures of recommended salt? Also, you show the dish presented “in bulk” on a platter—with doubling sauce we found it a bit unwieldy (;and messy) to serve portions to ourselves, and am wondering also, if serving with noodles, is this dish generally served with the chicken over a bed of noodles, or best served with noodles on the side? Or should portions be served individually from the kitchen?( I have never had the dish until I made it, so I don’t know how it is traditionally presented). I want to make it easy for guests to access all the sides, etc. Lastly, if preparing the dish in batches for 6 people, is it best to try to work with 2 pans on the stove simultaneously, or make one batch and try to keep it warm in the oven, or on a “hot tray”? Thanks for your help; I’m a bit of an inexperienced cook!
Elise
So glad it was a hit! I’d probably go the route of using the regular chicken broth and reducing the added salt as you can always add more to taste when serving.
Regarding serving, I like putting the chicken/sauce on top of the noodles (it probably looks nicer as well).
And if you have the ability to use two pans simultaneously to cook this for more people, I’d do that. Hope that helps!
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was incredibly yummy!! I added 2 8oz Bella and crimini mushrooms instead of just one pack. I love mushrooms so it was perfect! I also added a few Tabasco peppers from my garden to give it some heat. Thank you for this awesome recipe!!!
Made as written last night and the results are in,delicious.The flour in bag trick was great and made clean up easier.Served buttered egg noodles on the side,thanks for the wine recommendation went with a J LOHR CA. chardonnay.Next time will try the pinot noir when the weather cools down here on planet Mars California,our sky’s are orange and the air is unhealthy today.
So glad you enjoyed!
I have made this several times and truly enjoyed it. Is there a make-ahead recommendation in order to serve it when having guests?
Hi Ginette, this dish is definitely best served right after it’s prepared. That said, if you’d like to give it a try, one reader commented that she made this ahead, stored the sauce & chicken separately, and reheated it briefly before serving. Please LMK how it goes if you try it.
I made this for my family over pasta, and they loved it! Delicious! Definitely will make again.
The only “problem” that I ran into was that I could not get the sauce to thicken at all. Eventually, I added some cornstarch and that did the trick. I am wondering, though, if you know what I could have done wrong or if there is something I could do differently next time?
Hi Kayla, Sorry you had a problem with the sauce thickening. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe or ingredient substitutions?
Hi Jenn! I omitted the shallots and the thyme, because some of my family members don’t care for them, and I used heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream. Do you think the cream could have been the problem?
BUT, you have no need to be sorry; we absolutely LOVE the recipe, and my family keeps asking me to make it again! Thank you so much for posting!
Hi Kayla, The lack of shallots may have made a slight difference but not a big one (and the thyme and heavy whipping cream wouldn’t have caused a problem). I suspect it just needed another minute or two to thicken up.
This recipe is so delicious! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs since that is what I had, but made no other changes. Absolute perfection! Thanks for the recipe!
I will skip the stock in the future. Otherwise delish!
Another recipe that all of us really enjoyed. Doubled the sauce and mushrooms and served with angel hair and broccoli. Delicious!!
Hi Jenn! I want to try this recipe but as a novice cook I could use a tutorial before I shop for the chicken: you indicated in the general description that one “ could skip the hassle” by using chicken tenderloins”- how would the prep be different for tenderloins as opposed to “tenders” or pounding regular chicken breasts?
Many many thanks!
Elise
Hi Elise, if you buy chicken tenderloins, you can skip the step of pounding them. I believe that chicken tenders and chicken tenderloins are slightly different, so just make sure you buy a packaged labeled chicken tenderloins. Hope you enjoy!
Easily the best Chicken Marsala I have EVER tasted. Thank you Jenn! Seriously cannot eat this meal in a restaurant ever again cause it never comes close to your recipe. AMAZING!!!