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 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, which are naturally tender.)
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
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-in (6-mm) 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.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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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I just made this for my husband and I tonight and it was AMAZING! I followed the directions to a tee, with the exception of the chopped fresh thyme. I didn’t have any, so I used dried thyme leaves instead. I’ve never used Marsala wine before and my local grocery store only had one brand and it didn’t say ‘dry’ and looked like colored water but I bought it and used it in this recipe. I put the chicken/sauce over thin spaghetti and it was outstanding. The only thing I will do differently next time is make more sauce so that the pasta can absorb more of it. Plus, the sauce is so good I wish I had leftover for mashed potatoes tomorrow. I’m already planning to make this again next week. Thank you for sharing such an awesome recipe!
Absolutely Delicious! I made this for a Valentines dinner and it didn’t disappoint! My husband loved it and so did I! Easy to put together, rich, and comforting on a cold February evening. I will be making this again….thank you for a great recipe!
Lovely recipe. Thank you for sharing
One of my favourite recipes!
I don’t think I’ve ever used one of your recipes that hasn’t worked well.
Insert smiley face! TW
I don’t normally write comments, but either I’ve missed the ingredient table or the measuring is seriously messed up! The recipe specifies the quantities of salt and pepper up to a hilarious 1/8 of a teaspoon per a PAN of sauce: could anyone really taste the difference?
Just wondering if there is a way to do most of this for a dinner party ahead of time? I don’t want the chicken to get tough but wonder if there are steps that can be taken ahead of time.
Hi Ann, this is best if eaten right after it’s cooked, but a few readers have commented that they’ve made this ahead, stored the sauce & chicken separately, and reheated it briefly (on the stove) before serving. Hope everyone enjoys!
Can you make it the day before and reheat it in the oven if you are cooking for a crowd?
Hi Nancy, this is best if eaten right after it’s cooked, but a few readers have commented that they’ve made this ahead, stored the sauce & chicken separately, and reheated it briefly (on the stove) before serving. Hope everyone enjoys!
This is probably the seventh recipe I’ve made of yours and this one was just delicious. It was very easy to make and I can’t wait to make it again
I normally don’t write reviews, but I am so obsessed with the way this came out. Will definitely be making seconds! ❤️
I have made this 4 times since Christmas and it is a family favorite. I double everything but the chicken as my family is in love with the sauce. I usually serve it with whipped potatoes and a green vegetable. I follow the recipe exactly and it is perfect.
Thanks for sharing it.
This was a really good, flavorful dish! I had to hunt to find Marsala wine, but it was worth it. Its flavor made the dish. The browning of the sauce does take 10 – 15 minutes… I was surprised (even though the recipe says it does). But, don’t let that deter you from making this – the richness of the sauce is worth it. I cut my mushrooms a little too thin, since they cook so long in the sauce, they lost a little bit of their texture. I also subbed basil for the thyme (personal preference). I served on a bed of angel hair pasta and a basic green salad with Italian dressing.