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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 recipes 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, or Parmesan smashed potatoes.
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
Chicken Marsala Recipe (Easy)
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
- â…” cup chicken broth
- â…” cup dry Marsala wine
- â…” 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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What to Serve with Chicken Marsala
To round out the meal, I like to serve Chicken Marsala with a simple vegetable or salad. French green beans with shallots, roasted asparagus, garlicky roasted broccoli, or a crisp arugula salad all pair nicely with the rich, savory sauce.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Chicken Marsala is best served fresh, but leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm the chicken and sauce gently in a covered skillet over low heat until heated through. If the sauce has thickened, add a splash of chicken broth to loosen it. Avoid boiling, as the cream sauce can separate.
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Made last night. Have never made before. This was easy, presentable, and delicious. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! My husband is very particular about any sauce and/or gravy, but this one kept him going back for more! I just made this two nights ago and he’s already asking me to make it again! This one will definitely be going into the regular meal rotation.
Made this for my husband and I. I’ve made several Chicken Marsala recipes over the years and this was by far the best. The seasoning and everything very balanced and delicious. One thing though we added only 1/2 the Marsala wine – just our preference. Excellent!! Make it, you’ll love it. My husband loved it!! 😀
PS. Easy to follow instructions as well. Very well done.
I haven’t cooked in years like this. It was hectic because I didn’t do all the prep. It turned out as I remembered. It’s not complicated t all. It was delicious. Hooray.
My go-to authentic chicken Marsala recipe! It’s always a hit and so easy to make.
I made this when some friends and I were on vacation. They were all Gaga over it!! Served it with lemon garlic broccoli and egg noodles. Thanks for the recipe…..now apparently I have to make at least one meal when we go on vacation together
This is my favorite recipe. It’s a restaurant quality dinner, right at home. Easy to make and absolutely delicious! Do NOT change the cooking method or ingredients and you’ll have an amazing dinner. Another win from this amazing chef.
I work from home so I try to find crockpot versions of meals because I like to have them ready when my wife gets home without having do a ton of work after I’m done working. This was very much not good. I see lots of other comments validating our thoughts. Bland, sauce never came together. If I were to do this again I’d do as another mentioned and not leave out cream
Hopefully, you did not make this in the crockpot!! I am making this tonight for my fourth time. Never an issue and certainly not bland. The only deviations I take are extra mushrooms and salted butter. Why on earth would anyone leave out the cream?? No wonder. Try again and follow the recipe. You can always add a little extra salt and pepper to taste. Good luck!
This is NOT a crockpot recipe! So you can’t be upset that you cooked it incorrectly and left out an important ingredient.
It’s nice that you are cooking, but look for CROCKPOT recipes. There are a million on the internet.
I added the thyme to taste as well as the salt & pepper. Do not miss using the cream. This is a stove top dinner and it easy and quick. Hint gather & prep ingredients then just follow her directions / super easy & quick.
This is by far the easiest and best homemade chicken marsala recipe I have tried to date.
Just made this tonight for company and it was excellent! Followed the recipe exactly and will definitely make this again.
Thank you for yet another great recipe Jennifer.