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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Comments
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This is without a doubt the best chicken marsala recipe I’ve ever cooked. Definitely worth trying.
This is now my GO-TO Chicken Marsala recipe!
I’ve made chicken marsala a few times before and it was just, eh. I came across your recipe while on vacation when I didn’t have my recipe box with me. My husband loved it so much he’s begged me to make it 3 more times since! LOL!
Can’t wait to follow your other recipes and try them out! @onceuponachef
This was delicious. Just wondering if some (or all) of the Masala can be substituted for another alcohol. The Masala was a little strong (sorry, I know that’s the point of the dish). I was just wanting to tone it done a little.
Sure. As you said, it will taste the flavor of the sauce, but you could use red or white wine in place of the Marsala. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Add extra Sauce to potatoes 🤯
Absolutely amazing 🔥
Made this last week, winner-winner! My husband does not typically like chicken marsala but, I had been craving it and used this recipe, well, he loved it! This one is going in my recipe book for sure! Thanks!
Does this recipe freeze well? I was thinking about making it and then freezing it for another day.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it would freeze well — sorry!
What was the portion size used in the calculation of nutritional information
Hi Randi, I don’t know exactly what the portion sizes are, but it’s basically 1/4 of the recipe.
This was so easy to make! My husband absolutely LOVED it! Will be making for my in-laws when they visit in a few weeks 🙂 Definitely a winner recipe!
I like to mix it up and try new chicken Marsala twists to the way I make it. I came across this today and made tonight for dinner, I will never make this any other way, it was DELICIOUS! My husband loved every bite. I plan I checking some of your other recipes for sure! Thank you!
Best chicken Marsala recipe I have ever used. Rivaled the Italian restaurants in my area, Bordentown, NJ! I will definitely make this again, including company.
Best thing I’ve ever cooked for myself! Amazing; better than some restaurant chicken marsala I’ve had. (I used gluten free flour to make it GF)
Five stars!!! Absolutely fantastic! Served it with mashed potatoes and fresh broccoli. It was better than most restaurants chicken marsala.
Do you think this would work with extra firm tofu?
Hi Chris, I don’t have any experience cooking with tofu, so I can’t say confidently either way. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful! (Please LMK how it turns out if you try it.)
Absolutely a fantastic dish. Our date nite was canceled and we needed a great meal. We shared this with our 13 month old and she could not get enough.
I bought a bottle of Marsala a few months ago, intending to make this recipe. It never happened until today. It was so yummy! My husband loved it and we just had some brown rice with it. So perfect! Thank you Jenn for such a wonderful meal!
One of the best Chicken Marsala recipes ever! My husband rated it 100. It was easy to follow. Would highly recommend using this recipe.
Went to an Italian Restaurant and had Chicken Marsala and loved it! So ran out and got a bottle of Marsala Wine, found Jenn’s recipe, and made the dish. It was FANTASTIC! Absolutely loved it (as did my wife!).
Looking forward to trying more of the recipes from Once Upon a Chef.
First time I liked a food blogger’s recipe. Thank you for not blabbing away either. I make excellent Chicken Marsala, but yours is better! I wanted to give my daughter-in-law my recipe, but I don’t measure things. I will be making more of your recipes! You are the best!
This recipe is amazing! I definitely invested in a nice bottle of Marsala wine. I did double the recipe and my sauce was slightly thinner but it did not matter in the least. The leftovers heated up so nicely for lunches. My husband is still talking about it after 2 days.
I also wanted to add that I tried your smashed potatoes with it as well. Another excellent recipe that I will continue to make.
I don’t know about anyone else but this recipe takes much longer to cook/prepare than what is listed!! When it’s finally done, yes, it is good. The steps are simple, but timing out everything from saucepan to table – that’s another thing.
Excellent. Steps are well defined and easy to follow. Served with mashed cauliflower (my own recipe) and fresh peas. Perfect meal and my husband loved it too. I will add a bit more flour next time to the bag.
Delicious as is. I used half and half instead of heavy cream but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Delicious.
We had this dish at a restaurant serving weekly takeout meals, and loved it. But, the chef there is very creative and doesn’t repeat dishes often. So, I looked for a recipe to make my own and found this one.
It is very delicious and very easy to make! We are gradually socializing here, and I plan to serve this for company meals!
Thank you!
I have made this recipe a zillion times and it just gets better and better. Everyone raves which makes me feel like a million bucks when serving this – especially to dinner guests.
There are so many wonderful and delicious recipes in Once Upon A Chef that I am truly wearing out my book and it’s only 3 years old!I have pre-ordered the new cookbook and am excited to have even more great recipes to try. I love to cook and am just beginning to learn how to bake. I am especially grateful for Jenn’s accurate measurements. It enables me to concentrate on what I’m doing with assurance of yummy results. Thank you Jenn, for sharing your talents and gifts.
You’re so welcome!! 🙂
Hello Trudy, when you’re serving this to dinner guests, do you make it earlier and reheat it or make it after your guests arrive? If you make ahead and reheat, would you give me a couple of tips please?
Barb
Hello Barb. I saute the chicken and remove from pan prior to guests arrival.
Once everyone has arrived I continue making the sauce and add in the undercooked chicken (so the chicken doesn’t get dried out while waiting).
I serve this dish with Instant Pot mushroom risotto that compliments it very well.
This meal was absolutely delicious! I think I could eat this every week!
i love this
My first time cooking mushrooms or making a reduction sauce. The hardest thing about this recipe was finding the Marsala at the LCBO! It was easy to follow and tasted amazing.
Very good! I made it a couple of times and tonight I’m making the sauce and putting it in with my own choice of mixed veggies for a marsala stir fry!
Wow, just like if you were eating in an Italian restaurant. Follow the Recipe to the T. Also, a big secret is to use good Marsala. A price ranging from $14-$19 a bottle brings out the true flavor of the Marsala sauce. Whoever tries this recipe will be very impressed,
Could you do this with boneless/skinless chicken thighs? Would it make it too rich?
Yes, I do think it would make the sauce too rich/greasy. Sorry!
Ok, thanks!
This chicken marsala is beyond delicious, a five star recipe to be sure. Made it about three weeks ago and making it again tonight and not going to alter one iota of the recipe.
I made this Chicken Marsala recipe a few weeks ago and it was Delicious!!! I’m making it again this week.. you have to make it.. if you haven’t yet.
Jenn,
I was very excited when I saw you had a recipe for Chicken Marsala – I knew it would be good and man I was right. I doubled the sauce as I had a lot of chicken and it seemed like it was going to be thin until I added the chicken back and it thickened to the perfect consistency.
The chicken was tender and moist and the sauce was a perfect balance of Marsala and cream.
Served with rice pilaf and salad with a homemade Balsamic Vinagrette and wow. Monday night dinner tasted like it took all day to make and it was start to finish in about an hour. Thank you for all you do 🙂
Can you use dried thyme instead of fresh?
Sure, but I’d reduce the amount to a generous half teaspoon. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious and easy. Rich, flavorful dish.
I make This ALL THE TIME! My family loves it. The one thing I alter Is I add The cream very last so it doesn’t sit as long as the other liquids. It’s a hit with my family. We triple the batch and serve it with a side of green beans and pasta or mashed potatoes.
Absolutely delicious! I can’t have any kind of dairy so I did have to use a non-dairy substitute for the cream, but it was still amazing. I will be making this again
So yummy!! The flavor is so good! The sauce was a little liquid for my preference but added little cornstarch and water mixture for a thicker sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
My sauce never browned–not sure why. Regardless, it was delicious! Adding this to the rotation. Thanks, Jenn!
Yum! I’ve made this 3 times so far and it is delicious every time. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
I made this for tonight’s dinner. It was amazing and super easy to make.
Has anyone substituted boneless skinless chicken thighs for breasts? That’s what I’ve got and this sounds so great I want to make it today!
Hi Kathy, I wouldn’t recommend thighs here as I think it will make the sauce too fatty. Sorry!
Just made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs this evening. It was fantastic!
Excellent! I have a fussy eater and he devoured it. I served it with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Will definitely make again.
My daughter loves chicken marsala but usually only from our local Italian restaurant. I made your recipe and she loved it! It was absolutely delicious! Thanks for so many great recipes!
Jenn,
Ive tried many chicken Marsala recipes that I’ve scoured the internet for and yours is by far the best of all. This is now one of my go to recipes.
I made this and my family just loves it. It’s definitely a special occasion recipe❤️
Can the chicken and sauce be put in a casserole dish and baked or kept warm in the oven for serving later?
Hi Phyllis, I wouldn’t recommend baking it. This dish is best right after it’s prepared. That said, if you’d like to give it a try, one reader commented that she made everything ahead, stored the chicken and sauce separately, and reheated then it briefly before serving. Please LMK how it goes if you make it ahead!
Thanks for the recipe! Is there a non-dairy substitute I could use for the heavy cream?
Hi, 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.) Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I love all your recipes but this one really knocks it out of the park! It does take a bit of effort but getting pre-sliced mushrooms and minced garlic really made it a bit faster. Also I used half and half because it is what I had on hand (I live in the middle of nowhere) and it worked but I did have to a) reduce a little longer and b) thicken slightly with corn starch before adding chicken back in.
Great special occasion meal.
Outstanding recipe!! Follow the recipe exactly and it will come out perfectly. Do not deviate! SH
hi what is the serving size please?
Hi Sonia, Assuming you have 4 pieces of chicken, it would be one piece of chicken and 1/4 of the sauce. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Great recipe !!! Was about as tasty as any Marsala I’ve ever had. . I did add 1/3 cup extra of Marsala wine.