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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made this a couple of times everybody loves it, never last more than one night
Followed recipe except my cream was bad so I substituted whole milk. Everything tasted great! Can’t wait to try it again with proper cream 😉 I used cast iron and scraped all the goodness into the sauce as it was simmering and it cleaned up so fast after that too – recommend cast iron if you like cooking with it.
Can this be done in a crock pot?
I wouldn’t recommend it, Monica — sorry!
I’ve made chicken marsala many times, couldn’t access my previous recipe, so I tried this one instead.
I thought it was superb and will now be my go to.
Only thing I changed- did not use heavy cream, but fat free half and half. Didn’t miss the extra fat and calories.
Great recipe, really enjoyed it! I have a low-carb suggestion … instead of rice, potatoes, or pasta … use mix of zucchini and yellow squash. Just slice them into about 1/4 thick slices (mandolin slicer is good for this) and saute them (fairly lightly, nice to leave a little crunch) in olive oil (little butter mixed in doesn’t hurt), then lay them flat on plates, like a bed, half and half green and yellow on each plate, dust with salt and cracked pepper. Then put the plates into a warm oven (160-175F) while you do all the rest, then serve the chicken and sauce over the squash rings on the warm plates. Easy, low carb, and squash goes REALLY well with Marsala sauce 🙂
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner, along with several of Jenn’s recipes (classic lasagna, parmesan smashed potatoes and brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and honey). Everything was incredibly delicious. My husband’s favorite was the chicken marsala and he is asking me to make it again for dinner tonight! I made everything as written. Thank you Jenn for sharing these great recipes. Happy holidays.
Loved it, just a little heavy.
Thinking of making for Christmas Eve dinner. Can it be made in cast iron pan?
Yep definitely. Enjoy!
always working never had time to learn how to cook. hubby didn’t care. now hubby passed. only work part time. this was my first try. it turned out great! and it looked like the picture!
Jen This looks deelish. Can this be made ahead by sauteing chicken, than making sauce and keeping them separate till reheating and serving.
I live in Boston and will be transporting to my daughters home in NYC for Xmas eve/belated Hanukah.
Thank you
Hi Janie, this is definitely best if served right after it’s cooked, but a number of readers have done what you’re suggesting and have been happy with the results. Enjoy the time with your family!
Excellent! Thank you for the great recipe.
I’ve been making chicken Marsala for years and after this recipe I have finally mastered it !! Thankyou !
Jenn,
I made the Chicken Marsala last evening and it was delicious. I did one adjustment, I used some condensed golden mushroom soup in lieu of broth/stock…. it added richness to the sauce and aided in the layering of flavors. I am looking forward to using more of your recipes.
As many have already said, a most excellent tasting recipe. Rivals that of many of the great Italian restaurants we patronize. Thank you!
Rob S
Bravissimo!!! I’ve always wanted to make this dish and last night I grabbed my pan and spoon and followed your simple recipe and voila! My girlfriend enjoyed it as much as I did. I made it with a side of grilled, parmesan crusted asparagus and a glass of pinot grigio. Thank you for sharing your gift with us!
Incredible recipe! I omitted the mushrooms (because we hate them) and doubled the sauce portion so we could serve it on a bed of pasta. One note, if you use Marsala COOKING wine, be careful with the salt because salt is added to cooking wine.
Unfortunately, I think you are missing out on a key aspect of this dish by omitting the mushrooms. In my experience (full disclaimer: in no way a chef), mushrooms are “flavor sponges”, soaking up the sauce flavors. How do you feel about tofu? It acts much the same, adding almost no flavor to the dish, but soaking up whatever you cook it in.
I’ve just made this for the first time, purely to use up some Marsala that had been open for a while. I found your pictures very helpful (not like “cook until it is done”) and the finished dish was delicious. Shall try your other recipes too. Thank you.
This is by far the best chicken marsala recipe I have ever had and made…..even better than high end restaurants!
I normally do not follow a recipe, i wing it, but so glad I did. It was so good I doubled it halfway through
Delightful! My family immediately put this recipe in our Hall of Cooking Fame. So glad I discovered your site, thanks for all you do!
Looks great but an ingredient list would be great?
How much broth?
How much cream?
Wine etc?
Hi Anna, underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
This recipe is OUTSTANDING!!!!
This is a fine restaurant quality recipe. Have made for several dinners and it has always been a big hit with guests
Perfect recipe for chicken Marsala!
This is a keeper! I made extra breasts just by setting the first bunch aside and cooking the additional ones in the same pan. Then later I added those breasts to the sauce and cooked them over low while we ate. I might add more mushrooms next time. Many thanks!
Instant HIT! Easy and absolutely delicious!!
delicious and pretty easy ! i used 2% milk b/c that’s all i had on hand, and it was still creamy and rich (thank you butter!) thanks for the great instructions !
Excellent you got a 100 points right there…..
Just made this for dinner. Delicious!
Excellent! Authentic! Served over Arborio.
Made this tonight. Loved loved loved the sauce. Will be doing it again this way from now on. My chicken Marsala before was good, but this is a whole level up! Excellent recipe 👍
Delicious! Easy!
This deserves seven stars at least. Delicious is an understatement. I made this for my man and I and he said I out did myself. We couldn’t stop eating it. I served it over a bed of Knorr microwaved rice and WOW. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I made it exactly to your directions and it came out perfectly.
I would like to make veal marsala. Would I do everything the same except use beef broth in place of chicken?
I make your chocolate zucchini bread as muffins every week! I gave some to my neighbors across the street and had many visitors that day (other neighbors). Word got out and people came by asking to try my muffins. (We live in an awesome neighborhood!)
Hi Melissa, this should work nicely with veal. And so glad you (and your neighbors!) like the muffins. 🙂
I thought this recipe was just OK. I will not make it again. Followed instructions to a “T”.
Can I substitute boneless chicken thighs?
Hi Nidhi, I wouldn’t recommend it; I do think they would make the sauce too rich/greasy. Sorry!
Another great recipe. I made a half order for two and just cut all the ingredients in half. Maybe a few extra mushrooms (they really absorb the flavour.) I was initially tempted to substitute table wine but I’m glad I used the Marsala. It really gives a depth and richness to the dish. Took a few extra minutes to reduce the sauce, but otherwise everything went according to the recipe and it turned out great. A keeper.
Love this recipe. So easy and delicious!!! Had this at a restaurant once but always figured it was too hard to make at home. Will be making this often.
Hi Jenn! I made this tonight. Only change was using half and half instead of heavy cream. This is an excellent recipe. We all loved it and decided that we prefer it to the one I’ve used for years! So glad I found you!
I have made this recipe 3 times and each time I get fabulous compliments on how good it is. This is definitely a keeper to make again and again . I put more mushrooms because we love them.
Absolutely perfect recipe! I put some fresh spinach leaves in at the end and served it on a bed of orzo. Fabulous! I am now a loyal fan of Once Upon A Chef!
So freakin delicious. I’ve been really getting into using my cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly for browning everything. Really didn’t change anything except doubling the sauce for mashed potatoes. Thanks so much for the amazing recipe!!!
Wonderful- flavorful- expert directions in the recipe. Will make over and over again!
Just finished dinner and the compliments are still coming. Followed the recipe as written except for the fresh thyme(did not have). Used a dash of dried. Definitely going into the rotation. Served on egg noodles. The next time mashed potatoes as per wife’s request.
Such a delicious recipe. I’ve made this several times, and it always gives me a quality restaurant experience.
Easy to follow instructions, and it’s absolutely delicious!
Hello Chef Jen,
I am thinking about making this for a dinner party of ten adults. I will probably use tenderloins because I know they will come out tender. I have a few questions:
1. How many pounds of chicken would you suggest for this amount of people?
2. Is there any amount of preparation I can do ahead of time (even a few hours)?
3. What sides would you recommend with this?
Thank you in advance. I love your recipes, I am so happy to see you taking off as you are. Best, lauren
Hi Lauren, Here are the answers to your questions:
1. I’d use 3.75 pounds (which is 2.5 times the recipe — make sure you multiply the other ingredients accordingly)
2. This is best 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.
3. This would be nice paired with green beans with shallots and smashed potatoes. Also, I have a feature on the website– for all main dishes, I suggest one or two sides that I think would pair nicely with them. To see what I’ve suggested, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe. Immediately under the recipe, you’ll see the dishes that I’ve suggested.
Hope that helps and it’s a nice get together!
This is a great answer, Jenn! It was also terrific that you answered so quickly! I also was thinking of making this for a dinner party for 8 people – so the information you provided was exactly what I needed!!! I can’t wait to try it. I also appreciated that you included a reference to your feature of showing side dishes that pair with certain main dishes. Very thoughtful! Thank you very much!
Another winner! I substituted the heavy cream for coconut milk, and it still turned out delicious! I did have to add a touch of corn starch to get it to thicken, but it was rich and creamy, and felt a little healthier. Served over brown rice with roasted cauliflower.
Such a treat to have this restaurant quality meal mid week. It is a snap to pull together and a crowd pleaser. Don’t change a thing!
This was awesome, though I might double the sauce next time. 🙂
The best and easiest marsala recipe! My go-to for an easy weeknight dinner 🙂