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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Hi, I can’t wait to try out this recipe, despite seldom cooking before. This may be a dumb question, but this recipe states just ‘olive oil’ and in the picture it shows ‘extra virgin olive oil’. Would using the different types of olive oils make a difference? In some cooking shows I watch, it seems to. Thank you in advance, and for this recipe!
Hi Mike, not a dumb question! I always have plenty of extra-virgin olive oil stocked so I use that whenever I need olive oil. That said, if you have standard olive oil (not extra-virgin), it’s fine to use that here. Extra-virgin olive oil is most important in salad dressings whereas regular olive oil is generally fine for cooking. Hope that clarifies!
This recipe was delicious!! I took a chance and made it ahead. I followed the recipe then stored the sauce and chicken separately as another reviewer did. When I was ready to serve it, I put the chicken with the sauce in an oven proof pan, covered it and baked it at 350 for 30 minutes. It came out great! Prior to this preparation I made it and served it immediately and my husband and I couldn’t tell a difference between the recipe made and served immediately and the recipe I made ahead. This will definitely be in my rotation of meals.
Thank you for this comment. I was searching about making ahead of time!
I’ve made this twice this month and its the one meal that never makes it to leftovers.. it’s literally gone in minutes.. delicious!
Honestly better than most Italian restaurants in my area!
This looks wonderful! Your recipes are always excellent. How can I make this for 10 people if I don’t have a pan that large? Crockpot? Oven?
Thank you!
Viktoria
Hi Viktoria, I don’t recommend a crockpot or the oven but if you have two pans that will work, you can cook them side-by-side in the 2 pans. If not, I’d just do two batches. Hope everyone enjoys!
It is so good! I have made this recipe a few times. I double the sauce ingredients so I have more sauce! Thank you!
Love this recipe just as it is! We make it often. Yummy over mashed potatoes.
Thanks so much.
Made this tonight and my son said it was one the best things I’ve ever cooked!
Excellent recipe and easy to follow. I used very little cream because my husband does not creamy sauces. The flour on the chicken made the sauce thicker. I added more Marsala for the taste. Sublime!
Came out perfect! Thank you!
Awesome! And perfect ratio of meat to sauce. Thank you❤
Delicious! A perfect blend of flavors. I used a wide variety of mushrooms and added bit of sherry. It will be added to my list of easy to make favorites.
Maggie Moulton
I was questioning why to add the cream and bring to a boil. I was right ! It curdled I would reduce the wine and chicken broth first then add cream
Excellent recipe! It was easy to follow and delicious as usual from @onceuponachef. The whole family loved it. I have used other recipes before but will definitely make this one again. The only adjustment I would make is to try using tapioca flour as a substitute for the heavy cream so I don’t get in trouble with my cardiologist. 😉
I made this last night. Followed recipe exactly. Loved it. I am adding to my meal rotations.
So delicious!!! I’ve never made chicken Marsala before but I do love to cook and this recipe was so good and not hard to follow. I combined it with some spaghetti squash and it was delicious.
That was SO GOOD !!! Thanks 🙂
First time I am doing a Marsala chicken and this is a hit here!
I did not have marsala so I used white wine and I doubled the sauce too and delicious!
Second recipe I am doing here and just love them 🙂
Karine
This recipe was absolutely delicious! First time making it and it was so good I could have licked the pan!! Made it exactly as written. Will definitely be making it again & again.
Quick question – I make this all the time for my family of 4. I need to make it for a party of 8 on Thursday. Can I cook it an hour or two earlier than dinner is planned and then reheat it or will the chicken get too dry? Also, instead of frying the breast whole, do you think it’s OK to cut up the chicken breast into 1 inch thick pieces, fry those and then make it like a casserole? I am always worried about the chicken over cooking and tasting like rubber! Help!
Hi Sharon, I may be weighing in to late to be helpful (sorry)! But for future reference, this is definitely best if served right after they’re prepared. For the chicken Marsala, one reader commented that she made this ahead, stored the sauce & chicken separately, and reheated it briefly before serving.
And while I haven’t tried it, I think you could cut the chicken into pieces. I’d follow the guidance from this recipe.
Made this tonight. Very easy and very delicious.
Made it yesterday, for the first time, and it turned out absolutely great. Thank you for the wonderful instruction.
I modified your recipe slightly and made a chicken marsala pizza with it. It was to die for! Thanks for the recipe!
I cut the chicken into bite size pieces, made extra sauce and reduced it until it was very thick. I spread the marsala over the pizza crust, then generously sprinkled shredded mozzarella on top. Baked it on the bottom rack ~ 15 minutes at 525°. Grated fresh parm on top. YUM!! It is our new favorite nontraditional pizza.
Had this tonight, DELICIOUS ! Recipe was easy to follow. My wife and I both agreed, that this was the BEST CHICKMAR that we have ever had. Can’t wait to prepare for the kids and grandkids. Thanks, so glad we found this.
Thanks, Jen. I enjoy your recipes and your book.
The one is delicious. I have made this also with pork tenderloin.
I use brandy if I do not have marsala wine- just as good.
Perfect. We had this as a mid-week dinner, but it felt super special. Made it with the sides suggested and a Caesar Salad. Paired with a glass of wine, it was like dining at a bistro. A definite keeper.
Jenn, I have made this several times and LOVE it! If I wanted to do a veal marsala, would I need to change any of the directions?
Hi Colette, Glad you like it! It should work nicely with veal (with no changes necessary). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I’ve made this with veal twice. No changes needed
Excellent recipe, you don’t need to change anything, perfect!
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband loved it. I did make some changes to the recipe. I used a non-dairy heavy cream alternative, garlic & herb seasoning and a Tbsp of seasoned bread crumbs to the flour mixture.
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!! I can not wait to try more of your recipes! I’ve made this twice now and will be making it again and again.
Great recipe! I substituted heavy cream for evaporated goat milk and added 1 tbsp of fresh thyme. Also since I realized last second I only had sweet Marsala I used about 3/4 the amount noted of dry sherry and the last bit of the sweet Marsala so I could still use it. I also used ghee on my mushrooms. I served it with cauliflower mash (with Gruyere and Comte cheese), broccoli and truffled risotto… Delizioso!
I read a lot of recipes online and make many of them. This is the first time I’ve ever commented. I really like this recipe but would change some things next time. 45 minutes? It took me two hours to prepare. I admit I’m very slow and careful. I have a 12-inch non-stick pan and it worked fine. I removed the pan from the stove with all the chicken and the sauce. It seems like the chicken immediately absorbed all the sauce. I wanted to put some on the angel hair pasta I served with it. I cooked my chicken longer than the recipe said because I was afraid it was thicker than 1/4 inch, even though I had pounded it with a rubber mallet. The sliced mushrooms were also thick and so I cooked those longer, too. Possibly this is why I had so little sauce at the end. Next time I’d use 1 cup each of the liquids instead of 2/3 cups. It was delicious, but I wanted more sauce.
Loved it! I made this last night, and it was delicious. I left the butterflied breasts intact to have two large pieces vs. four. Otherwise didn’t change a thing.
Made this last night and my husband loved it!!! He is lately very hard to please. Also very easy to follow directions. 😊
Made this last night. It was a huge hit!! So yummy, my husband loved it 🙂 and the kids ate it! Win all around!
Help – why did my cream curdle when I added it to the hot pan? I think t will taste fine, but it looks awful.
Hi Sandra, Sorry to hear it curdled. Did you use heavy cream?
This is by far the best Chicken Marsala recipe out there! I’ve made it several times now and every time it keeps on getting better. I tweaked it a little bit by adding a tablespoon of flour to the heavy cream to thicken the sauce and adding a touch more thyme. Simply delicious!
Thanks Jen for another winner recipe.
I LOVE this recipe! I do add a little splash of red wine and I sauté the crap out of the mushrooms with extra garlic, because I like my mushrooms that way. Plus I add extra garlic. When I add the chicken back in the pan at the end I simmer it very low for about 20 minutes. It’s such a great meal!
Made the Chicken Marsala last night. Easy to make and turned out wonderful. My husband said it’s the best one I ever made. He then said it think it’s better then any I’ve every had in any restaurant. Definitely will will make this again. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
i’ve never commented on a recipe before but this is one of the best dishes i’ve ever made, and the best chicken marsala i’ve ever had! i can’t wait to make this for everyone i know.
I’ve been making my own version of Chicken Marsala for my family for years, and getting rave reviews. I, however, felt something was missing with my sauce. I made your version, following the directions to the letter. I had all of the ingredients on hand,, with the exceptions that I only had dried tyme and sweet Marsala. Everything turned out perfect. The sauce was magnificent. My wife couldn’t stop raving about the rich flavor of the sauce. I am pleased with the way everything turned out. My game has been elevated. Thank you.
We have made this twice in two weeks. It is delicious and we will definitely make again. Only thing different I would do it double the sauce as my family of 5 likes a lot of sauce.
I’ve tried many Chicken Marsala recipes and this is my new favorite – no need to try any more. Excellent!
Can we substitute the dairy items for nondairy ones?
Hi Angie, I haven’t tried it, but a few readers have commented that they’ve used full-fat coconut milk in place of the heavy cream successfully. Also, some people have used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen) and Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. And you could try substituting the butter with margarine. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with any of these options.) Please LMK how it turns out if you try it with these alternatives!
Making this right now. I cannot wait to see everyones face drop!!
Can I add prosciutto to the chicken Marsala recipe?
Sure!
DELICIOUS! Made this last evening, there are no leftovers!
Thank you, Jenn!
Absolutely delicious! Made this tonight for dinner and it was a huge hit. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
This is fabulous. For some reason I haven’t made it in a while, but I will definitely make it more often now that I remember how delicious it is. My house smells divine too.
Thanks, Jenn, your recipes never disappoint.
Loved this! Better than in a restaurant!
I’ve made Chicken Marsala for years, but it was quite putzy – started on the stove, then finished in the oven. I tried this technique tonight and the only thing I did differently was that I used thighs instead of breasts. O.M.G. I’m tossing my old recipe and making this forever! It was so flavorful and wonderful and easy to make! I’m so glad I found this site. I will be exploring more of your ideas!
I’ve made this exactly as written several times. My kids (5,7,8) eat literally nothing. But somehow the lightening struck and they CANNOT GET ENOUGH of this Marsala chicken.
Mind you, they completely ignore the mushrooms but they drink down the sauce. My daughter is celiac so I use a gf flour and it comes out perfectly. We serve over roasted potatoes and it’s divine. Thank you thank you for this!
I don’t have any marsala wine. Would dry sherry be an acceptable substitute?
Hi Penny, it will taste a bit different, but a number of people have commented that they’ve used dry sherry and have been happy with the results. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I love your recipes. Can I make chicken marsala or chicken piccatta a day ahead for a dinner party and then reheat? Would it taste just as good or would you have another suggestion that would make it taste as if it was just cooked?
So glad you like the recipes! Both of these dishes are definitely best if served right after they’re prepared. For the chicken Marsala, one reader commented that she made this ahead, stored the sauce & chicken separately, and reheated it briefly before serving.
And for the chicken piccata, the chicken won’t be quite as crispy as when it’s just cooked, but you can reheat it in the oven before serving (and reheat the sauce on the stove). Hope that helps!
Delicious! I didn’t have dry marsala, so I used a medium dry sherry. It worked out just fine.
My husband and I made this recipe to celebrate the New Year. It was so delicious and surpassed my expectations. I would like to make it again for a dinner party for six but would prefer not to be cooking when my guests arrive. Can any parts of this be made ahead? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Sheila, So glad you enjoyed it! 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. Please LMK how it goes if you try it!
5+ star recipe! I usually make changes depending on what I like or have on hand, and I used air-dried shallots instead of fresh, I added a LOT more mushrooms, and doubled the sauce part of the recipe. This recipe could be hard to stop eating.
First off, this came out great; my rather picky wife loved it and went back for seconds! Second, the timing of the steps was spot on. I did this “by the clock” to hit a specific serving time and nailed it (1:05:00 from prep to table). Third,thanks for the short cut suggestion of tenderloins, it helped cut the time down. Lastly, thanks for not making scroll through 8 pages describing how much your family loves it, how everyone that has tried it loves it, how great it is, how you developed it etc. You directions and pictures were clear and to the point. This is the first recipe site I will actually be subscribing to