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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Delicious! Great dish if you are entertaining.
The family all thought this needed more Marsala.
I always double the Marsala sauce !
The best, easiest recipe I’ve ever tried !
very good recipe ! helpful tips! I swapped the cream for Marscapone. Love the flavor!!
Excellent recipe—Thank you!!💕
If you wanted to make it gluten free, would you use cornstarch or a type of gluten free flour?
I’d go with a gf flour – hope you enjoy!
Everyone loved it!
Loved this recipe! So good!
Hi,
I tried this recipe and absolutely loved it!
Do you think this recipe will work if I make it the day before, (refrigerate then put it in a pan and cover). Then bake it in the oven the next day to heat up?
I want to make it for a large dinner party but want to try and save time by doing it the day before.
Thank you
Glad you liked it! This is best right after it’s prepared but if you’d like to give it a try, 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. Please LMK how it goes if you try it!
This turned out perfectly by reheating the next day in the oven. I cooked the chicken fully on the frying pan and made the sauce but stored them both separately overnight in the fridge. The next day I mixed them both together in a baking dish and reheated it up in the oven until hot…. it turned out great (I found it is a bit more liquidy this way but I made a gluten free option so of course there wasn’t any “flour” on the chicken to thicken up the sauce…but I had no complaints since it was so flavorful). I also put another left over tray in the freezer (chicken and sauce mixed together) I just thawed it in the fridge for a few hours and then popped it in the oven until hot and let me tell you I never tasted such moist and flavorful chicken. It was wonderful even after being frozen for over a week. If making this ahead I just suggest making 3-4x the amount of sauce as the chicken will soak it all up. Thanks for such a great recipe!
So glad to hear it, Christine — thanks for reporting back. I’m sure other readers will find it helpful as well. 🙂
i need to make this for 14 people. I am going to brown the chicken and make the sauce, keeping them separate so I can heat later on in the oven. If I let the chicken and sauce come to room temp, how long do you think I should heat it in the oven and at what temp and should I heat it covered?
Help !
Hi Joni, I’d actually reheat both the sauce and the chicken over low heat on the stove. Hope everyone enjoys!
Love this recipe. It is my go to for chicken Marsala. If I want to make it for a large party … can multiply the ingredients ? Will it reduce the same or will the sauce be too thin?
Hi Ana, you can multiply the recipe — the sauce will reduce — it will just take longer so leave yourself some extra time. 🙂
This is definitely a keeper! So flavorful and easy to make. 10/10! I doubled the sauce, as well.
this is the only recipe i use for chicken marsala everybody that has tasted it loves it
Hello Jenn,or your
Love your recipes. I am making the chicken marsala during the holidays for a group of 12 people. I looked at the grean beans recipe with shallots but I want something easier. It has to be a vegetable in the oven but not the carrots.
Thank you or or your suggestions.
Hi Louise, So glad you like the recipes! There are 3 options that I think would work well – roasted cauliflower, roasted broccoli, or roasted asparagus. Hope you enjoy whatever you make!
Fantastic recipe. My dinner guests did not believe this was the first time I had ever cooked chicken marsala. The recipe was easy to follow, with good side notes. I followed the instructions exactly as written and my dinner party was a huge succes!
My daughter & I love chicken marsala but it’s never tasted as good as it does now that I use this recipe. It’s perfect! I’ve made it twice this week! Thank you!
I *really* enjoyed this. Prep time was minimal. Easy-peasy to pull together; yet, it tasted like I fussed. Aaaand, my dish looked just like the pic! Nailed it for real! 🙂
I am really disappointed in this recipe, I followed it to the T…the measurements for seasoning the chicken is what ultimately ruined it.
Too much pepper & salt, my mouth burned when I tried the chicken with how much salt & pepper this called for.
Will try it again & see if it comes out good!
Terrific! Far better than I just had at a local Italian restaurant that still does a good job. Thank you!
Awesome recipe! Definitely adding this to the permanent collection.
Love this recipe, I’ve made it several times and it is delicious!
My son said it was the best chicken ever! The sauce was really good (next time I’m doubling it because it tastes so good). This is a super easy weeknight meal. Buy the thin sliced chicken breasts, that makes it quicker and easier. Definitely going into rotation. Followed recipe to the T! Ok, I added more garlic but that was it.
can i use the same recipe for veal marsala? Veal seems a little more elegant than chicken for a dinner party
Sure!
Stumbled upon your website the other day and I am so enjoying going through your recipes. Would this be safe to freeze? If so, how long would it be good for? Thank you!
So glad you found the website! Unfortunately, I don’t think this will freeze well — sorry!
We LOVED this recipe! My husband has had several disappointing Chicken Marsala’s at local restaurants. So, I wanted to give it a try using your recipe and it was a total winner!
Love your chicken Marsala — love all of your recipes. You are my go to every time. I would like to know how to make your chicken Marsala the night before a large party of friends so that I can put it together quickly while entertaining. I don’t usually entertain a lot of people. Thank you so much.
Glad you like it! This is best right after it’s prepared but if you’d like to give it a try, a few readers have commented that they’ve made this ahead, stored the sauce & chicken separately, and reheated it briefly before serving. Please LMK how it goes if you try it!
Even if you want to make your own additions, this recipe is the one to start with. Nice job, Jenn. Sauteing the chicken until golden and almost done is a key to tender meat, and using chicken tenders is very easy. I appreciate the use of shallots and garlic (not just onion), because I grow both in my garden, but often forget to use them, especially the shallots. They add a lovely depth of flavor.
As others have done, I doubled the mushrooms and sauce, but I started with a roux, adding a T. of butter and leftover seasoned flour to the sauteed veggies before slowly adding liquid: 2 parts broth, 1 part marsala, and 1 part cream. Although cream is more stable than milk, I get concerned that cream can curdle in a sauce that contains acids, such as wine or lemon juice (I like to add lemon juice to meat sauces), so I add the cream at the end of cooking without heating the cream further, after the sauce is as thick as I want it.
Absolutely delicious — added more wine lol
This was easy and DELICIOUS! I increased the marsala, cream, and broth to 1 cup each because I like extra sauce over rice. It was perfect, and made a fabulous leftover as well.
Delicious chicken dish… used white wine… no Marsala… should have doubled the sauce… rave reviews from my family. Definitely a keeper!
Fantastic! We made this with elk round steaks and it was great!
Have you ever added tomato to your Marsala sauce?
No, I can’t say that I have.
Loved this recipe. Can it be frozen?
So glad you liked it! Unfortunately, I don’t think it will freeze well — sorry!
Easy to make and very tasty. Thanks for the suggestion to slice thicker breasts in half.
Made it tonight! The absolute best chicken marsala recipe ever!!
New family favorite
I found a chicken marsala recipe from one of those famous TV chefs a couple weeks ago and decided to try it. It was pretty good. I went online to find it and make it again tonight, but came across yours first and thought I would give it a try. I’M SO GLAD I DID! It was MUCH better than the other guy’s recipe! I am definitely going to save your recipe to use again and again!
So easy and so amazingly delicious! This is a keeper. I made seasoned green beans and Parmesan Smashed Potatoes! A real hit!
I have never left a review for a recipe but this one is amazing. The first time I made it I couldn’t believe how good it tasted. I have since taken liberties with how much shallot, garlic, and thyme I add (I throw caution to the wind) but no matter what it is the most delicious thing I have ever made/had. Thank you for bringing this recipe into my life.
Diary issue in the family, can the cream be subbed out with anything? Thank you.
Hi Joe, 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 either of these.) Hope that helps!
I think this has to be the best I have ever had. Your awesome for sharing, thank you!
I just made this for the 1st time and it was awesome!!! Next time I’d use less salt. I used dried thyme but didn’t taste it. I used less thean the fresh, but still loved it! Thanks for sharing
Little too much Marsala wine. Added more chicken broth and cream. Perfect. But only because we didn’t care for the wine that much. Great though
Amazing! My first time making chicken Marsala and it was a home run! My husband literally licked his plate clean! I did double the mushrooms and sauce after reading some of the reviews. Soooooo yummmy!
Was delicious!! Will make for company! Will go into my special recipes. Thank you for sharing — want to try your chicken piccata next.
Delicious recipe very simple to make absolutely delicious we’ll make it again and again great with pasta and even better with mashed potatoes asparagus on the side is really good with it
So amazing! I sat the chicken in the air fryer on warm. All of this is sooooo good!
I just cooked this recipe exactly as stated. Somehow the sauce tasted bitter. I don’t know why it didn’t taste like Marsala. I’ll try it again later this week. I’m going to double the sauce next time too.
Right. I used the correct amount of wine. Added more broth and cream. Perfect
This is my new favorite recipe for Chicken Marsala – easy to make, absolutely delicious!
Made it last night. Like others I doubled the sauce. Super tasty. I was thinking what wine could combine to reduce the sweetness a little while maintaining the marsala flavor? Or maybe 2 parts marsala, 1 part vodka? No matter what this is a keeper. Thanks!
Glad you liked it! Were you using sweet or dry Marsala?
Awesome Chicken Marsala. Definitely now a staple in my recipe library. Cooked exactly as instructed . Just couldn’t get it to thicken after 20 minutes of gentle boil. I did dribble a little bit of extra olive oil and chicken stock but not enough that an additional five to seven minutes couldn’t take care of. Will try exact measurements next time.
Simply delicious! 11/10!
Doubled-up the sauce just because. 🙂
Next time I might substitute cauliflower in place of chicken. Has anyone tried that yet?
Made this recipe tonight and we LOVED it!!! It was retry easy and absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait to make it again!!
Amazing recipe! Next time I’ll double the sauce. I used half and half and it was fine. And the mushrooms…I will double those also. Thank you! Cindy
Hi!! I had noted in an earlier comment that it seemed to curdle and I just realized that I accidentally grabbed half and half from my fridge instead of the heavy cream!! I’m thinking that definitely caused my issue lol!
You’re right! 🙂
I found this recipe on a search for chicken Marsala. I followed it precisely and it turned out AMAZING! I took a chance and served it to dinner guests without trying it out, but everyone raved about it!
Thanks!