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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Hi Jenn!
Hope you are well!
I’m making this Fabulous Chicken Marsala tonight…it’s always a hit!
But I never have made it with salted butter? Would that be a huge difference?
I also typically use low sodium chicken broth, but my mom uses Better Than Bouillon paste? Would this variation work?
I simply love your recipes!
And thank you for always responding.
Sincerely,
Stacey
Hi Stacey, thanks for your nice words about the recipes and so glad you like this one! I’m sorry I am weighing in too late to help, but hope it turned out well. For future reference, while it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. And using Better than Bouillon should be fine. Hope that helps!
This is an amazing recipe, one of my favorites that I make frequently. It needs absolutely no modifications whatsoever. I serve it over egg noodles, so delicious!
This was amazing! The only tweak was I used less salt. Wow! The best part is, I’m not a fan of chicken. Made for the hubby and he couldn’t get enough. Your recipes are fantastic.
It was delicious, enjoyed by all
Jen, I just love all your recipes & this one is no exception. I’m just curious, do you have a good recipe for Chicken Madeira?
So glad you like the recipes! As of now, I don’t have a chicken Madeira recipe — I will add it to my list of recipes to potentially develop. 🙂
Love this recipe. I always add a little more dry Marsala wine, like 1 cup and a little less chicken = (1/2cup). Finally I add the cream lastly to avoid it from curdling and I add it until I like the color instead of using a set amount. Cuts out some calories! Your reciepe is great for a quick dish as the title implies. 5 Stars!!!!!
Absolutely delicious!! Will be making again.
Came out delicious!! Chicken was so tender and tasty. Did not take long to prepare! Great weeknight dinner!!
Made Chicken Marsala for the first time ever using this recipe. Followed it exactly. Firstly, the recipe doesn’t make that much sauce. So double it if you want a decent amount. Second, the recipe was kind of bland. I mean, I did taste the wine, but overall, not a lot of flavor to it. I am going to try other Marsala recipes to see if I can find one that works. I’m glad I tried to cook it myself, though.
Delicious. As I served over egg noodles my only tip is to double the sauce including mushrooms. You can never have too much of this delicious sauce!
Does it make a difference whether I use dry or sweet marsala wine. And thank you for all your recipes. I haven’t try one yet that I didn’t love!
Yes, I’d use the dry marsala. (And so glad you like the recipes!)
We enjoyed this. I would make more of the sauce next time. I made some minor modifications, but only out of personal preference. I added some flour to make a roux before I added the liquids, used more mushrooms, and cooked in a cast iron skillet. I also (after coating in the flour mixture), dredged the chicken in beaten egg and panko. This was delicious and we will make it again. We served it over mashed potatoes.
I made this yesterday and it was fantastic! The recipe was so easy to follow and absolutely foolproof. I made it in a cast iron skillet and the browning was perfect. I love making new recipes and adding them to my recipe box.
Loved it. The flavor was fantastic and the family ate the entire plate full. Added a teaspoon of sugar for just a tad bit of sweetness. Local Italian Bistro serves it a little sweet, and husband loves that, so that was only change. I liked it with or without. Amazing!!
I loved this recipe and got wonderful compliments from the family. I pan cooked my mushrooms first though in butter flipping them prior to cooking. I also doubled the amount. This was marvelous. I also used half n half instead of cream.
Sooooo good!
Hi Jenn,
I plan on making the chicken Marsala this weekend. I don’t have a stainless steel pan; can I used cast iron instead (will I still get the browning on the chicken)?
Yes and yes – enjoy!
This has been one of my all time favorite recipes for dinner! Absolute enjoy this deliciousness!!!
Love this!!!!!
I haven’t made Chicken Marsala in a while and decided to just follow a recipe this time. My family lived for this! Definitely putting this on a heavy rotation. Food comas had by all! 🙂
Thank you Chef!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🏆
The best, authentic and delicious! I had to triple the recipe bc I had 4 1/2 pounds of chicken 😂 but you can bet leftovers will be minimal. Served over egg noodles with a side of asparagus.
I’ve been making Chicken Marsala for years but never found the perfect recipe…until now. I did increase the liquids because my husband likes a lot of sauce. I also made the potatoes and green beans recommended and they were amazing as well!! Everything was so good, it’s definitely going to be my go to recipe now!
I jsut made this. I used another recipe for years, but this is much better.
I love all of the recipes that I have made.
It turned out delicious! I didn’t let the sauce thicken long enough but only because the hubby likes a lot of sauce. He’s a sauce/gravy person! Next time I’ll let it thicken more. I will def cook this again!
This chicken was amazing. My dinner guest was very impressed. I will definitely be using more of these recipes. Thank you.
Absolutely delicious! My boyfriend said it tastes better than any chicken marsala he’s ever had from a restaurant! Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it was always delicious. Today I tripled it, and I was disappointed it didn’t come out very well. It never thickened. But now I’m thinking I didn’t add all the chicken because the pan wasn’t large enough. So I’m sure that made a difference. My family still loved it, but it wasn’t as delicious as it usually is. I’m thinking next time, I’m going to have to make three individual recipes then add all together. If anyone has any suggestions on how to perfect a large batch it will be greatly appreciated.
Love this recipe! I did substitute gluten-free flour for the wheat flour, and I used chicken fat instead of butter and gourmet mushrooms instead of the button mushrooms (just because that’s what I had on hand). It was wonderful, and the chicken was delicious and tender. I split my large, skinless chicken breasts down the middle lengthwise before pounding them as she suggested. I think that really made all the difference in tenderness. This is a keeper!
My family loved it! It got raved reviews!!!
I have made this countless times and every time I make it we devour it all because it’s so dang good. The only thing I change is doubling up the sauce. I have also used your sauce to make marsala mushroom soup. So good with fresh baked bread. I’ve also shared this recipe with my friends and they’ve told me it was divine.
I followed directions to the smallest details and it tasted spectacular.
Jenn made this dish for myself and my daughter it was the best. I even got a compliment from her. One of the best meals I have made in a while, your recipe is simple but with great results. Thank you, J bertone
Can I make this ahead of time and just warm it up?
Hi Dianne, this dish is best served fresh, but it does reheat nicely.
This is a fantastic dish! Thank you for taking the time to share it. I did substitute extra chicken broth for the marsala wine, as I don’t make enough chicken Marsala to warrant the cost of buying the wine. It was still delicious!
Made this tonight with mashed potatoes and it was ok. Followed the recipe, except used dry sherry since I didn’t have marsala wine. The gravy didn’t thicken as much as I expected. The flavor was fine, but it was a lot of work and cleanup/dishes. I love chicken mushroom marsala so I will have to order it at a restaurant next time.
You didn’t follow the recipe so you shouldn’t rate it low. Cleanup is part of cooking.
Excellent point!
Yes 🙌 thank you! That really bothers me too
Great recipe! Simple yet delicious.
Great recipe! I added Marsala first to de-alcohol it. Even without mushrooms, it was great. I had it with oven roasted clefted new potatoes. Superb!
Best chicken dish I’ve ever made!
Any advice on making a second batch of sauce for leftovers? I know it won’t have all of the same elements from the chicken cooking in the same pot, but would simmering butter, wine, broth, cream and mushrooms for a while make a similar sauce that we could pour over our leftover chicken?
Hi Ben, you can do that. The sauce will have a lighter color and won’t be quite as deep in flavor without the brown bits that accumulate in the pan when you cook the chicken. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I tried the chicken marsala recipe and my family and I loved it. The only thing I couldn’t find was the amount of ingredients to put in it. Like how much wine or how much butter or oil. I just winged it. I liked the touch of putting in the garlic and scallion. I thought it would be overpowering but it gave a great flavor. I would like to follow this chef online.
Carlene, so glad you enjoyed it! Regarding the measurements, it sounds like you were just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions above. 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!
Hit jump to the recipe at the top of the page
This is amazing! The whole family loved it!
I followed this recipe and have made it before but can’t remember how I got the sauce to thicken the last time as it was quite runny tonight. I also doubled the broth, wine and cream. I let it simmer extra long. Any suggestions to thicken the sauce would be appreciated.
Hi Carol, the sauce is a fairly thin consistency. Also doubling it would’ve definitely made it thinner.
You would need to add more flour to the fat in your pan (a few minutes before you add the liquid) if you want to add more liquid than the recipe calls for or want the sauce to be thicker.
great recipe thanks didn’t change a thing except light cream instead of heavy cream
love love loved it got rave reviews too thanks
This was a very delicious recipe, easy to make chicken was tender and tasty, excellent recipe.
This reminds me of my grandmother’s recipe! Tasted just like hers did! Thanks so much for sharing.
Made tonight for dinner, not near as good as expected. Flavor was good but my go-to meal at our favorite Italian restaurant is so much better! Followed recipe exactly but chicken seemed way overcooked and dry. Disappointed.
I make this exact recipe all the time and it’s better than any restaurant I’ve tried Marsala at and the chicken has never not once been dry.
Excellent! Had no mushrooms, so used artichoke hearts (from another recipe I frequently make). Delicious sauce and will get mushrooms next time. Even if you use less chicken, make same amount of sauce – or more!
Tasted like a true marsala sauce. I used chicken thighs because that’s what I had on hand and put the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes. The whole family loved it.
This was absolutely delicious! I’m still new to cooking and had never made chicken until this recipe. It turned out delicious! I served it over some pasta. My only wish is for it to have more gravy, which I think can be achieved by increasing the liquids added (chicken broth, wine, and cream). If there’s a better way, please let me know. I will definitely be making this for my family again.
Hi Dasha, so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I would just increase the liquids if you want more sauce. Keep in mind that the sauce won’t turn out as dark as you won’t have as many pan drippings from the chicken if you’re only making a single batch of it.
WOW! This recipe is a definite keeper! Made it for dinner tonight and I can’t believe I’ve never made this! Followed the recipe and it turned out great! Just as good as restaurants! YUM!
This is a fantastic recipe. It was truly delicious and everyone enjoyed it. The instructions and quantities are so important to a good recipe. Jenn you nailed it. Everything was perfect. This was my first time making one of your recipes and I’ll be making many more.
Thanks!
Amazing recipe! I didn’t have heavy cream so I used half and half instead and it still turned out wonderful!