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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It was absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!!
How is it that the sauce curdled both times I made it? This occurred when I added the wine. No one else seemed to have an issue with this.
Hi Marg, I’m sorry to hear you’ve had problems with the sauce! Did you use heavy cream?
mine did too! but I did notice afterwards that my half & half was non-fat… I think perhaps I
should have tempered the cream before dumping it all in.
Hey Jenn, made this just the other day, first time making your recipe. Turned out excellent. The Queen (my best critic) gave it 5 stars! I paired it with the roasted sprouts, excellent. Now if I could only get the lava cakes right, lol
Keep up the great work.
I love this dish SO much. It’s one I make when we have people over for dinner or just for us during the week. Every recipe of Jennifer’s is so good! She’s my favorite 🧑🍳
This dish was simple and delicious! My family loved it.
Hi , I haven’t made this yet.
Can I use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe? It’s what I have on hand right now.
I could remove the skin and bones and pound the thighs. Would that work?
Hi Jodi, I wouldn’t recommend it. Because thighs have significantly more fat on them than breasts, I think the sauce would be too greasy — sorry!
I would like to prepare for a dinner party of 8. How much of this can I do ahead prior to guests arriving?
If you want to get a lot of the prep done ahead, you could pound the chicken breasts, combine the flour, salt, and pepper, mince the shallots and garlic, and chop the thyme and parsley, if using. I think this is best if it’s served right after it’s cooked, but 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 if you want to give that a try.
Delightful. This is a wonderful dish. I doubled the sauce recipe to have plenty for leftovers and we will enjoy again tomorrow!
Absolutely delicious! I followed the instructions as written, and thought it had so much flavor.
This is delicious! The sauce has an elegant complex flavor.
Hi Jenn, My husband and I made this again and doubled the recipe for a family dinner party. We also made the recommended side dishes of Parmesan Red Potatoes and your haricot verts with shallots. The finale was your French Apple Cake. Everyone loved the entire meal and said it was better than a local top restaurant. Thanks for your fabulous recipes and clear directions. I’ve shared your website with our family now!
Love this recipe but how do I double the sauce? Do I double everything else except the chicken?
Yep, just 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.
I think this is the perfect recipe for Chicken Marsala! If I were served this in a restaurant, I would be very pleased.
Can I use Marsala cooking wine for this?
Hi Tiffany, I wouldn’t don’t using cooking wine here. Cooking wine has additives and preservatives that add sodium and other flavors to it so is not a great substitute for the “real thing.” Sorry!
I have made a few times. I didn’t realize the difference. I used cooking wine tonight and the sauce never thickened. One of my fav meals! Thank you!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Looking forward to the leftovers! And I notoriously take much longer to make anything than the time the recipe says. It only took me 15 minutes longer and I made mashed potatoes( sweet and white) and sautéed zucchini! Love it!!! Thank you!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. I have been looking for new recipes to try to help plan weekly dinners, and this one was perfect..I did replace the shallots with white onions due to shallots not being available. My husband and our friends also enjoyed dipping the bread in the sauce. So excited about trying more recipes!
GO for it! I made this meal tonight with org. boneless skinless chicken thighs (pieces not as elegant as the chicken in pics.) and angel hair pasta. It was a delicious meal. I am not a “home cook”, I love great dishes to eat :)-
I wondered how the sauce would thicken and *boing* wheat flour on the cooked chicken.
This would also be delish with fresh organic mashed yellow potatoes with butter. Thank you Jenn! Tired after holidaze, had the chicken thought let’s go. wt heck easy yummy food – oh r cats can wash the dishes thank you! Happy New Year!!
I’ve made many chicken marsala recipes and this one has been the best. The flavors meld beautifully for a very elegant taste. While there are no unique ingredients when compared to other chicken marsala recipes, this one rises above the others. Even over Ina Garten’s. Do be patient when reducing the sauce, it does thicken on it’s own when using full cream. Great instructions!
Made this for a birthday dinner–I even impressed myself! This beats my former go-to chicken marsala recipe. The sweetness and creaminess of the sauce was delightful. Even the mushroom-deniers didn’t leave anything on their plates. Kudos. This is my new go-to.
Yum. Happy happy Bday! Xox TK in OR
Super delicious dish. Will be making again in the new year.
Can I make this with non dairy cream or milk?
Hi Laura, 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 you enjoy if you make it!
Fantastic, delicious and loved by all family members. Thank you Jenn!
This was my first time making it and it was delicious. My family loved the meal and the flavor. I added more mushrooms than normal. Thank you!
Great recipe! My husband said “I like this marsala better than the tikka one!” Lol… really though, this is a good recipe.
I substituted the Marsala wine with white grape juice and 1/4 cup balsamic.
My second time making the recipe, I used the suggested mushrooms and added a can of sliced mushrooms. That really helped me because I like a lot of mushrooms.
Hi Jenn! I am an enormous fan and have fallen in love using your thorough, easy to follow and, most of all, DELICIOUS recipes. Chicken Marsala is one of my family’s favorites. So much so that I want to serve it Christmas Eve for 8. This would obviously involve doubling the recipe. Would you suggest making it in two batches or to have two pans going at once? Also, what is the best way to keep the dish hot while pulling together the rest of the meal? I’m still pretty new to cooking and a bit nervous about pulling this off. Any suggestions appreciated.
Hi Jenny, so glad you like the recipes! To make a double batch of this, either option (2 batches or 2 pans) will work – it’s more a matter of what you’re comfortable with. And while you’re pulling the rest of the meal together, you can cover the serving dish the chicken is on with foil and stick it in the oven on the lowest temperature. Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys.
I’ve made this dish several times now and it is excellent. My family loves it so much, I now make it for special occasions like birthdays and holiday dinners!
Crazy but wondering if there Is there anything to substitute the Marsala wine with. Having friends over snd some are former alcoholics and concerned about tasting any wine in the sauce as well as some not be cooked off. Thanks!
You can omit the Marsala – it won’t be chicken Marsala but it should still be delicious. You might consider a squeeze of lemon at the end for some bright flavor. Hope everyone enjoys!
I made this recipe for the first time and brought it to a potluck. EVERYONE said it was absolutely delicious. I’m so happy to have this recipe. I know I’ll be making it again and again! Thank you.
This is the best Chicken Marsala recipe! You don’t have to tweak or change anything about it. Follow the recipe and you will have a magnificent dish. One of our family favorites!
This was AMAZING. Hands down the best chicken marsala! We served it over a bed of thin spaghetti. Now, it’s my new favorite dish! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This was delicious and we loved it, even better than what I’ve ordered in restaurants. I didn’t change a thing!
This was amazingly good. Served with mashed potatoes and green beans with caramelized shallots. It took me longer than 40 minutes but SO worth it.
My husband and I make so many of Jenn’s recipes. Tonight we made the chicken Marsala. It was absolutely delicious, perfect as written
Hi Jenn,
Without a doubt, this is the best chicken Marcella ever made. That sauce is absolutely amazing. Next time I am going to double the batch of that. I’ve added this to the giant binder that I made of your recipes. I’ve easily made over 100 of your recipes and I’ve never been disappointed. Thanks again Jen, I can always count on you to make me look good. Can’t wait to serve it to company.
This was delicious. I didn’t have shallot, so I used finely diced red onion. My husband and I really enjoyed this dish.
Recipe looks awesome! Want to make it for a friend who just had surgery. Can I make it, and then have a simple way for them to reheat? So, kind of like, how do you reheat leftovers question.
I saw freezing isn’t a method.
Hi Linda, this is best if eaten right after it’s cooked, but 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. Hope your friend enjoys it!
I’ve made this recipe for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago and according to my partner this is the best dish I’ve ever made for us. Only problem is that now he wants this almost every week but it’s so time consuming I’m getting burned out of making it.
Anyone has ever tried making this recipe in the Instant Pot? And if yes, what in the instructions would be different? I looked for another recipe but they don’t cover the chicken with flour, only seasoning and use cornstarch to thicken the sauce, and I’m not sure I’m willing to risk changing the texture of the sauce to be able to cut down on the total time to make this recipe. Anyone more experienced in the kitchen has any advice for me in this regard? I’m not that experienced in the kitchen and so far have never “ruined dinner” before, so afraid of that potentially happening for the first time haha.
Every recipe on this site has been amazing. And this recipe is no exception. I highly recommend it using the recipe as is.
Hi Jen–All the recipes of yours that I’ve tried are simply scrumptious! This chicken marsala recipe was listed as a “freezer friendly” recipe. Is that true? I’m cooking for a large birthday party in about three weeks and would love to make this if indeed it freezes well. How best to freeze this dish if I can? Thank you so much for all you do!
Hi Leslie, I’m sorry for the confusion, but this dish isn’t freezer friendly. If you remember, can you tell me where you saw it categorized that way so I can correct it? Thanks in advance! 😊
Hi Jenn,
From the homepage, I clicked on Recipes/Freezer Friendly. At bottom right, when I scrolled down, I saw the Chicken Marsala recipe. In looking at that page again now, I see a little heading that says “Popular Recipes.” I didn’t see that heading when I first searched so thought that the Chicken Marsala might be Freezer Friendly. It was just confusing to me. Thank you for asking.
One other quick question, when you reply to a comment, are we supposed to get an email notification? Just wondering.
Looking forward to trying your new “Chocolate Bundt Cake” recipe when we celebrate my mother-in-law’s 91st birthday at the end of this month. :-))
Hi Leslie, It sounds like you were looking at recipes that I put on the sidebar – I apologize for any confusion! No, you won’t receive an email when I’ve replied to a comment, so just give it about 24 hours and then check back. Hope your MIL enjoys the chocolate Bundt when you make it!
I love this recipe! I have celiac disease, so I make it gluten free by substituting Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free flour blend for the AP flour, and it is absolutely delicious. Thank you!
I’ve followed this recipe about 3 times and it’s delicious!
Make sure to buy some real Marsala wine (like Paolo Lazzaroni & Figli). There is some imitation stuff at the grocery store that’s just awful.
This tastes WAY better than the chicken marsala I’ve had at a popular Italian restaurant! I can’t believe something that tastes so decadent is so easy to make. I doubled the sauce as I like to serve it over spaghetti pasta. Thanks Jenn! I look forward to trying out your other recipes.
Delicious! This was the first recipe that I made from this website. I have now made 3 of Jenn’s chicken dinners. They have all been amazing and easy to follow. I plan on doing a little of the Julie and Julia movie. I’m gonna make as many of Jen‘s recipes as I can.
Thank you so much Jenn for your awesome recipes..
❤️
Delicious!!! Doubled the sauce recipe, because YUM, so it took longer to thicken and reduce, but just awesome! No deviation other than double sauce. 5 stars!
Do you use red or white Marsala wine?
Hi Melody, I use Santini brand Marsala which is kind of amber in color.
Hi Jenn,
Where do you buy the Marsala wine? Wine store? And is it in wine section or cooking section? Thanks,
Carlene
Hi Carlene, Yes you can find it in a wine store; it is typically found in the section dedicated to fortified wines.
This looks delicious but do you know if this dish is something I can make the night before and just finish cooking it maybe an hour before guests arrive the following night? Would the chicken’s texture be off putting? I’m trying to not end up spending so much time in the kitchen and have more time with friends at the dinner table.
Hi Jean, 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!
Best damn recipe for the CM….my family loves it! I lost count after the 15+ times I’ve made this. Superb, Great, and Delicious….better than 12+ Marsala’s I’ve had at numerous restaurants! THANK YOU, and please let me know if you ever become single.
It’s absolutely delicious! Also simple to make, thanks for sharing! I make it all the time now.
This recipe is delicious. I did notice that when I have made it that the cream I have added has occasionally separated a bit. Any tips on how to ensure that I get a smooth sauce without any separation?
Andrea, glad you like it! Are you using heavy cream?
Truly the best chicken marsala I’ve ever had, I physically cannot stop making it. Thank you!
It is a truly flavorful dish. The only thing I could’ve done better, was the adding of the liquids. After the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic cooks, add just the Marsala. Deglaze the pan, scrape the fond, and evaporate the alcohol. After a minute or 2, add the broth & cream…
It would really be great if you could make there be an option to adjust servings sizes for larger families.
Hi Holly, Thanks for the suggestion — I’ll add that to my list of features to potentially develop. 🙂
Best Marsala I’ve ever made! My family and I love this recipe and I’ve made it dozens of times….and remember fresh ingredients always make any recipe 3.5 times better! Once Upon a Thank You Chef.