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 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, which are naturally tender.)
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
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-in (6-mm) 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.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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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This is my go-to Chicken Marsala recipe. It requires so little effort to produce consistently fantastic results. This is a dish that’s impressive enough for company, but the prep is simple enough that I often make it on a week night for my husband and myself. I’ve served it with both pasta and potatoes and it’s lovely with either. Don’t forgo the fresh parsley–it really brightens this rich and delicious dish!
Easy and delicious recipe. Have now made several times and comes together beautifully and the family loves this.
This is delicious!! Even better than chicken marsala in a restaurant! My family loved it so much, I often make it twice in one week! It continues to be a weekly staple in our menu and I love that it’s so easy to make!
I’ve made a few chicken Marsala dishes now and while my family always likes them, they LOVED this recipe. The combination of measurements with the wine, broth and heavy cream ensure that the flavors mingle without overpowering any of them. I’ve tried many recipes on this site and am always happy with the results. My absolute favorite… coconut macaroons. They are soooo good, definitely try them dipped in chocolate!
I host my children and grandchildren for Sunday dinner every week and rely on your recipes to please every single one of them! Your Chicken Marsala is the biggest hit so far. I had to make a few adjustments since we are 13 in number and between prep and making sure everything is warm at serving time, I’ve found that I can prep and saute the chicken first, placing each piece in large Pyrex baking pan. Then, I continue in the same skillet with the sauce preparation. I pour it over the chicken, cover it with foil and hold it until time to reheat it along with another Pyrex baking dish full of polenta in a 325 degree oven. It’s always perfect!
Judi, Thanks for the info as I am making this for 14 people for Xmas Eve. I was going to put the chicken in a pyrex and store the sauce separate. Bring them both to room temp for 30 minutes, then combine. My question is how long did you reheat at 325? and was it covered the entire time of reheating?
I’ve made this recipe three times so far and it is always a hit! I love the idea of halving the breasts as it makes them so much more tender. I haven’t had to change a thing to this recipe, although I always double and sometimes triple the sauce. My family loves lots of sauce.
This is one recipe that will always stay in my rotation!
Absolutely love this dish!! It is in my regular rotation!
This version of Chicken Marsala elevated my game. I’ve made Chicken Marsala and Piccata for years as our kids have grown up. I tried Jenn’s version and everyone LOVED! Something about letting it simmer and flavors meld, chicken becomes more tender. It’s worth the extra few minutes which I felt I could never spare given the rush to feed the troops. Jenn, you’ve done it again.
I’ve tried others but this is by far the best chicken Marsala recipe!! The step by step instructions help it come out perfect every time!
My go to recipe for chicken marsala. The entire fam LOVES this dish, including my picky 2 year old and my 70+ father who used to own a restaurant! Easy to make. I usually double up the ingredients for the Marsala sauce itself and serve with bow tie pasta. There are never leftovers for a family of 6!
Can u substitute whole milk
Hi Lori, You really need heavy cream for this — sorry!