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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What a great recipe to cook up on a cold, (-15 C) snowy Canadian evening. Sauce was excellent, chicken was tender, it was really “restaurant quality” as my husband said. We did add a bit more shallot and garlic than in the recipe, and cooked the sauce a wee bit longer, and it all came together beautifully. Served it up with a nice white wine, some broccoli and garlic bread. Heaven on a plate.
This is one of the very first dishes I cooked when I began living by myself. Fantastic recipe and have made it many times!
This is my favorite chicken Marsala recipe. I did substitute sherry for the Marsala and it came out just as good. It was as good as a restaurant. We served it with the Parmesan mashers and green beans. My husband loved it. The leftovers were even better!
Where do I begin with this one? I have tried to make chicken Marsala many times over the years. The sauce was always the disappointment for me. It was either too thin or not rich-tasting enough. OMG. This is an AMAZING recipe. I never would have considered adding dairy to chicken Marsala but in my opinion, it takes the sauce over the top. I can’t even order this dish from restaurants anymore after making and enjoying it at home. It’s not difficult…but like many sautéed chicken dishes, it can be slightly time-consuming and a bit messy. However, the results are unquestionably worth it. The first time I made this for my fiancé and me, neither of us could even speak as we ate it. And he nearly licked the plate clean! I served it over fettuccine but I think it would equally good with roasted or mashed potatoes. A must-try!
Delicious and easy to make! Love this recipe and the “pair with” suggestions are great. I’ll be making this again.
Had never used Marsala wine before and am glad that I tried this recipe. It’s delicious. Simple to put together and great change for dinner.
Since chicken marsala is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, I have prepared it over the years using a variety of recipes. My husband, the CM expert, has declared Jenn’s recipe number one. He says it is the best I have ever made and certainly better than ANY he has ever ordered in a restaurant — and that includes many times in Italy. It is not at all difficult to prepare and takes very little time. The only suggestion I have is that because the chicken cooks so quickly, it is absolutely imperative that you have all your ingredients prepared BEFORE you begin to fry the chicken. Chop, measure, and line up ALL ingredients before heating the oil and butter, just as you do when you are preparing stir-fry. I usually serve it with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Superb!
I love that the flavor of the Marsala really comes through in this dish. The sauce is really lovely.
This is such a fabulous recipe! One of our family’s favorites! We make it exactly as written, and serve it with Parmesan Smashed Red Potatoes, steamed french green beans, and crusty bread. A+++ recipe!
This recipe was easy to follow and so delicious! The chicken was tender and I learned how much I love a variety of mushrooms by making it. Got rave reviews from everyone who has shared the meal with me. I make sure I always have the ingredients on hand so that I can put it together on a minute’s notice. GREAT recipe!