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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I don’t know about anyone else but this recipe takes much longer to cook/prepare than what is listed!! When it’s finally done, yes, it is good. The steps are simple, but timing out everything from saucepan to table – that’s another thing.
Excellent. Steps are well defined and easy to follow. Served with mashed cauliflower (my own recipe) and fresh peas. Perfect meal and my husband loved it too. I will add a bit more flour next time to the bag.
Delicious as is. I used half and half instead of heavy cream but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Delicious.
We had this dish at a restaurant serving weekly takeout meals, and loved it. But, the chef there is very creative and doesn’t repeat dishes often. So, I looked for a recipe to make my own and found this one.
It is very delicious and very easy to make! We are gradually socializing here, and I plan to serve this for company meals!
Thank you!
I have made this recipe a zillion times and it just gets better and better. Everyone raves which makes me feel like a million bucks when serving this – especially to dinner guests.
There are so many wonderful and delicious recipes in Once Upon A Chef that I am truly wearing out my book and it’s only 3 years old!I have pre-ordered the new cookbook and am excited to have even more great recipes to try. I love to cook and am just beginning to learn how to bake. I am especially grateful for Jenn’s accurate measurements. It enables me to concentrate on what I’m doing with assurance of yummy results. Thank you Jenn, for sharing your talents and gifts.
You’re so welcome!! 🙂
Hello Trudy, when you’re serving this to dinner guests, do you make it earlier and reheat it or make it after your guests arrive? If you make ahead and reheat, would you give me a couple of tips please?
Barb
Hello Barb. I saute the chicken and remove from pan prior to guests arrival.
Once everyone has arrived I continue making the sauce and add in the undercooked chicken (so the chicken doesn’t get dried out while waiting).
I serve this dish with Instant Pot mushroom risotto that compliments it very well.
This meal was absolutely delicious! I think I could eat this every week!
i love this
My first time cooking mushrooms or making a reduction sauce. The hardest thing about this recipe was finding the Marsala at the LCBO! It was easy to follow and tasted amazing.
Very good! I made it a couple of times and tonight I’m making the sauce and putting it in with my own choice of mixed veggies for a marsala stir fry!
Wow, just like if you were eating in an Italian restaurant. Follow the Recipe to the T. Also, a big secret is to use good Marsala. A price ranging from $14-$19 a bottle brings out the true flavor of the Marsala sauce. Whoever tries this recipe will be very impressed,
Could you do this with boneless/skinless chicken thighs? Would it make it too rich?
Yes, I do think it would make the sauce too rich/greasy. Sorry!
Ok, thanks!
This chicken marsala is beyond delicious, a five star recipe to be sure. Made it about three weeks ago and making it again tonight and not going to alter one iota of the recipe.