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.
Table of Contents
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
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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Comments
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So I’m not usually one for cooking ( I’m not that good at it) but I tried this recipe today and it was great! I changed it a little bit due to not having things like cream, shallots and Marsala wine. Inside I made a rue with chicken broth and a sherry cooking sauce and I also used white onions. It was still really tasty! I will be using this recipe again!
Hi Jen-Could this be made a day ahead of time and then be warmed up on serving day? Thanks,
Hi Toni, I’m sorry but I wouldn’t recommend making this ahead – it’s really best served right after it’s cooked.
So I made a bit of a mistake and bought Madeira instead of Marsala. Could I substitute or is this completely wrong? I’m mad at myself for not double checking.
Hi Kasia, I haven’t tried this with Madeira – the taste may be slightly different, but I think it should work. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Thanks Jenn. I’ll give it a try and report back. 😊
I used a sherry and it turned out great!
Made this for family holiday dinner. I never made it before but took a chance knowing your recipes are great. Indeed it was! My son took leftovers home with him, everyone was looking for them the next day. I used 1/2 the cream, as we discussed, due to an allergy, omitted shallot/garlic, increased thyme. I am not a mushroom eater/buyer, like the flavor, not the texture, so on recommendation of the produce man used baby Bella’s, he was right! Thanks Jenn for making it spot on!
OMG Jen ! I have been telling my husband that I was going to make Chicken Marsala for months, after following your recipe, he said it was soooo worth the wait. And I agree ! Fantastic. You are not only a amazing chef, but you also help glue spouses together. He said he would make it for me next time ! Thanks ! Allie
😊
Hi Jenn, I made this for dinner last night and although it was good, it was VERY salty! It seemed like a lot of SALT as I was making it, but I love all of your recipes so I just followed your steps. Is there possibly a typo? Or does this recipe really call for 1.25 tsp of salt?
Thanks,
Christina
Sorry to hear that you found this too salty, Christina! The recipe is accurate (no typo), but feel free to cut back on it a bit next time.
Hi Jenn,
I love all your recipes! And I made this Chicken Marsala before exactly as written, and it was delish! Now I’m making for 5 people total and want to double the sauce. Silly question, but in doubling the sauce, would that only be the half & half, chicken broth, and marsala wine? Or should I also double the amount of thyme & shallots and mushrooms? Hopefully you’ll get this message quick as I’m making this today! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and your book is great!
Hi Stacey, So glad you like the recipes! I’d double everything. Enjoy!
Thank you so much Jenn for your quick response! Your website and your amazing recipes never fail and always a Success! I have recommended your website and book to all my family and friends and they love your recipes as well! Truly glad I came across your website and can’t wait until you write another cook book with more wonderful recipes! Thank you again!
❤️
Hi Jennifer,
You mention using a stainless steel pan for better browning. would a cast iron skillet work just as well?
Thanks,
Sheila
Hi Sheila, As long as your cast iron pan is well seasoned, it should be just fine. Hope you enjoy!
Made this tonight and there wasn’t a bite left! It was easy and DELICIOUS!! Thanks Jenn for another winner!
This is the third recipe I have made from this website and yet again I am impressed! This marsala recipe is so easy and really tasted like restaurant quality. Everyone was impressed with how good it was. Thank you! I will definitely add this to my dinner rotation.