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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Greetings, and thanks for some amazing recipes! A question about your fabulous looking Chicken Marsala which I am considering making, please: would this sauce work without cream, or perhaps just a touch of it?
And would increasing the chicken broth and Marsala to 3/4 cup each keep the ratios right?
Thank you!
Hi Roz, Glad you like the recipes! 🙂 You could try replacing the cream with more chicken broth, but the sauce won’t thicken without it. Hope you enjoy if you try it!
I don’t use the cream for health reasons and use just 1 tbsp of cornstarch mixed with water for thickening and then pour it in. Turns out fabulous!!! This recipe is over the top decadent whether using cream or not… it definitely impresses my guest 💜
I made this a few weeks ago and we thought it was very good. I was wondering if I could use this same recipe to make veal Marsala, or would you recommend any changes?
Hi Kelly, Glad you liked it! I think it would work nicely with veal (with no changes necessary). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jenn! I just made your chicken Marsala. Absolute hit for my family. I followed it exactly. I even went out and bought Marsala wine, so now I’ll have it available. I’ll definitely be making this dish for company. Your directions were so easy, sauce was so smooth and flavorful. Once again, you never let me down, everyone of your recipes turn out to be a hit!! Thanks again.
🙂
Delicious 😀
I made the Chicken Marsala just recently – it was wonderful. I’ve never cooked with Marsala wine before so thank you for the tip that it can keep in a cool dry spot for months. I served it with the Spring Risotto with Asparagus and Peas recipe. I made a half recipe of the risotto as I wasn’t sure my family would like it – we loved it. The flavors just blended together so nicely. Adding the wine gave it such a delicious taste. I’m making the risotto for Easter dinner! Thank you for your step by step recipes and pictures too to follow.
I want to make this for 10 people. Can you make it a day ahead of time and then reheat in the oven?
Hi Christine, Unfortunately this dish is best made right before serving. Sorry!
Hi Jenn! I just made your chicken Marsala. Absolute hit for my family. I followed it exactly. I even went out and bought Marsala wine, so now I’ll have it available. I’ll definitely be making this dish for company. Your directions were so easy, sauce was so smooth and flavorful. Once again, you never let me down, everyone of your recipes turn out to be a hit!! Thanks again.
😊
“Is it a keeper?” This is the tactful question I ask my husband when I try a new recipe. His response for Chicken Marsala? Two thumbs up! Although usually preferring dark chicken meat because of its moistness, he loved this delicious medley starting with chicken breasts. Instead of flour I prepped the breasts with almond meal (gluten free), crimini mushrooms for an added depth of flavor, and mascarpone instead of heavy cream for a soupcon of sweetness. YUM!!
My “go to” meal, when I want to make my hubby happy. He absolutely loves this dinner, and it is not too time consuming for a week day night dinner.
Love this recipe! Made it as a special anniversary dinner for my parents. My mom couldn’t believe it was chicken breasts, because it was so tender and juicy. Served it with parmesan smashed potatoes. It was better than taking them out to eat. The home cooked meal had restaurant quality but making it at home made it more special. It was really simple to make too
I had bought a bottle of marsala for a different recipe and was looking for a way to use it up and came across this. I never had chicken marsala before I can say this is hands down an incredible dish. I had to force myself to stop eating it. Thank you.
Best Chicken Marsala we’ve eaten since being in Italy. The flavor and consistency are perfect and Jenn’s instructions make it a “cannot fail” recipe. Wonderful for family meals or serving to dinner guests.