This chicken marsala recipe is as good as any restaurant!
Seasoned chicken breasts are simmered in a marsala wine mushroom sauce and ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!
What is Chicken Marsala?
Marsala, in Italy, produces the wine used in this recipe. This Chicken Marsala recipe smothers chicken breasts in a delicious mushroom marsala sauce.
Chicken marsala may seem fancy but this restaurant favorite is easy enough to make as a weeknight dinner!
Ingredients For Chicken Marsala
Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can also use boneless chicken thighs.
Marsala – Marsala is a fortified wine from Italy. Choose dry Marsala (not sweet Marsala) for the best flavor in this recipe. Good substitutions are Madeira or dry white wine, however, avoid ‘cooking wine’ for this dish.
Sauce – This marsala sauce is thickened with a bit of flour and contains chicken broth in addition to the marsala wine. Traditionally, this sauce doesn’t contain cream, but if you’d like it a bit creamier, you can add ¼ cup or so of heavy whipping cream.
Mushrooms – Any variety of mushrooms can be used; I love the earthy flavor of brown mushrooms. Use any combination, including portobellos, cremini (brown or baby bellas), or white button mushrooms!
How to Make Chicken Marsala
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness, dip it in flour, and brown it in a skillet. Set aside (as per the recipe below).
- Cook the shallots and mushrooms in butter. Add the flour.
- Add the Marsala wine and broth or stock and simmer until thickened. Add chicken back to the pan and simmer until heated through.
What to Serve with Chicken Marsala
Much like chicken parmesan, this Chicken Marsala recipe pairs well with various pasta shapes like spaghetti, penne, rotini, or bowtie. Here are some other favorite side options to serve with it!
Did you make this Chicken Marsala Recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!
Chicken Marsala
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts 5 to 6 oz each
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Sauce
- ¾ cup chicken stock or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 small shallot diced, or onion
- 8 ounces mushrooms white or brown, sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry Marsala wine
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish
Instructions
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Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and use the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound to ¼-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
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In a large skillet, preheat the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the chicken in batches, 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
To Make the Sauce
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In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, thyme, and shallot and cook over medium heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute more.
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Pour in the Marsala wine and stock or broth and simmer until thick and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
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Add chicken back into the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
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Garnish and serve over pasta.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American, Italian
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This recipe is amazing!! I have tried many, many of your recipes and they are ALL delicious!! Thank you Holly for bringing everyone such great, easy dishes!!!
Excellent and easy to make. A repeat for sure. Thank you
quick and delicious!!!
The reason I gave this dish only 4 stars is because we did not like the taste of marsala wine.
The chicken, mushrooms and texture of the sauce was great. It was quick and easy to cook up. Just not our taste.
Thanks for your recipes.
This recipe is easy and very good. I use Semi-dry Marsala and it is so good. MY husband doesn’t eat the chicken, he doesn’t care for meat, but he loves the taste of the sauce that the Marsala makes. Easy, quick and very satisfying! It has become one of my go to recipes when time is short.
Thanks Holly!!
Superb! What a treat for the family…and a great addition to our favorites! Thank you!
Excellent and easy to make!
I am wondering what would account for the fat content of 26 grams?
Thanks.
Hi Nancy, the chicken, oil, and butter account for most of the fat content.
would a red wine be a good substitute for the marsala or white wine ?
For this recipe, a white wine is a better option but you can also substitute it for additional chicken broth if you prefer. If you try it with red wine I would love to hear what you think of it!
Would it be ok to double the sauce? This is one of my favorites from your site. I have made a lot of your recipes and just like all the others words can’t describe how good they are. Just seem to run out of sauce on this one .. Thanks so much for all you do ..
I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipes James. This should double well, I would recommend a 12-inch skillet if you have one. You may need to add a few minutes of extra cooking time.
Easy recipe and turned out great!
Mine got a bit thick, would use a bit more broth next time.
Would there be a recommendation to swap for the wine?
Hi Candy, it will change the flavor slightly but you can replace the wine with additional chicken broth if you prefer.
Really a well-balanced marsala recipe! Better than any of my competing local Italian restaurants!