This Chicken Marsala is a delicious, surprisingly easy recipe that results in a restaurant quality dish. An impressive meal that only takes about 30 minutes to prepare!
Recipes like this and my Easy Chicken Scallopini are stress-free recipes worthy of a special occasion but quick and easy enough to make any night of the week.
Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian-American recipe that every home cook should have in their collection. It has a short ingredient list, it can be pulled together in a flash, and it’s seriously impressive.
Flour dusted chicken is quickly seared and complemented by a silky Marsala wine sauce studded with mushrooms, shallots and garlic. I love to serve it over a mound of creamy mashed potatoes but it’s also delicious with pasta or rice.
I felt compelled to develop this recipe after a quick vacation Paul and I took to the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California about 6 years ago. One night we sat on the deck at Cuccia’s, an Italian restaurant in one of the most peaceful, beautiful settings imaginable. Big trees, gorgeous sky, mountains all around. I ordered the chicken marsala and we shared a bottle of red with my brother Jim and my sweet sister-in-law, Gale, who are blessed to live in this beautiful place.
This meal brought me home inspired to research this dish and develop this Chicken Marsala recipe for home cooks.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts. In order to cook quickly and evenly, it’s important the pieces are about ¼- to ½-inch thick. Slice through the middle of thick breasts to create two thin cutlets or use a meat mallet to pound them as needed. Many times this creates a huge piece so just cut them in half or into smaller portion sized pieces.
- Flour and seasoning: The chicken is seasoned with a little salt and pepper before being dredged in all-purpose flour. The sauce is seasoned with a little fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme.
- Produce: Diced shallots, minced garlic, and cremini mushrooms, stems removed and sliced.
- Marsala: Dry marsala wine is stocked in the liquor section of the grocery store. Marsala is quite inexpensive when compared to other varieties of wine and widely available. See more on this flavorful ingredient below.
- Broth: Low-sodium chicken broth. I always mix up my own with Better Than Boullion.
- For the rest: Olive oil, a pat of butter to richen the sauce and a little fresh parsley to garnish the finished dish.
What is the Best Marsala for Chicken Marsala?
Avoid anything labeled “cooking wine”, usually located in the vinegar section of the store. Instead, look for dry marsala wine stocked near the ports, sherrys and other wines in the liquor section. Marsala is a fortified wine which means that a distilled spirit, like brandy, has been added. The same is true for both Madeira and Sherry. One great thing about fortified wines is their long shelf life. Some like to refrigerate their re-corked, open bottles but I store mine in my cool, dark pantry and it stays well for many months.
How to Make Easy Chicken Marsala
- Dredge the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Dredge each piece of seasoned chicken breast into the flour, coating both sides, and transfer to the skillet.
- Cook the chicken: Cook the chicken, in batches, until nicely browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
- Shallots and garlic: Add a little additional olive oil to the empty skillet the diced shallot. Cook and stir for a minute or two and then add the garlic. Cook and stir for another minute, until fragrant.
- Mushrooms: Add the mushrooms and sauté the mixture for several minutes to soften mushrooms. Season with the thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Thickener: Add a little flour to the skillet and toss it to coat all the mushroom mixture.
- Marsala: Add the Marsala to the skillet and increase heat slightly to bring to a boil. Cook and whisk (or stir) for a minute or two at a low boil.
- Broth: Add the chicken broth and continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce is silky and slightly thickened. Add a pat (or two) of butter and allow it to melt into the sauce.
- Finish: Reduce the heat and return the cooked chicken to the skillet, spooning some of the sauce over each piece. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Tips for the Best Chicken Marsala
Quality Ingredients: Use fresh and high-quality chicken breasts and real Marsala wine (not cooking wine) for the best flavor.
Thin Chicken Breasts: Slice or pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. This ensures even cooking and helps the chicken stay tender.
Seasoning: Don’t skip the step of seasoning the chicken with a little salt and pepper before dredging it in flour. This adds a layer of seasoning that is important to the overall flavor of the dish. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
Slightly Reduce the Wine: Allow the Marsala wine to cook down a bit before adding the chicken broth. This helps concentrate and intensify it’s unique flavor.
Finish with Butter: Adding a pat or two of butter to the sauce at the end of the cooking time richens the sauce, adds flavor, and a great mouth-feel.
Adding Cream: A lot of recipes out there for Chicken Marsala include a good dose of heavy cream, clearly an easy way to add richness and body to sauce. But, if you check with the experts like Emeril Lagasse, Curtis Stone, and David Lebovitz, you’ll find that their recipes don’t include any cream at all. For a true, authentic mushroom marsala sauce no cream is needed. A combination of chicken broth or stock and marsala wine, richened with a little butter, is all that’s needed to create this lovely sauce.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Refrigerate: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate promptly for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat: Place the chicken and sauce in a skillet, cover, and warm over low heat just until warmed through. If sauce is too thick, add a small amount of water of broth to thin it as needed. The chicken and sauce can also be warmed in the microwave but be careful not to cook it too long or it can made the chicken tough.
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Chicken Marsala
Video
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts,
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
For the Mushroom Marsala Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup diced shallots
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 heaping teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ cup dry Marsala wine
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced Italian flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Pound or slice the chicken breasts to ¼- to ½-inch thickness and cut in half or into smaller portion sized pieces. Season both sides with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add ½ cup flour to a shallow dish or bowl.
Dredge and Cook the Chicken
- Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat.
- Dredge each piece of seasoned chicken breast into the flour, coating both sides, and place them in the skillet. Cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Add additional olive oil between batches, if needed. Cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Make the Marsala Sauce
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and return it to MEDIUM heat. Add the diced shallot and cook, stirring, for a minute or two to soften. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, and then add the mushrooms. Sauté the mixture for several minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened. Season with thyme, salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste and sprinkle 4 teaspoons flour over the top. Toss the mushroom mixture with the flour and seasonings to combine.
- Add the marsala to the skillet and increase the heat slightly to bring it to a boil. Cook and whisk for a minute or two at a low boil to reduce the marsala just slightly. Add the chicken broth (or stock) and continue to cook and whisk until the sauce is silky and slightly thickened. Add the butter and allow it to melt into the sauce.
- Reduce the heat to LOW and return the cooked chicken to the skillet, spooning some of the sauce over each piece.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Italian-Inspired Meals
This post was originally published on August 7, 2017. It has been updated with new text and images.
Hi, I was wondering if you’ve tried freezing this? I’m trying to put together a bunch of freezer meals for a friend and she loves Chicken Marsala!
Hi Pamela. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried freezing this. It probably wouldn’t be my first choice for a freezer meal as the sauce might not fare that well.
Cruising web for basic Chicken Marsala recipes. This one seems simple, straightforward, covers all the Ingredients! Your approach to cooking feels so casual, easy, fun. Thanks
I hope you love it! Thanks, Julie. 🙂
Used frozen pearl onions rather than shallots and thighs rather than breasts. Yummy
Do you use sweet or dry Marsala?
Dry marsala is typically used in savory dishes.
I love chicken very much. Thank you for sharing. This tip is very useful. I will share this recipe for my family and my friends. I believe they love it too.
This is the third time I do this recipe because is absolutely delicious , I totally recommend it
I don’t have dried thyme and thyme leaves, what should I do
I somewhat followed the recipe but here’s my tweeks..I like to use cornstarch instead of flour..it gives a clearer gravy. I also zested a lemon in and added a little lemon juice to brighten the sweetness of the marsala..I rarely follow proportions and I added more marsala and cooked it down..I put it over fettuccini is was really good…again I know my taste so more shallots, garlic, mushrooms, marsala..and I used boneless skinless thighs pounded rather than breasts as we prefer the darker more tasteful meat. Thnx
Definitely trying this this week. My husband hasn’t had a drink in thirty years but I do use wines when cooking. Can’t wait to try this. Was surprised there wasn’t an egg wash step like I w/francaise.
Thanks so much for the delicious chicken marsala recipe. The only sub I made was Madeira instead of marsala. It’s what I had. Easy instructions and great ingredients. Next time I would use a little less thyme. I made it with mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream. What a great dish. Thanks you.so.mich for posting.
I served this with the Almond Rice Pilaf recipe which complemented the Chicken Marsala perfectly.
I love to do this with the Almond Rice Pilaf too. Perfect combo!
I would love to serve this to company. Could I keep chicken on warm in the oven and sauce on the stove? I would add chicken to the sauce after appetizers. Any suggestions would be helpful