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This chicken marsala recipe is an Italian-American classic! It has juicy pan-fried chicken smothered in a creamy wine and mushroom sauce. It’s a 30-minute dish that’s simple to master in your own kitchen.
For more restaurant favorites at home, try my Easy Chicken Piccata or Chicken Madeira.
Why you’ll love it
Many restaurants have chicken marsala on their menu, but why not replicate it at home? It’s actually really effortless and quick, so it’s ideal for everything from a dinner party for easy entertaining to a weeknight meal when you’re craving something a little special.
What’s surprising to a lot of people is how few ingredients you need to make homemade chicken marsala. All it involves is a few pantry essentials along with a variety of wine that’s easy to get your hands on, and that’s it!
What is marsala?
- Marsala is an Italian fortified wine, which means a spirit has been added to it, in this case brandy. It’s got a kind of nutty, caramelized flavor when used in sauces. I recommend using either semi-secco (semi-sweet) or secco (dry) marsala for this recipe. I used Cantine Pellegrino Fine I.P. Marsala here. Don’t use sweet!
Ingredients for it
- Chicken – we’re using two boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut into 4 smaller cutlets
- Garlic powder, salt & pepper, flour – for seasoning and dredging the cutlets to get a good crust, and flour will thicken the sauce
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Mushrooms – I love cremini mushrooms for their earthy and rich flavor that perfectly balances with the flavor profile of the marsala wine
- Garlic – use even more if you’re a garlic aficionado. I like using a garlic press to mince it without peeling.
- Marsala wine – this gives our sauce its signature taste
- Heavy cream – the key to making the sauce luxurious
Pro tip
- If you prefer, you can pound the chicken so it’s thinner vs. cutting it in half lengthwise like I suggest. You may then want to use four chicken breasts and sear the chicken in batches. Making smaller cutlets so that it cooks faster and remains nice and tender is my favorite shortcut, though!
How to make chicken marsala
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Prep and season your chicken, and then sear it on both sides until golden in a cast iron skillet. Transfer it to a plate. Fry the mushrooms in the same skillet with the remaining butter.
Add the garlic and marsala wine, and let the sauce reduce for a couple of minutes. Stir in the cream, and add the chicken back into the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Tips for success
- This particular version of chicken marsala is meant to be cooked at a fairly high temperature throughout. To get the nice sear on the chicken and to quickly brown the mushrooms, it’s necessary that the pan is nice and hot!
- Only turn the heat down if it’s splattering like crazy or you’re using copper or cast iron cookware since they conduct heat much more than the regular stuff most of us use on a daily basis.
- Be careful not to overcook it. If you’re in doubt, chicken is safe to eat at 165F as indicated by a meat thermometer.
Substitutions and variations
- Since this is chicken marsala, you probably don’t want to substitute the marsala for anything, but if you’re in a pinch, madeira or sherry will work.
- You can definitely use chicken thighs instead, but I recommend doing the searing step for a bit longer.
- I don’t recommend substituting the heavy cream with anything else. Half-and-half or milk will yield a thinner sauce. You may need to add more flour or cornstarch to thicken it up effectively. With that said, some readers have replaced the cream with extra chicken broth and had good results.
- On the other hand, if you love an extra creamy sauce, go ahead and increase the amount of heavy cream to 1 cup. Carpe diem!
What to serve with it
- Chicken marsala is delicious served over pasta. Try my Quick & Easy Garlic Butter Noodles. Also, Garlic Mashed Potatoes or rice are equally tasty with the sauce.
- Serving it with this easy asparagus recipe makes a great vegetable pairing.
- A slice of crusty bread, garlic bread, or a side salad with this easy Italian dressing would be fantastic as well.
Leftovers and storage
- This chicken will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- To reheat, place in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally until it’s warmed through.
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing this one because of the dairy in the sauce.
More restaurant-quality chicken recipes
I hope you’ll love this dish. I think it’s the absolute best chicken marsala recipe, but I’m maaaybe a little bit biased. Questions? Let me hear from you below!
Easy Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced fairly thin
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 3/4 cup marsala wine see note
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 thinner cutlets. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Coat each piece in flour.
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and sear it for 4-5 minutes/side or until golden. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside (it'll finish cooking in the sauce).
- Add the remaining butter and mushrooms to the skillet and cook them for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.
- Add the minced garlic and marsala wine to the skillet and let it bubble for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cream to the skillet, and then add the chicken back in. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened up a bit. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed. I added a little bit of chopped parsley to finish it off (optional).
Notes
- If you have smaller chicken breasts, there’s no need to cut them in half lengthwise, but you will need to cook them a bit longer.
- I recommend using either semi-sweet or dry marsala for this recipe. See blog post for more info.
- Chicken is safe to eat when it’s reached an internal temperature of 165F. Use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on December 9, 2015. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Love my chicken marsala but have never added cream before. THIS WAS AWESOME! Served over angel hair pasta. This will be my go to marsala recipe from now on!! Thank you!
Aww I am so glad to hear how much you enjoyed it, Bodi!! Thanks for taking the time to write me a comment! XO
THE. BEST! I never tried to make chicken Marsala at home before but given what a hit all your other recipes have been I gave it a try! Glad I did, it was awesome! I used a little less Marsala than you recommend (just personal preference) and used portobello mushrooms instead of crimini. Side of angel hair and dinner was served in less than half an hour!
Yay that makes me so happy! XO
We don’t use alcohol. Is there a substitute for the wine?
Hi Joann… I’ll be honest… it’s chicken marsala, the marsala is the main flavor… so I really am not sure what else you’d use. It’s possible that reduced or no alcohol versions of marsala exist out there, so if you’re really set on this recipe, you could do some investigation. Keep in mind the alcohol in wine cooks out when you cook with it. I do have a ton of other chicken recipes you may like to choose from, however: https://www.saltandlavender.com/category/chicken/
This was absolutely delicious! Reminded me of a pasta dish I love at Cheesecake Factory – the pasta da Vinci! Thank you for this awesome recipe which will now be a regular for me!
Ooh that’s awesome!! Thanks for commenting! ♥️🤗
Just tried this tonight because my sweet husband orders Chicken Marsala all the time at restaurants. Now he never wants to go out again! Such an easy recipe with such big results! May repeat for Christmas Eve! Thanks, Natasha!
Aww I’m so happy to hear that! ♥️
Just made this for dinner! It was great. I added some sherry with the Marsala wine and it really added to the flavor.
Great idea with the sherry! So pleased you enjoyed the recipe.
This looks amazing and I love Chicken and Veal Marsala. I have just made a grocery list for these ingredients and plan to try it tonight! Thank you for sharing your creativity with us.
Michelle
Thanks, Michelle!! I love it with veal as well. Let me know how you like it! 🙂
I had a wonderful recipe for chicken Marsala that I lost. I know it didn’t contain cream, which I cannot eat. You said not to substitute milk or half and half, which I can’t eat either, but do you have any ideas for me? Thanks.
That’s a shame! Hmm… I haven’t tested it, but maybe you could try adding 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken broth at the same time as you add the marsala. Let it cook down for a little longer prior to adding the chicken. I think it should taste good like that. 🙂
Thanks so much for your prompt reply. Bingo! I think my recipe may have used chicken broth, actually. I will have to try this; it was my son’s favorite!!
You’re welcome! Let me know if you try it… I am definitely curious 🙂
I don’t use cream at all but substitute chicken broth instead. It’s EXCELLENT and really lightens up the recipe.
Yup, that would definitely be tasty too!
Chicken Marsala is one meal that Tom and I can never pass up Natasha! And yours looks incredible (as always). We’ll be trying soon
Thanks so much!! Let me know if you make it! 🙂
This was soooooo good! I subbed regular flour for almond flour and it worked perfectly. The flavor of the Marsala (we used dry) with the mushrooms and cream was simply decadent. The entire meal came together in minutes and at one point my fiancé said, “I wish I could spoon this sauce into my mouth” lol! It will definitely be part of our regular rotation!
So pleased you liked it, Hilary! Thanks for the almond flour tip! 🙂