This easy chicken marsala recipe is an Italian-American classic! Juicy pan-fried chicken is smothered in a marsala cream sauce. This restaurant-quality dish can be on your dinner table in under 30 minutes!
Many restaurants have chicken marsala on their menus, but why not make it at home? It’s actually really simple to do. Tender, juicy chicken. Flavorful mushrooms. Marsala wine. Cream. What’s not to like?
This post was originally published on December 9, 2015. I periodically go through older blog posts and update the content, photos, and recipes (to make them simpler and more delicious!).
So, I’ve had this creamy chicken marsala recipe on my blog since 2015, but it was doing a whole lot of nothing. I barely got any traffic on it, and I think the recipe was unnecessarily complex, so I tweaked it a bit. I’m very happy with the results, and I hope you will be too. I am hoping that the new photos will attract some more attention, as well!
What is marsala?
Marsala is a fortified wine. I recommend using either semi-secco (semi-sweet) or secco (dry) marsala for this recipe. I used Cantine Pellegrino Fine I.P. Marsala for this recipe. Obviously since this is chicken marsala, you probably don’t want to substitute the marsala for anything, but if you’re in a pinch, sherry will work.
Chicken marsala ingredients:
- Boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- Cremini mushrooms
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Flour
- Fresh garlic
- Marsala wine
- Heavy cream
How to make chicken marsala
- Prep your chicken (cut it in half lengthwise to make four thinner cutlets), season it with garlic powder + salt & pepper, and coat each piece in flour;
- Add 1 tbsp of the butter + the oil to a skillet;
- Sear the chicken for 4 minutes/side or until golden, then remove chicken from the pan and set it aside;
- Fry the mushrooms in 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.
(Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below)
What to serve with chicken marsala
Chicken marsala is delicious served over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice. You can also serve it with veggies (try my maple roasted beets and carrots) or a side salad.
A few recipe notes:
- 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). I like to thin the chicken out so it cooks faster and remains nice and tender.
- 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 (they conduct heat much more than the regular stuff most of us use on a daily basis). Also, be careful not to overcook the chicken. If you’re in doubt, chicken is safe to eat at 165F as indicated by a meat thermometer.
- I don’t recommend substituting the heavy cream with anything else; results may vary if you do. 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.
I hope you’ll love this dish. I think it’s the absolute best chicken marsala recipe, but I’m biased. 😉
More creamy chicken recipes you may like:
- Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce
- Creamy Bacon Chicken
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Easy Chicken Lazone
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken
- Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken
Do you ever make chicken marsala at home?
Questions? Let me know!
Easy Chicken Marsala
This easy chicken marsala recipe is an Italian-American classic! Juicy pan-fried chicken is smothered in a marsala cream sauce. Restaurant-quality in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 7 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced fairly thin
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 3/4 cup marsala wine
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
Instructions
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and trim off any remaining fat. 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 minutes/side or until golden. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms into fairly thin pieces (or you can prep them prior to starting cooking... I like to multi-task to save time).
Add the remaining butter and mushrooms to the skillet and cook them for 3-4 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).
Recipe 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.
- This is the copper skillet pictured in the photos if you're curious (you can use any skillet to make this recipe).
Bodi says
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!
Natasha says
Aww I am so glad to hear how much you enjoyed it, Bodi!! Thanks for taking the time to write me a comment! XO
Maria says
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!
Natasha says
Yay that makes me so happy! XO
Joann Hunter says
We don’t use alcohol. Is there a substitute for the wine?
Natasha says
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/
Amanda says
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!
Natasha says
Ooh that’s awesome!! Thanks for commenting! ♥️🤗
Reisha Holton says
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!
Natasha says
Aww I’m so happy to hear that! ♥️
Mary says
Just made this for dinner! It was great. I added some sherry with the Marsala wine and it really added to the flavor.
Natasha says
Great idea with the sherry! So pleased you enjoyed the recipe.
Michelle says
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
Natasha says
Thanks, Michelle!! I love it with veal as well. Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Marsha says
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.
Natasha says
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. 🙂
Marsha says
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!!
Natasha says
You’re welcome! Let me know if you try it… I am definitely curious 🙂
Cheryl Terey says
I don’t use cream at all but substitute chicken broth instead. It’s EXCELLENT and really lightens up the recipe.
Natasha says
Yup, that would definitely be tasty too!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
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
Natasha says
Thanks so much!! Let me know if you make it! 🙂
Hilary says
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!
Natasha says
So pleased you liked it, Hilary! Thanks for the almond flour tip! 🙂