Indulge in the delicious one-pot easy creamy Chicken Marsala - crispy golden brown chicken cutlets, rich Marsala wine sauce with savory sauteed mushrooms. Quick for weeknights, yet restaurant quality meal. Ready in 30 minutes!
Serve it over a bed of rice, noodles, and a simple side salad or plain Caesar salad.
If you love classic Italian-American dishes, try our Tuscan style sausage soup, Minestrone, or enjoy a hearty bowl of pasta fazool.
Jump To
- About Chicken Marsala
- What Is Marsala?
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- One-Pot Dinner Favorites
- 🛒Ingredients
- 🥘 Instructions
- What does Chicken Marsala Taste Like?
- ⏲️ Recommended Equipment
- Substitution for Marsala Wine
- 📋Tips
- Storage Instructions
- 👪Serving Suggestions
- Variations
- Italian-American Favorites
- 🤷Frequently Asked Questions
- For Dessert, Give These a Try!
- 📖Recipe
- 💬 Comments
About Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala, an Italian-American classic, emerges from the fusion of Italian recipes and American palates. It's become a beloved staple in restaurants nationwide and beyond.
Thin chicken cutlets are flour-coated, pan-fried to crisp gold, then draped in a lush sauce infused with Marsala, a fortified Italian wine.
Marsala is the secret weapon here, infusing the sauce with sweet and nutty woodiness. This flavor complements chicken, especially with a dash of cream to round it off.
What Is Marsala?
Marsala, a fortified Italian wine with an infusion of brandy, carries a distinct nutty, caramelized essence that elevates sauces. Originating from Sicily, Marsala wine boasts a profound flavor that imparts a caramelized richness to the sauce.
Opt for either semi-secco (semi-sweet) or secco (dry) Marsala in this recipe. Reserve the sweet Marsala for desserts!
Concerned about an "alcoholic" taste? Rest assured, the Marsala wine undergoes a brisk simmering process that extracts the majority of the alcohol, leaving behind its exquisite flavor profile.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Restaurant Worthy - Bypass Olive Garden and indulge your cravings in the comfort of your home. You'll love this savory sauce!
- Easy and Quick - Despite its gourmet appearance, it's surprisingly simple, requiring just a handful of ingredients and 30 minutes. Chicken Marsala is a one-pot dinner at its finest, making cleanup a breeze!
One-Pot Dinner Favorites
Looking for other great one-pan dinner recipes? Try these easy recipes next time!
🛒Ingredients
- Chicken breasts - Opt for 2 large skinless breasts, halved lengthwise, or 4 smaller breasts. Skinless, boneless thighs can be a good alternative. If your chicken cutlets are too thick pound them until even and flat.
- All-purpose flour - Employed for coating the chicken before frying, resulting in a golden exterior and contributing to sauce thickness.
- Olive oil - Opt for high-quality olive oil or your preferred frying oil. Butter: While salted butter is used here, unsalted butter can also be substituted.
- Mushrooms - either button or cremini mushrooms.
- Garlic - Feel free to increase the quantity if you're a garlic enthusiast. I personally like to use a garlic press for effortless mincing without peeling. Fresh garlic can be replaced with 3 heaped teaspoons of minced jar garlic.
- Onion - Use a brown or white onion.
- Marsala - This easy chicken Marsala recipe relies on dry Marsala wine as its key ingredient. If needed, swap with dry white wine and a touch of brandy or cognac. Prefer dry Marsala over the sweeter version usually reserved for desserts.
- Heavy cream - For best results, use a full fat heavy cream. Heavy cream imparts a luxurious, creamy texture to the sauce, creating a truly comforting experience! For a calorie-conscious approach, consider swapping with evaporated milk since cream isn't the main component of this sauce. The texture won't be as creamy, but the lovely Marsala flavor will remain intact.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.
✅ EXPERT TIP
🥘 Instructions
In a large bowl or plate add flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken in the mixture.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until golden, flipping midway.
Transfer the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Melt the butter in the skillet. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook until the mushroom liquid evaporates and the onions soften.
Toss in the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Pour the marsala into the mushroom mixture and simmer until reduced by half.
For the creamy sauce, add the cream and chicken stock, bringing it to a simmer.
Place the chicken back in the pan along with any resting juices.
Simmer for 5 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce slightly thickens.
Optionally, garnish the chicken with fresh parsley before serving.
What does Chicken Marsala Taste Like?
Chicken Marsala offers a delicious creamy flavor with a savory richness.
Marsala wine has its own taste with sweet, nutty notes, complementing the rich sauce and tender chicken perfectly.
⏲️ Recommended Equipment
- Dutch oven pot or larger skillet
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight food containers
- Mixing bowls
Substitution for Marsala Wine
If Marsala wine is unavailable, my go-to substitutes are Madeira wine, dry sherry, or a dry white wine (+ add a touch of brandy or cognac). Opt for a drinkable wine, not a 'cooking wine'.
However, if you want to omit alcohol, simple chicken or beef broth won't capture the classic taste.
If skipping wine, consider dishes less reliant on it for flavor, like creamy chicken and mushrooms.
📋Tips
- Coating chicken with flour adds a golden texture while cooking and aids in sauce thickening.
- Chicken doesn't have to be fully cooked while frying; it'll finish in the sauce.
- Avoid cleaning the skillet between chicken frying and mushroom cooking to retain flavorful residue.
- Use the right Marsala Wine - Marsala wine, found in grocery stores (or liquor stores), offers sweet and dry varieties. Opt for dry for the savory chicken Marsala. It brings a deep flavor that won't disappoint!
- We use both olive oil and butter to cook the chicken. Olive oil prevents butter from burning, while butter adds incredible richness and flavor to the dish.
- Room Temperature Ingredients - For best results, let your ingredients like chicken and cream come to room temperature before cooking. This helps in even cooking and better sauce consistency.
- When visiting the grocery store choose high-quality skinless chicken breasts for the best flavor and texture.
- Pound the chicken - A rolling pin or meat tenderizer can be a handy tool to even out the thickness of the chicken cutlets, ensuring they cook uniformly.
- Mushroom mix - Use 2 or more types of mushrooms! Combine the earthiness of brown mushrooms with the milder profile of white button mushrooms for a well-rounded flavor for your sautéed mushrooms.
✅ EXPERT TIP! To streamline the process, certain grocery stores provide "thin cut" chicken or chicken cutlets. These are excellent choices, requiring no slicing or tenderizing to achieve the desired thinness.
Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Keep the chicken fresh by storing it in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat thoroughly using the stovetop or microwave.
- 🥶Freezing. Marsala chicken is freezer-friendly but you still need to be cautious about the creamy-based sauce. It may not have the smooth consistency of freshly made and may separate slightly. Freeze it in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Prior to reheating until piping hot, thaw in the fridge overnight.
👪Serving Suggestions
A delectable sauce like this demands a starchy partner for soaking up its goodness.
Consider mashed potatoes, quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice. Traditionally Marsala is not served with pasta but it tastes delicious with all that sauce (we love fettuccine, penne or spaghetti).
And don't forget a healthy portion of vegetables as a salad or roasted/steamed.
Here are some ideas to get started:
- Mashed potatoes
- Asparagus and carrots
- Glazed carrots
- Garlic bread
- Steamed broccoli
- Green beans
- Cauliflower
- Caesar salad
Variations
- Using chicken thighs is also an option, but I suggest extending the searing time for optimal results.
- You can add 1-2 cups of baby spinach to the mix for extra nutrition!
- I don't recommend swapping heavy cream for other options. Half-and-half or milk may result in a thinner sauce, potentially requiring additional flour or cornstarch for proper thickening.
- If you're fond of an even creamier sauce, feel free to up the heavy cream quantity to 1 cup.
Italian-American Favorites
For Italian food enthusiasts like my family, after conquering chicken Marsala, explore more Italian restaurant classics like chicken cacciatore, pasta e fagioli, eggplant parmesan, penne alla vodka, and lasagna.
🤷Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make a variation of Chicken Marsala without using Marsala wine. You can substitute Marsala with other dry wines like white wine and adding a touch of cognac or bourbon. Or even chicken broth mixed with a bit of vinegar for acidity. While the flavor won't be exactly the same, you can still achieve a delicious dish with a different twist.
Yes, you can use chicken thighs for Chicken Marsala. Just be sure to adjust cooking times as needed since chicken thighs may require a bit more time to cook through compared to chicken breasts.
Crafted from basic elements, the Marsala sauce comprises butter, chicken stock, cream, mushrooms, and Marsala wine.
In this simple chicken Marsala recipe, we like to use dry Marsala wine instead of red or white wine. Hailing from Sicily, this fortified wine boasts incredible flavor. If Marsala is elusive, consider a replacement of dry white wine with a touch of cognac or brandy!
Chicken Marsala, an Italian-American delight, features Sicilian Marsala wine. This rendition stems from the scaloppina tradition—a method of thinly slicing meat, although "little scallops" is its literal translation.
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📖Recipe
Quick and Easy Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 brown onion finely diced
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms cremini, white button
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- ¾ cup dry marsala wine
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or plate add flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken in the mixture.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until golden, flipping midway.
- Transfer the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the skillet. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook until the mushroom liquid evaporates and the onions soften.
- Toss in the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour the marsala into the mushroom mixture and simmer until reduced by half.
- For the creamy sauce, add the cream and chicken stock, bringing it to a simmer.
- Place the chicken back in the pan along with any resting juices.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce slightly thickens.
- Optionally, garnish the chicken with fresh parsley before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Substitute Marsala Wine - If Marsala wine is unavailable, my go-to substitutes are Madeira wine, dry sherry, or dry white wine (+ add a touch of brandy or cognac). Opt for a drinkable wine, not a 'cooking wine'.
- However, if you want to omit alcohol, simple chicken or beef broth won't capture the classic taste.
- When visiting the grocery store choose high-quality skinless chicken breasts for the best flavor and texture.
- Chicken breasts - Opt for 2 large skinless breasts, halved lengthwise, or 4 smaller breasts. Skinless, boneless thighs can be a good alternative. If your chicken cutlets are too thick pound them until even and flat.
- Heavy cream - For best results, use a full fat heavy cream. Heavy cream imparts a luxurious, creamy texture to the sauce, creating a truly comforting experience! For a calorie-conscious approach, consider swapping with evaporated milk since cream isn't the main component of this sauce. The texture won't be as creamy, but the lovely Marsala flavor will remain intact.
Enjoy a skillet og delicious quick and easy chicken marsala for a quick weeknight dinner!