Easy Chicken Marsala
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
Chicken marsala is on the menu at a lot of places, so why not make it yourself? It’s really easy and quick to make, so it’s great for a dinner party or a weeknight meal when you want something special.
A lot of people are surprised by how few things you need to make chicken marsala at home. It only takes a few easy-to-find pantry items and a range of wines.
What is marsala?
Marsala is an Italian wine that has been “fortified,” which means that a spirit, in this case brandy, has been added to it. When used in recipes, it tastes kind of nutty and caramelized. This recipe works best with either semi-secco (semi-sweet) or secco (dry) marsala. This is some Cantine Pellegrino Fine I.P. Marsala that I used. Do not use sweet!
What you’ll need
- 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
- You don’t have to cut the chicken in half lengthwise; you can pound it to make it smaller if you’d rather. Then you might want to use four chicken breasts and cook them one at a time. My best quick fix, though, is to make the cutlets smaller so they cook faster and stay nice and tender.
How to make chicken marsala
This is a summary with pictures that show you how to do it. The card below has a list of all the items and how to make the dish.
Prepare the chicken and season it. Then, use a cast iron pan to sear both sides of it until they are golden. Place it on a plate. Use the same pan and the rest of the butter to fry the mushrooms.
After you add the garlic and marsala wine, let the sauce cook down for a few minutes. After adding the cream, stir it in and put the chicken back in the pan. Keep cooking until the chicken is done and the sauce gets thick.
Tips for success
- For this type of chicken marsala, the whole thing should be cooked at a pretty high temperature. The pan needs to be very hot for the chicken to get a nice sear and for the mushrooms to brown fast.
- You should only lower the heat if it’s really splattering or if you’re using copper or cast iron utensils, which conducts heat much better than the normal things most of us use every day.
- Watch out not to cook it too much. If you’re not sure, a meat thermometer reading of 165F means that chicken is safe to eat.
Pro tip
Want a sauce recipe that you can use on its own? Check out my recipe for Easy Marsala Sauce.
Substitutions and variations
- Since this is chicken marsala, you probably shouldn’t use anything else instead of marsala. But if you have to, madeira or sherry will work.
- You can use chicken legs instead, but I think you should cook them for a little longer during the searing step.
- You shouldn’t use anything else instead of the thick cream. A lighter sauce can be made with half-and-half or milk. To make it thicker, you might need to add more flour or cornstarch. Still, some readers have used extra chicken broth instead of the cream and said it worked well.
- If you like your sauce extra smooth, though, feel free to add an extra cup of heavy cream here. Enjoy every moment!
What to serve with chicken marsala
- When put on pasta, it tastes great. You should try my Easy and Quick Garlic Butter Noodles. The sauce goes well with both Garlic Mashed Potatoes and rice.
- It goes well with this Easy Asparagus Recipe, which is another veggie.
- It tastes great with garlic bread, a piece of fresh bread, or a side salad dressed with this easy Italian dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- A jar that doesn’t let air in will keep this chicken in the fridge for three to four days.
- Put it in a small pot over low heat and stir it every so often until it’s warm all the way through.
- Because the sauce has cheese in it, I wouldn’t suggest freezing this.
More restaurant-quality chicken recipes
- easy chicken gnocchi soup
- chicken in a creamy white wine sause
- creamy sheery chicken
- chicken riesling
- creamy tuscan chicken
I hope you enjoy this meal. It’s the best chicken marsala meal I’ve ever tried, but I could be off base. If you made it, let me know below!
