Chicken Marsala is one of those dinners that looks like you should have made a reservation for it.
Thin, golden chicken, deeply browned mushrooms, and a glossy Marsala wine sauce all come together in one skillet. No cream, no complicated technique, and no pile of dishes waiting for you afterward.
The sauce is the star here. Marsala wine gives it that slightly sweet, almost nutty flavor, while shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and chicken broth keep it firmly on the savory side. Spoon it over mashed potatoes, pasta, or egg noodles and make sure something on the plate is capable of catching every last bit of sauce.
What Makes This Chicken Marsala Different?
A lot of Chicken Marsala recipes add heavy cream. This one doesn't.
Leaving the cream out gives you a lighter sauce with a more pronounced Marsala flavor rather than turning it into a creamy mushroom sauce. It's still rich, glossy, and absolutely worthy of dragging a piece of bread through.
You also make the entire thing in one skillet, because a restaurant-style dinner shouldn't require restaurant-sized cleanup.
what is chicken marsala?
Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish made with thin pieces of chicken cooked with mushrooms and a sauce built around Marsala wine.
Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily with a slightly sweet, complex flavor that works especially well with browned mushrooms and chicken. The dish itself is largely an Italian-American creation rather than a traditional Italian chicken recipe.
What's in Chicken marsala?
For the Chicken:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Flour
- Salt and black pepper
- Olive oil and butter
For the Marsala Sauce:
- Marsala wine
- Chicken broth
- Mushrooms
- Shallot
- Garlic
To Cream or Not to Cream
This is apparently where Chicken Marsala chooses sides.
Some versions add heavy cream for a thicker, richer sauce. Delicious? Absolutely. Necessary? Not at all.
With cream: The sauce becomes richer, thicker, and more mellow.
Without cream: The Marsala wine is more prominent, the sauce stays lighter, and you get more of that classic savory-sweet mushroom flavor.
This recipe is firmly on Team No Cream.
How to Make Chicken Marsala
- Start by pounding the chicken breasts until they're thin and fairly even. This helps them cook quickly and keeps you from ending up with one end perfectly golden while the other is still negotiating with the stove.
- Season the chicken, lightly dredge it in flour, and cook it in olive oil and butter until golden on both sides. Transfer it to a plate while you build the sauce.
- Add the shallot, garlic, and mushrooms to the same skillet. Let the mushrooms actually brown instead of constantly stirring them around—they'll reward your patience with much better flavor.
- Pour in the Marsala wine and chicken broth, scraping up all those browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. That's free flavor. Let the sauce simmer and reduce slightly.
- Return the chicken to the pan and let everything finish together until the chicken is cooked through and coated in that glossy Marsala sauce.
- Dinner accomplished. One skillet dirty.
What to Serve with Chicken Marsala
The important requirement here is really just something that can soak up the sauce.
- Mashed potatoes: Probably my first choice. Creamy potatoes and Marsala sauce belong together.
- Pasta: Linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti, or whatever you have open in the pantry.
- Egg noodles: Simple and especially good with all that mushroom sauce.
- Green vegetables: Asparagus or green beans balance out the richer chicken.
- Garlic bread: For the very important job of wiping the skillet clean.
More Delicious Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
- Chicken Francese: If you're a fan of tender, pan-fried chicken in a mouthwatering lemony sauce, Chicken Francese is a must-try.
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata: For those who love the tangy goodness of lemon and capers, Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata is a delightful twist on a beloved favorite.
- Baked Garlic Chicken: If you're looking for a fuss-free yet incredibly flavorful chicken dish, Baked Garlic Chicken is the way to go.
One-Pan Chicken Marsala with a Rich Wine Sauce
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Golden pan-seared chicken, mushrooms, shallots, and garlic simmer in a rich Marsala wine sauce for an easy one-pan dinner that feels restaurant-worthy without the fuss.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- For the Marsala Sauce
- ½ cup Marsala wine, dry or sweet
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 cups sliced cremini or white button mushrooms
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet or the flat side of a heavy skillet, gently pound the chicken to an even thickness of about ½ inch.
- Dredge the chicken. Add the flour to a shallow dish and season with salt and black pepper. Coat each chicken breast lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 4–5 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through to 165°F. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil.
- Cook the mushrooms. If the skillet looks dry, add a little more oil or butter. Add the shallot, mushrooms, and garlic and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown.
- Make the Marsala sauce. Pour in the Marsala wine and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10–15 minutes, until the sauce reduces slightly.
- Finish the dish. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer for another 3–5 minutes, spooning the sauce over the top as it warms through.
- Serve. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, egg noodles, or your favorite vegetables.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Italian
CHICKEN MARSALA RECIPE
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It was the first time I made it. My husband has not ate the dish before but loved it. One of my new favorites.
I made this chicken Marsala and it turned out amazing made it before great recipe
truth! love this recipe! I use coconut mill instead of heavy cream and you would never know it!
I made this recipe 3 times so far. My husband really likes this chicken recipe.
Can you use chicken thighs with bone in?
I would not
Hi , this recipe looks yummy , I want to make it for dinner but I have one question we don’t drink wine in our religion, so what can I use instead of it please ?!.
There is nothing you can use to substitute the marsala and get that taste, I know others who do not drink or even use mouth wash unless it's alcohol free, but will eat meals like this and it's because when it comes to cooking with wine, vanilla extract, any alcohol is burned off with the high heat,, so there's actually no alcohol left when it's ready to eat. If you still are not comfortable then I would do a creamy lemon chicken pasta, and you can substitute chicken broth if recipie calls for wine. Hope this helps
Lovely tasty filling dinner with mushrooms.
This is one of the best recipes i've tried
wow that's quite the compliment, thank you!
Delicious. I would like to make this dish as part of a buffet for 75 people. Do you think it would hold up well in chafing dishes for a few hours.
absolutely Thea!
I made 2 large pans. Took me longer to make, but was good and well worth it.
Did you make a lot for a party? This recipe is great for that!
Did you try it for a crowd.
yes it is one of my favorite recipes for a crowd actually because it cane easily be kept warm in a chafing dish or even reheated to be honest.
This looks absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing!