This chicken marsala recipe is as good as any restaurant!

Seasoned chicken breasts are simmered in a marsala wine mushroom sauce and ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!

plate of Chicken Marsala

What is Chicken Marsala?

Marsala, in Italy, produces the wine used in this recipe. This Chicken Marsala recipe smothers chicken breasts in a delicious mushroom marsala sauce.

Chicken marsala may seem fancy but this restaurant favorite is easy enough to make as a weeknight dinner!

chicken, mushrooms, shallot, flour, oil, wine, butter and seasonings to make Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe with labels

Ingredients For Chicken Marsala 

Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can also use boneless chicken thighs.

Marsala – Marsala is a fortified wine from Italy. Choose dry Marsala (not sweet Marsala) for the best flavor in this recipe. Good substitutions are Madeira or dry white wine, however, avoid ‘cooking wine’ for this dish.

Sauce – This marsala sauce is thickened with a bit of flour and contains chicken broth in addition to the marsala wine. Traditionally, this sauce doesn’t contain cream, but if you’d like it a bit creamier, you can add ¼ cup or so of heavy whipping cream.

Mushrooms – Any variety of mushrooms can be used; I love the earthy flavor of brown mushrooms. Use any combination, including portobellos, cremini (brown or baby bellas), or white button mushrooms!

How to Make Chicken Marsala

  1. Pound the chicken to an even thickness, dip it in flour, and brown it in a skillet. Set aside (as per the recipe below).
  2. Cook the shallots and mushrooms in butter. Add the flour.
  3. Add the Marsala wine and broth or stock and simmer until thickened. Add chicken back to the pan and simmer until heated through.
dish of Chicken Marsala

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala

Much like chicken parmesan, this Chicken Marsala recipe pairs well with various pasta shapes like spaghetti, penne, rotini, or bowtie. Here are some other favorite side options to serve with it!

Did you make this Chicken Marsala Recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!

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Chicken Marsala

Easy Chicken Marsala is more delicious than any version from an Italian restaurant, and budget-friendly, too!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts 5 to 6 oz each
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Sauce

  • ¾ cup chicken stock or chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 small shallot diced, or onion
  • 8 ounces mushrooms white or brown, sliced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup dry Marsala wine
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Instructions 

  • Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and use the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound to ¼-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
  • In a large skillet, preheat the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the chicken in batches, 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

To Make the Sauce

  • In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, thyme, and shallot and cook over medium heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Pour in the Marsala wine and stock or broth and simmer until thick and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
  • Add chicken back into the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
  • Garnish and serve over pasta.

Video

Notes

Marsala: Choose dry marsala wine for this recipe. Sweet marsala wine will make the final dish too sweet.
Chicken breasts: If they’re very large, they can be cut in half horizontally. Replace chicken breasts with 8 thin chicken cutlets.
Sauce: A creamier chicken Marsala can be made by adding ¼ cup of heavy cream to the sauce.
Leftovers: Keep leftover chicken marsala refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
4.99 from 152 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 567 | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 479mg | Potassium: 1106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 418IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American, Italian
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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. This recipe is amazing!! I have tried many, many of your recipes and they are ALL delicious!! Thank you Holly for bringing everyone such great, easy dishes!!!5 stars

  2. The reason I gave this dish only 4 stars is because we did not like the taste of marsala wine.
    The chicken, mushrooms and texture of the sauce was great. It was quick and easy to cook up. Just not our taste.
    Thanks for your recipes.4 stars

  3. This recipe is easy and very good. I use Semi-dry Marsala and it is so good. MY husband doesn’t eat the chicken, he doesn’t care for meat, but he loves the taste of the sauce that the Marsala makes. Easy, quick and very satisfying! It has become one of my go to recipes when time is short.
    Thanks Holly!!5 stars

    1. For this recipe, a white wine is a better option but you can also substitute it for additional chicken broth if you prefer. If you try it with red wine I would love to hear what you think of it!

  4. Would it be ok to double the sauce? This is one of my favorites from your site. I have made a lot of your recipes and just like all the others words can’t describe how good they are. Just seem to run out of sauce on this one .. Thanks so much for all you do ..

    1. I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipes James. This should double well, I would recommend a 12-inch skillet if you have one. You may need to add a few minutes of extra cooking time.

    1. Hi Candy, it will change the flavor slightly but you can replace the wine with additional chicken broth if you prefer.