Chicken marsala is a one pan meal with tender chicken breasts in a savory mushroom marsala sauce—and it’s ready in about 30 minutes.

pan of Chicken Marsala

Holly’s Recipe Highlights

Chicken marsala is an Italian-American classic chicken, mushrooms, and seasonings cooked in a creamy marsala wine sauce. The chicken marsala wine sauce makes it feel fancy but is easy to make in about 30 minutes.

  • Flavor:  The sauce is rich and slightly earthy from the mushrooms and a hint of sweetness from the Marsala wine.
  • Time-Saving Tips: Swap the chicken breasts for 8 thin chicken cutlets and purchase sliced mushrooms.
  • Serving suggestions: We love to serve this chicken Marsala recipe with either pasta or garlic mashed potatoes.
chicken, mushrooms, shallot, flour, oil, wine, butter and seasonings to make Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe with labels

Ingredient Tips for Chicken Marsala

  • Chicken: Ue boneless chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs, or cutlets.
  • Marsala: Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily. Be sure to choose a dry Marsala wine and not the sweet variety, which is best used for making Italian desserts. It can be replaced with sherry, port, or Madeira.
  • Sauce: This marsala sauce has chicken broth, butter, shallots, and thyme thickened with flour.
  • Mushrooms: Use any variety of mushrooms. I love baby Bella (aka cremini mushrooms), but white mushrooms or portobellos are also great options.

Variations

  • Flavor: Add garlic along with the mushrooms. You can replace shallot with red or white onion.
  • Creamy: While it’s not traditional, whisk in about ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream for a creamier sauce at the end of Step 2.
  • Vegetables: Add chopped asparagus, spinach, or peas for more texture and color.

Garnish with parsley and serve as desired.

plate of Chicken Marsala with mushroom sauce

Storage and Leftovers

Keep leftover chicken marsala in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop on medium heat.

Freeze cooled portions in zippered bags for up to four months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or on low on the stovetop.

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala

Did you make this Chicken Marsala Recipe? Leave a rating and comment below!

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pan of Chicken Marsala
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Chicken Marsala

This easy chicken marsala recipe combines tender chicken with a savory mushroom and Marsala wine sauce, for a cozy, restaurant-quality meal at home.
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 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
4.97 from 158 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 429 | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 23mg | 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
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. Just got done making the recipe for chicken marsala. It came out very good very tender. Very tasty. I did use chicken thighs. The only thing I would change the next time is to take all my ingredients out ahead of time because I didn’t make a mess, but then I am a messy cook. Yes this recipe is easy to make, and doesn’t take much time to make it.5 stars

  2. My husband loves Chicken Marsala and I can’t wait to try it! We have a freezer full of bone-in chicken thighs. Would they work?