You won’t believe how incredibly easy this chicken marsala recipe is!
Tender chicken breasts are simmered in a creamy mushroom marsala wine sauce that’s easy enough for every day, but also elegant enough to impress guests!
No need to go out to a fancy expensive Italian restaurant when you can make chicken Marsala at home that’s every bit as good!
What is Chicken Marsala?
Chicken Marsala is a Sicilian dish made of thinly sliced chicken filets (AKA escalopes) cooked in a Marsala wine sauce. The wine tenderizes the chicken as it simmers and creates a savory mushroom sauce that’s great served over pasta or rice.
Why We Love This Recipe
- One of the more popular menu items at Olive Garden, but like most dishes, we love the homemade version!
- Chicken Marsala can be made at home in 30 minutes or less!
- It is actually easy to make using a few ingredients and a few short steps.
- Replace the pasta with cauliflower rice for a low-carb entrée!
What’s in Chicken Marsala?
Marsala – Marsala is a fortified wine made in Sicily and it’s available in most liquor stores. For this recipe, choose a dry marsala wine, not a sweet marsala. These wines have full-bodied flavors, as well as acids that tenderize the chicken as they reduce into a savory sauce. See below for substitutions.
Chicken – I use smaller 5 oz chicken breasts for this recipe as they thin out quite a bit when pounded with a tenderizer. If you’d prefer, use 8 pre-sliced chicken filets or chicken cutlets. Chicken thighs work well in this recipe too.
Mushrooms – Basic white or brown mushrooms are the perfect addition to this sauce and add robust flavor. Morels, shiitakes, or a combination of mushrooms give a more rustic look and woodsy tones to this dish.
Substitutions for Marsala Wine
Marsala is the main ingredient in this dish so swapping it out will change the flavor.
Try a dry Madeira or sherry, or even a dry white wine. As with any dish calling for wine, choose a wine you’d drink instead of a ‘cooking wine’.
If you’d like to skip the wine, I would suggest a dish that doesn’t rely on it for so much of the flavor. Try creamy chicken and mushrooms.
How to Make Chicken Marsala
- Pound chicken with a rolling pin. Dip the chicken breasts in flour and shake off any excess.
- Brown the chicken in a large skillet (per the recipe below) and set aside.
- Cook the onion and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer until thickened.
- Return chicken to the pan and cook through. Serve over pasta.
Cream is not traditional in a marsala sauce but it can be added if you’d like. Swap out ⅓ cup of chicken broth for the same amount of heavy cream or half and half.
What to Serve with Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala tastes fantastic on spaghetti or sturdy pasta shapes like penne, rotini, or bowtie. Feeling adventurous? Try it on homemade egg noodles!
It’s also great on mushroom rice or mashed potatoes.
For sides, add an Italian-inspired salad like this Caprese, and a thick slice of garlic bread for soaking up the sauce.
Storing Leftovers
Keep leftover chicken marsala in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop. Chicken marsala can be frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat the chicken and sauce on the stovetop before combining them again over freshly made pasta.
Other Savory Chicken Main Dishes
Did you make this Chicken Marsala Recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!
Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts 5-6 oz each
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste to taste
Sauce
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 1 small shallot diced (or onion)
- 8 ounces mushrooms white or brown
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
- ½ cup dry Marsala wine
- 2 tablespoons parsley or chives for garnish
Instructions
- Pound chicken to ¼" thick (you can cut them in half if they're very large). Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
- Preheat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook chicken in batches, 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove chicken and place on a plate.
- In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, thyme and shallot. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour 1 ½ tablespoons flour and cook 1 minute more.
- Add Marsala wine and broth and simmer about 3 minutes, until thickened and bubbly.
- Place chicken back into the pan and simmer 2-3 minutes or until hot.
- Garnish and serve over pasta.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
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, Mediterranean© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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This looks delicious however I’m allergic to mushrooms. Any suggestions for substitutes?
You could leave them out or try replacing with fennel, eggplant, or roasted cauliflower for a similar flavor Angela.
Very easy recipe, great taste, Thanks.
We will want more sauce. Should I just double the recipe?
Yes, that should work just fine, you may need to add a few minutes to the cook time.
My husband kept telling me that it was the best meal I’d ever made and he’s not even that fond of chicken! He also said that it was “restaurant quality” and to “hold on to this recipe”. When I do make this again, I will increase the amount of sauce I make with it. It “probably” would have been enough without the pasta, but if serving serving with pasta, you will definitely want more sauce. Also, I did not have the Marsala wine. Using the dry white and brandy combination was perfect for us. Thank you, Holly!
Yay! That is great to hear Ronald!
Every bite my husband said….”this is so good”. Used half the amount of chicken breast but full amount of sauce. He told me to tell you!
So glad he enjoyed it Joan!
Great recipe!!
Every thing was as advertised. My restaurant go to for Chicken Marsala closed over a year ago. This is every bit as good and takes no time. Thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Candace!
Hi Holly,
I prepared your Marsala Chicken for supper this evening and it was delicious! I would definitely double the sauce the next time I make this and increase the wine a little. Thank you for sharing your lovely delicious recipes. I really appreciate and love all your recipes.
Barb
So glad you loved it Barb!
Such flavor and oh so good. Made it for my husband who is Italian. He loved it.
Thanks for the recipe.
So yummy and easy as written. I really wanted more mushrooms and sauce so next time I am doubling that. Thanks for a great and clearly written recipe!
I made this tonite and it was delicious and easy. Thank you!
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe Van!
This was a very flavorful recipe. I will make this again. I also only used 2 chicken breasts with the required mushrooms; I used 4 stalks of fresh thyme but it was not enough. Also, used 3/4c masala and 1/2 chicken broth. Also, next time, I will not add the 1 1/2T of flour. It made the sauce too thick once it was cooked down the 5 minutes. This is definitely a keeper!
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the marsala recipe Dee Dee!
Love this recipe! We like a lot of sauce so even though we only had 3 breasts we made the sauce as if we had 4. This recipe is a keeper!
So glad to hear that Cindy! Personally I think the sauce is the best part – having extra of that is perfect!
Love your recipe
So glad you love it Cindy!
Made chicken marsala for lunch today…awesome ….thank you!
I am so glad you liked the recipe Lucy!
Great recipe
Thanks Naty!!
I love all your resepis
Thanks Connie!
I love Marsala! Yours sound delicious!
Thank you so much Gina, I hope you love it!
Do you use sweet marsala wine? Thanks!
We use dry marsala for this recipe.
thank you so much for all the delicious and easy recipes. i’ve made so many of them and all have been a hit with the family. love what you’re doing.
Thanks Irene! We are so happy to hear that!
Goodmoring Holly I see that you have recipes in e-book but I would rather have it in an actual book. Not good with computers. So can you send me the book on it instead. Thank you for your time.
I don’t have a book available at this time Gloria. Please enjoy my recipes on Spend With Pennies!