This one pan meal is restaurant-worthy but so easy to make!

Chicken Marsala has tender chicken breasts simmered in a mushroom Marsala sauce for an easy meal in about 30 minutes!

plate of Chicken Marsala with mushroom sauce

What is Chicken Marsala?

Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American classic chicken, mushrooms, and seasonings cooked in a creamy Marsala wine sauce.

  • It looks and feels fancy but is easy to make in about 30 minutes.
  • It uses a handful of staple ingredients and Marsala wine.
  • You’ll need just one skillet—easy cleanup!
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 chicken breasts, but boneless chicken thighs or cutlets are great too.
  • 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 is made with 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, for a creamier sauce, whisk in about ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream at the end of Step 2.
  • Vegetables: Add chopped asparagus, spinach, or peas for more texture and color.

How to Make Chicken Marsala

  1. Cook seasoned chicken filets in oil and set them aside.
  2. Prepare the Marsala sauce, simmering until thickened.
  3. Return chicken to the pot and simmer until heated through (full recipe below).

Garnish with parsley and serve as desired.

Save it and Savor It

Keep leftover chicken Marsala in a covered 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 a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on medium heat.

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala

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

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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 157 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. This was delicious even having to use sweet Marsale. Dry Marsala is not available where I live (ugh!!) so I’m wondering if I can cut some of the sweetness for the next round by mixing in a bit of Chardonnay. It’s change the flavor some, of course, but do you think it would work?5 stars

    1. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Vicki, but that sounds delicious. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!

    2. Ask if your store can order it for you, or, depending on what state you live in, order it online.
      Use only Italian imported Marsala, like Columbo…domestic Marsala is weak in flavor…and NEVER use one labeled cooking wine.
      Also, just use Marsala in place of the chicken stock.

  2. Holly, made your Chicken Marsala last night with heavy cream and got great complements from my family, especially my wife. Thanks so much for another great recipe!!5 stars

  3. I made this tonight and it was amazing! I made it exactly as written, and tripled the recipe. The only change I made was I cut the chicken into strips after it was cooked and before I added it to the sauce so it would be easier to eat with pasta. So yummy! At first, I thought the sauce was too liquidy, but it thickened up to the perfect consistency after all the chicken was added and it simmered for a bit. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!5 stars

    1. Hi Kathleen, I have made tried reheating this recipe and it works great. The sauce does end up a little thicker than intended but I just added a little extra broth to thin it out again.

  4. Very pleasantly surprised at how good this was for minimal effort!! I have another marsala recipe that is much more involved, and I think this recipe was almost as good. I will definitely make this again!5 stars

  5. This was delicious ! I made double the sauce amount including double mushrooms to serve it over angel hair. This will be my go to chicken marsala moving foward.5 stars

    1. Sure you can Delores. You can increase the spices or even try lightly toasting them in a dry non-stick pan until fragrant.

  6. I was wondering which brand of wine you recommend. I don’t know wines but I was told not to use a cheep one but rather one I’d enjoy drinking.

    1. For this recipe Sandy, we use a dry marsala wine. You may want to ask the person at the wine shop about the brands to pick one you’d like to drink as well.

  7. Very easy and above all delicious !! Thx for sharing these incredible recipes, Holly. This is my go to site now !5 stars

  8. Holly, this chicken Marsala recipe was outstanding! I made it in the crockpot, the smell was intoxicating! I could not wait to try it! I did add cream to thicken the sauce and served it over mashed potatoes. I have never made this before but I will definitely be making it again and again! Thank you, Sue5 stars

    1. We’d love to have you Joy! To receive our newsletters, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a signup box.

      1. Made this tonight and everyone loved! Easy! And perhaps healthier bc no heavy cream in the recipe.5 stars