Chicken Marsala

What Makes This the Best Chicken Marsala Recipe

• It couldn’t be easier. You need one pan and just a few easy ingredients. I don’t know what’s quicker: how fast this Chicken Marsala is to make, how quickly it disappears from the plate, or how fast clean-up is afterward!
• It’s full of flavor. I love the juiciness of the chicken mixed with the savory mushrooms, garlic, and rich, creamy wine sauce. The outside of the chicken is lightly coated with flour, just enough to crisp up in the butter when it’s pan-fried. 
• Perfect for any occasion. Chicken Marsala is a 30-minute dinner that I’ll make for the family on weeknights, and it’s also a total crowd-pleaser that I love to serve when we have friends over. It’s fancy with hardly any effort. My kind of meal!

Chicken Marsala Ingredients

Marsala sauce is a rich and creamy pan sauce made by simmering Marsala wine with chicken broth, usually with a good amount of butter. There are a few other ingredients that go into this recipe, which I’ve made some notes on below. Scroll down to the recipe card for a full printable recipe with ingredients and amounts.

• Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs work well. For this recipe, I take my chicken breasts and slice them up thin. You can also buy pre-sliced chicken cutlets from the store.
• Flour – Coating the chicken with flour helps the outside crisp up, and the flour also thickens the sauce when it’s combined with the butter and oil.
• Butter and Olive Oil – I love the flavor that butter brings when pan-frying, but it has a low smoke point. To keep the butter from browning too much in the pan, I add a splash of olive oil.
• Mushrooms – These can be any kind of mushrooms you prefer. Good options are cremini, white button, brown, or baby bella mushrooms.
• Onion – Choose any mild onion, like yellow onion or shallots.
• Garlic – Freshly minced.
• Marsala Wine – Marsala is a type of Italian fortified wine that comes from Sicily, which you can buy in liquor stores. You’ll also find Marsala cooking wine in the grocery store. If needed, there are substitutes (see below).
• Chicken Broth – You can also use vegetable broth. I recommend low-sodium broth or stock.
• Heavy Cream – I don’t recommend substituting heavy cream with something lighter, like whole milk, here. Dairy with a lower fat content tends to split in hot sauces. Splurge a little!
• Thyme – Along with salt and pepper, I sprinkle in a little dried thyme to round out the flavors of the sauce and mushrooms. You can use fresh thyme if you have it on hand.

What Can I Use Instead of Marsala Wine?

Technically, it won’t be Chicken Marsala without Marsala wine, but this dish still turns out great if you need to substitute it. If you can’t find Marsala wine where you are, the next best bet is another fortified wine, like Madeira. You can also use a dry sherry, vermouth, or port.

In a pinch, replacing Marsala wine with white wine or another alcohol, like brandy, will also work. And if you’d prefer to cook without alcohol altogether, simply replace the wine with extra chicken stock instead.

How to Make Chicken Marsala

Traditional Chicken Marsala recipes are made with chicken breasts that are pounded thin, dredged lightly in flour, and then pan-fried (called scallopini, similar to how you’d prepare chicken piccata). 

I skip the flattening step and simply slice my chicken breasts up thinly instead. The rest of the process stays the same! Follow along here, and scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

Tips and Variations

• Check that the chicken is done. Slicing the chicken into strips lets it cook quickly. The easiest way to check that it’s cooked through is to use an instant-read thermometer. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reads 165ºF.
• Don’t overheat the sauce. Bring the cream sauce to a boil and then immediately reduce it to a simmer to avoid overheating. Boiling for too long can cause the dairy in the sauce to split and curdle.
• More add-ins. You can customize this classic Chicken Marsala recipe with any add-ins you’d like. Wilt in baby spinach, or add capers, lemon zest, fresh herbs like basil and parsley, or cooked diced bacon. 
• Make it cheesy. Chicken Lombardy is the cheesy version of Chicken Marsala and it’s just as easy to make. Take your finished chicken skillet, sprinkle over mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and pop it under the broiler. Yum.

Serving Suggestions

This classic Italian chicken dish is super versatile! I’ll serve Chicken Marsala with fettuccine or homemade pasta, and it’s just as delicious over a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes or rice. Just add a crisp Caesar salad and a basket of breadsticks or garlic knots on the side. For dessert, tuck into a slice of refreshing lemon cheesecake or fudgy brownie mix cookies.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Refrigerate. We rarely have leftovers, but when we do, I’ll store them in an airtight container to keep in the fridge. Leftover Chicken Marsala lasts for up to 3 days.
• Reheat. To keep the chicken from drying out, I like to reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop with a lid, or covered in the oven at 350ºF. 
• Freeze. Leftover Chicken Marsala freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw it out in the fridge before reheating.

More Chicken Recipes

• Baked Chicken Parmesan
• Crispy Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Garlic Tomato Baked Chicken
• Italian Chicken Bake
• Chicken Alfredo Lasagna