Chicken Marsala is incredibly easy to make.
Tender chicken breasts are simmered in a creamy mushroom marsala wine sauce for a meal that’s easy enough for every day, but elegant enough for 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!
Easy-Peasy Chicken Marsala in 30 Minutes
- Skip Olive Garden and satify your cravings at home!
- This Chicken Marsala recipe is ready in just 30 minutes.
- While it seems fancy, it’s really easy to make and it needs just a handful of ingredients.
- If you love Italian cuisine, it’s a must-try and it reheats well.
Ingredients for Chicken Marsala
Marsala – Marsala wine is the star of the show! It is a fortified wine originating from Sicily. When shopping, choose dry Marsala – not sweet marsala. This wine packs full-bodied flavor and has some acidity that helps tenderize the chicken. If Marsala is unavailable, other fortified wines like
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 Breasts – Smaller 5 oz chicken breasts are perfect for this recipe. Feel free to substitute, use 8 pre-sliced chicken filets or chicken cutlets. Chicken thighs are also a good alternative.
Mushrooms – White or brown mushrooms make a hearty addition to the sauce, giving it a robust flavor.
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 dry 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 meat mallet or rolling pin.
- 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 is great over any kind of pasta of course! Chicken Marsala tastes fantastic on spaghetti or sturdy pasta shapes like penne, rotini, or bowtie. rnrnHere are other favorites to serve on the side.
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.
More Quick Chicken Favorites
Did you make this Chicken Marsala Recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!
Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts 5-6 oz each
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- ¾ cup chicken stock or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh 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
- Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound to ¼-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
- Preheat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook the chicken in batches, 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, thyme, and shallot and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1½ 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
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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Chicken Marsala, a dish featuring thinly sliced chicken filets (aka escalopes), is a taste of Sicily. The chicken in this marsala recipe is simmered in Marsala wine, which tenderizes them and creates a savory mushroom sauce that’s delicous drizzled over pasta or rice.
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!