Chicken Marsala

This chicken marsala is a classic Italian-American skillet dinner - golden, flour-dusted chicken cutlets in a rich and creamy Marsala wine sauce loaded with deeply browned cremini mushrooms. It's savory, elegant, and comes together in about 35 minutes with one pan.

Chicken marsala is one of those restaurant dishes that's surprisingly easy to make at home, and the results are just as impressive as anything you'd order out. Thin chicken cutlets get a quick sear, then the real magic happens in the pan - a silky sauce built from dry Marsala wine, chicken broth, cream, and a generous pile of golden mushrooms that soak up all the flavor.

If you love simple, elegant chicken dinners like my chicken piccata or chicken stroganoff, this one is right at home in that same lineup - different flavor direction, same weeknight-friendly energy.

Chicken Marsala Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this chicken marsala recipe:

• Chicken: Two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally to make four thin cutlets, or four store-bought cutlets if you can find them. Thin, even cutlets are key here - they cook quickly, sear evenly, and give you more surface area for the sauce to cling to.
• Flour: A light flour dredge gives each cutlet a golden crust when seared and also helps thicken the sauce as it picks up the residue left in the pan. You don't need much - just a third of a cup.
• Cremini mushrooms: The second star of this dish, along with the Marsala itself. Cremini mushrooms have a meatier, earthier flavor than regular white button mushrooms, and they hold their shape well in the sauce. You'll want about 12 ounces, sliced. If you want to mix things up, a combination of cremini and baby bella or shiitake mushrooms works well too.
• Aromatics: Two small shallots and three garlic cloves. Shallots bring a subtle sweetness that pairs better with the Marsala than a yellow onion would, and the garlic rounds everything out without overpowering the sauce.
• Dry Marsala wine: This is the hero ingredient and the whole reason this dish tastes the way it does - nutty, slightly caramelized, and deeply savory. Make sure you use dry Marsala, not sweet. Sweet Marsala is intended for desserts and will throw off the entire balance of the sauce. I also tested this with semi-dry Marsala and it was noticeably too sweet for my taste, so dry is the move. If you can't find dry Marsala, dry Madeira or dry sherry are your closest substitutes.
• Chicken broth: The liquid base of the sauce. Use a good-quality broth since it makes a real difference when the sauce reduces down.
• Heavy cream: Half a cup stirred in at the end to make the sauce silky and rich. This amount keeps the sauce creamy without burying the Marsala flavor - which is exactly where I want it. You can increase it to three quarters of a cup if you prefer a heavier, more cream-forward sauce, but I'd start here and taste first.
• Fresh parsley: Chopped and scattered over the top for a fresh finish. Simple but it brightens the whole plate.

How to Make Chicken Marsala

1. Prep and dredge the chicken. If using whole chicken breasts, slice them in half horizontally to create four thin cutlets, then cover with plastic wrap and pound to an even quarter-inch thickness. Season generously with salt and pepper, then dredge each cutlet lightly in flour and shake off the excess. Ideally, let the chicken come to room temperature while you prep the rest of your ingredients - this helps it cook more evenly.
2. Sear the chicken. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter foams, lay the cutlets in a single layer - don't crowd the pan, so work in two batches if needed. Sear for three to four minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
3. Brown the mushrooms. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and butter to the same skillet. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms - they'll immediately start soaking up all the browned bits left behind by the chicken. Spread them in an even layer and resist the urge to stir right away. Let them sit for two to three minutes to build color, then stir and continue cooking for six to eight minutes total until deeply golden and any liquid has cooked off.
4. Sauté the aromatics. Push the mushrooms to one side of the pan and add the diced shallots to the other side. Sauté for about two minutes until softened, then stir in the minced garlic and cook for thirty seconds until fragrant. Be mindful of the heat here - you want the garlic to turn fragrant, not brown.
5. Deglaze with Marsala. Pour in the dry Marsala wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer for three to four minutes until reduced by about half. You'll know it's ready when the raw alcohol smell has cooked off and the sauce smells nutty and concentrated.
6. Build the sauce. Add the chicken broth and simmer for another three to four minutes to reduce slightly. Then stir in the heavy cream and let everything gently bubble together for two to three minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
7. Return the chicken and serve. Nestle the cutlets back into the pan along with any juices that collected on the plate. Spoon the sauce over the top and let everything simmer for one to two minutes to warm through. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

• Use dry Marsala, not sweet. This is important. Sweet Marsala is meant for desserts like tiramisu and zabaglione - it will make the sauce taste syrupy and off-balance. If your bottle says "dry" or "secco," you're good. If you can't find dry Marsala at all, dry Madeira or dry sherry both work as substitutes.
• Any large skillet works here. That said, if you have a stainless steel pan, this is a great time to pull it out - you'll get better browning on the chicken and those browned bits deglaze beautifully into the sauce. But a nonstick or cast iron skillet will get the job done just fine.
• Don't rush the mushrooms. The key to great mushroom flavor is letting them sit undisturbed in the pan long enough to develop real color. If you stir them too early or too often, they'll steam instead of sear and end up pale and soft instead of golden and meaty.
• The sauce thickens by reduction, not by roux. Since this recipe relies on reducing the liquids to thicken the sauce, the final consistency is a bit lighter and silkier than a traditional gravy. If you prefer a thicker, more gravy-like sauce, you can sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour over the mushrooms and aromatics before deglazing - just let it cook for a minute first so it doesn't taste raw.
• Season the chicken before anything else. Salt and pepper the cutlets as your very first step, even before you start prepping other ingredients. This gives the seasoning time to work into the meat, and it also helps draw out a bit of surface moisture, which leads to a better sear.

How to Serve Chicken Marsala

• Over mashed potatoes. This is my favorite way to eat it - creamy mashed potatoes with the Marsala sauce pooling around them is pure comfort. I especially love it with seared broccolini on the side for something green and slightly charred to contrast all that richness.
• With pasta. Fettuccine, pappardelle, or any wide noodle works well here. Toss the pasta lightly with the sauce so it coats every strand.
• With a simple side salad. If you want to keep things lighter, a basic green salad with a lemon vinaigrette balances the richness of the dish nicely.

Variations

• Mixed mushrooms. Swap in a combination of cremini, baby bella, and shiitake for a more complex, earthy flavor. Keep the total amount at 12 ounces.
• Add fresh thyme. If you like a subtle herby note, stir in half a teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves along with the chicken broth. It pairs well with both the Marsala and the mushrooms without competing for attention.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes

If you loved this chicken marsala, here are a few more chicken dinners you'll want in your rotation:

• Chicken Piccata
• Chicken Stroganoff
• Thai Basil Chicken
• Creamy Gochujang Shrimp Pasta
• Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon