Easy Chicken Marsala
, Updated Jul 08, 2025
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Chicken Marsala is the ultimate comfort dish—tender pan-fried chicken simmered in a rich, creamy Marsala wine sauce with mushrooms and garlic. It’s made with simple, wholesome ingredients and ready in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for an effortless yet elegant weeknight dinner.
You will also love my Creamy Chicken Casserole and Creamy Tarragon Chicken
Why You Will Love It
Chicken Marsala is one of the most popular recipes searched online, and for good reason. It’s the kind of dish that makes people say, “Wait… you made this?!”
- Handful of simple ingredients = big flavor
- Fancy enough for dinner parties, easy enough for weeknights
- Ready in about 30 minutes (my fave kind of dish!)
- That luscious Marsala wine sauce is basically drinkable (but maybe don’t…)
What is Marsala then?
Despite its Italian-sounding name and ingredients, Chicken Marsala is thought to be an Italian-American dish. It likely evolved from the Sicilian dish Scaloppine al Marsala, where veal or chicken are sautéed and cooked in Marsala sauce.
Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily with a deliciously rich flavor. It is added to Chicken Marsala to enrich the sauce – just make sure to use a dry Marsala in this recipe and save sweet Marsala for dessert dishes!
What You Will Need
- Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied or pounded thin for even cooking. You can also use boneless chicken thighs if preferred – the are juicier and slightly more forgiving if overcooked.
- Marsala wine: Dry Marsala is traditional and adds sweet, nutty depth. Don’t have any? Replace it with dry sherry, Madeira or perhaps vermouth.
- Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms add rich, earthy flavor. You can also use white button mushrooms, portobello slices, or a mixed wild mushrooms for a gourmet twist.
- Butter and cream: CREAMY is the name of the game here! You could swap for dairy-free cream alternatives if needed.
- Garlic and shallots: Aromatic base that brings the sauce to life. Shallots have a delicate slightly sweet flavor that works well in the sauce but you could swap yellow onion if that’s what you have—just dice it finely.
How to Make Chicken Marsala
Prep the chicken
- Use a sharp knife to slice the side of the chicken breasts, without cutting all the way through. Open the chicken up like a book (this is called butterflying).
- Place the chicken breasts between two large pieces of parchment paper and pound as flat as possible with a rolling pin or a bottle. Peel the paper off and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Put the flour (or you can use oat fiber for a keto version) on a shallow plate and dip the chicken breasts into the flour to lightly coat and set aside. Shake any excess flour off.
Sear the chicken and make the sauce
- Heat two tablespoons and one tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden (you may need to do this in batches). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Wipe the frying pan with some kitchen towel. Heat the remaining butter and oil and sauté the shallots and garlic over low heat for five minutes, stirring so that they don’t stick. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the wine and turn heat to high. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring, or until the liquid is reduced by about half. That way the alcohol cooks off and only deliciousness remains!
- Reduce the heat, add in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and simmer for a couple minutes over low heat. I have added quite a lot of cream here, you can reduce the amount if preferred.
- Check the seasoning. Serve sprinkled with parsley over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option. Comfort food heaven!
Serving Suggestions
Chicken Marsala begs to be paired with a side dish that will soak up all that rich, creamy sauce (mmm….). Try serving it with:
- Mashed potatoes – my top choice, classic and comforting
- Buttered noodles – tagliatelle, spaghetti, or orzo work beautifully
- Cauliflower mash – this low-carb option is truly delicious
- Green beans, broccoli or spinach
- Crusty bread – you don’t want to miss any drop of that dreamy sauce
Recipe Variations
- Lighten it up – Use half the butter and swap heavy cream for half-and-half or low-fat crème fraîche.
- Marsala Meatballs – Use the sauce for chicken or turkey meatballs—great for batch cooking and freezing!
- Vegetarian version – Swap the chicken with thick-cut portobello mushrooms or tofu steaks. Sear and braise as you would with chicken.
- Make it Keto – use oat fiber to coat the chicken and serve with cauliflower mash.
Storing & Reheating
Let leftovers cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth or water to loosen the sauce.
Creamy dishes are not freezer-friendly generally speaking, simply because the cream can become grainy when defrosted. It’s by no means a deal breaker, but for best results, freeze your Marsala chicken before adding the cream and stir it in when reheating.
Portion the cooled dish into suitable containers, allowing a little space for the liquids to expand, and use within three months.
Hope this easy Chicken Marsala recipe brings a taste of your favorite Italian bistro right to your kitchen. Tried it? Leave a comment and rate the recipe—I adore hearing how yours turned out!
📸 Don’t forget: tag me in your kitchen triumphs on Instagram @supergolden88 or TikTok @supergoldenbakes so I can admire your delicious creations!
Chicken with Marsala and mushrooms
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 skinless chicken breasts
- 5 tbsp all-purpose flour or oat fiber for Keto version
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 large shallots very finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 cups (200g) cremini mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup (125ml) dry Marsala wine or dry Sherry
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
- ½ cup (120ml) cream double / heavy
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley finely chopped, to serve
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to slice the side of the chicken breasts, without cutting all the way through. Open the chicken up like a book (this is called butterflying).4 skinless chicken breasts
- Place the chicken breasts between two large pieces of parchment paper and pound as flat as possible with a rolling pin or a bottle. Peel the paper off and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Put the flour on a shallow plate and dredge the chicken breasts, shaking any excess flour off.5 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Heat two tablespoons and one tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden (you may need to do this in batches). Transfer to a plate and set aside.4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Wipe the pan with kitchen towel. Heat the remaining butter and oil and sauté the shallots and garlic over low heat for five minutes, stirring so that they don't stick. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.2 tbsp olive oil, 2 large shallots, 1 clove garlic, 2 cups (200g) cremini mushrooms
- Add the wine and turn heat to high. Cook for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about half.½ cup (125ml) dry Marsala wine
- Reduce the heat and stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 10 minutes.1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
- Stir in the cream and simmer for a few minutes over low heat.½ cup (120ml) cream
- Check the seasoning. Serve sprinkled with parsley over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower for a low carb option.2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, salt and freshly ground pepper
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
Awesome dish
Hi Lucy, recipe looks great. Just want to point out that in both long and short version, you wrote “Heat two tablespoons and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan”. Doesn’t seem like that’s what you meant to say. Best wishes!
hi Kimi – thanks for pointing that out I have amended it xxx
prep went well, steps went well, the recipe and results are very good. Thanks
Hey there, my husband is a chef used to work in an Italian bistro. Chicken Marsala is my most favorite dish that he makes me for my birthday, at my request, every year. His recipe is very similar to yours except he insists on beef broth (much more flavor) over chicken broth and immediately after adding the wine he lights it on fire with a long lighter or match to burn off the alcohol, by doing this you get a much more concentrated flavor from the wine, it’s spectacular! It burns off quickly and of course you have to be careful, but if you’re daring, give it a try, you will NOT be disappointed!
Faaaaantastic!!!
😁 thank you so much glad you enjoyed it!
Plate licking delicious!!! I poured the Marsala with a pretty heavy hand because I love the flavor. Other than that, changed nothing. Definitely making this on repeat.
So glad you liked it
THIS WAS EXCELLENT – THANK YOU!
Just made this. Hubby loved it! A real hit. The only substitution I made was for the sour cream (we don’t buy any because I never use it). I used light cream cheese with some skim milk to make the texture similar to sour cream. It was yummy! Thank you for sharing this
I didn’t see sour cream in the recipe. Help
There is no sour cream – it’s heavy cream (double cream in the UK)
What?!! You mean you didn’t get any insane cravings for chalk? Phewww! I bet your hubby was glad that he didn’t have to make 3 am runs to the market for pickles and other weird cravings.
But I have to say Lucy, I may not be preggers (at least I hope not) but you certainly have me craving this gorgeous Chicken with Marsala. That sauce alone. . .pour it in a cup and let me guzzle it down.
Btw. . .I love your secret about pounding the chicken. I always find that it makes the chicken super tender and frankly I won’t eat it any other way (I’m picky like that)
No insane cravings whatsoever. Other than a fondness for lots of orange juice! Yes pounding the chicken is what my mom always did (and does) and it’s the little things that make all the difference!
that looks spectacular and so festive and jewelled! I do love a good marsala! I would use chicken thighs of course..