Chicken marsala in creamy mushroom sauce is a quick and easy 30-minute chicken dinner that is pure comfort food goals. Soft and tender chicken breast is dredged in flour, seared and then smothered in a delicious, garlicky, rich and creamy sauce packed with mushrooms. This Italian-American favourite is a fancy enough for a Sunday dinner but easy enough to enjoy any night of the week. Serve it with over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes for a wholesome meal.
What is Chicken Marsala?
Chicken Marsala is the American version of a classic Italian Scaloppine. It's a popular chicken dish that is tossed in a delicious and creamy sauce made with marsala wine and packed with mushrooms. The best part? You can make this restaurant dish at home in just 30 minutes.
I am all about easy 30-minute dinners around here. Some of my other quick and easy dinners are: Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata, Swedish Meatballs, Creamy Garlic Shrimp, Glazed Honey Balsamic Pork Chops, and General Tso's Chicken.
Ingredients
To make this delicious chicken marsala in a creamy mushroom sauce, you will need the following ingredients:
- chicken breasts - boneless and skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper.
- all-purpose flour - for dredging (coating) the chicken with to give it an extra crispy golden crust.
- olive oil - for searing the chicken.
- butter
- brown mushrooms
- all-purpose flour - helps thicken up the sauce.
- Italian seasoning
- garlic
- dry marsala wine
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- fresh parsley - for garnish on top.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons and a large skillet or shallow saucepan (I used a cast-iron skillet).
How to Make the Best Chicken Marsala
- Prepare the chicken. Slice each chicken breast carefully in half lengthwise (horizontally) and place one at a time, between 2 sheets of cling wrap or in a ziploc freezer bag. Carefully flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin until they are approximately ¼ inch thick. Don’t pound the breasts too hard as it could tear apart the breast. Ideally, you want flattened chicken breasts to a uniform thickness. Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Prepare a shallow plate with flour and dip the chicken into the flour, evenly coating on both sides. Set aside.
- Sear the chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high for 2 minutes until the hot oil sizzles. Sear the chicken for about 5 minutes per side until golden brown and fully cooked through. The internal temperature for the chicken should reach 165F. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Make the creamy mushroom sauce. In the same skillet, melt butter and sauté mushrooms until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add a little more olive oil, if needed. Stir in flour, Italian seasoning and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in marsala wine, chicken broth, and cream and whisk well until the sauce is smooth and uniform. Reduce heat to medium and bring the sauce to a simmer until thickened to a desired consistency, about 4-5 minutes.
- Assemble and serve. Return the chicken to skillet and toss well to coat, allowing the chicken to cook and soak in the sauce for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with pasta, rice, or over mashed potatoes.
How to Serve Chicken Marsala
Serve this creamy chicken marsala over a plate of pasta. I recommend a long pasta like spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine. I also like serving chicken marsala over rice, mashed potatoes (or garlic mashed cauliflower for a low carb options), or roasted potatoes.
You can also serve it on its own with some crusty bread for dipping and soaking up every last drop of that delicious rich sauce. A light salad on the side would also be amazing with this such as a Chickpea Wedge Salad or Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad.
Storing Instructions
- How to store: Store leftover chicken marsala in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- How to reheat: Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes until chicken is warmed through, or in the microwave. The sauce may have thickened up a little in the refrigerator, and may thicken up further are you reheat. Add a splash of water to thin it out back to a desired consistency.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Easy Chicken Parmesan (Parmigiana)
- Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken
- White Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
- Creamy Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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Chicken Marsala
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings
Description
Chicken marsala in creamy mushroom sauce is a quick and easy 30-minute chicken dinner that is pure comfort food goals. A total crowd favourite.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (about 1 lb.)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Creamy Mushroom Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 cups brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry marsala wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast carefully in half lengthwise (horizontally) and place one at a time, between 2 sheets of cling wrap or in a ziploc freezer bag. Carefully flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin until they are approximately ¼ inch thick. Don’t pound the breasts too hard as it could tear apart the breast. Ideally, you want flattened chicken breasts to a uniform thickness.
- Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Prepare a shallow plate with flour and dip the chicken into the flour, evenly coating on both sides. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high for 2 minutes until the hot oil sizzles. Sear the chicken for about 5 minutes per side until golden brown and fully cooked through. The internal temperature for the chicken should reach 165F. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- In the same skillet, melt butter and sauté mushrooms until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add a little more olive oil, if needed.
- Stir in flour, Italian seasoning and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in marsala wine, chicken broth, and cream and whisk well until the sauce is smooth and uniform. Reduce heat to medium and bring the sauce to a simmer until thickened to a desired consistency, about 4-5 minutes.
- Return the chicken to skillet and toss well to coat, allowing the chicken to cook and soak in the sauce for 1-2 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with pasta, rice, or over mashed potatoes.
Notes
How to store: Store leftover chicken marsala in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
How to reheat: Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes until chicken is warmed through, or in the microwave. The sauce may have thickened up a little in the refrigerator, and may thicken up further are you reheat. Add a splash of water to thin it out back to a desired consistency.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Barb Homan says
Made this for a New Year’s Eve dinner party. It was delicious. Reduced the sauce for about 15 minutes to thicken it. I suppose I could have added some thickening but didn’t want to end up with gravy. It was a big hit.
James says
This dish is amazing, I have cooked it several times now and It never disappoints!
The wine of choice is Boronia Marsala All 'Uovo. just amazing even to sip on while cooking.
Isaac says
My Wife's favorite that I cook for her! And we so love it! Anyone looking to just make the sauce, I went up to 2TBSPs of flour extra, to compensate for lack of flour from off the chicken itself.