Chicken Marsala Recipe
Chicken Marsala is the Italian-American restaurant staple that costs $24 on the menu and about $4 a serving at home: floured cutlets in a silky brown sauce of Marsala wine and browned mushrooms. The wine is the whole identity — Marsala is a fortified Sicilian wine with a nutty, caramelized depth nothing else quite fakes, and a $10 bottle makes this dish a dozen times. Sear, sauté, simmer, swirl in butter: twenty-five minutes to the best impression of a white-tablecloth dinner a weeknight can manage.
Jump to Recipe ↓Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, halved into 4 cutlets and pounded thin
- 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup flour, for dredging
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 10 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- Chopped parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Season and flour the cutlets; sear in the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter, 3–4 minutes per side, until golden. Remove.
- Add 1 tbsp butter and the mushrooms; cook without crowding until deeply browned, 6–7 minutes. Garlic for the last 30 seconds.
- Pour in the Marsala, scraping the fond, and simmer 2–3 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
- Add the broth and simmer 3–4 more minutes until reduced by a third.
- Off the heat, swirl in the last 2 tbsp butter. Return the chicken to coat and warm through.
- Parsley over the top; serve with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or polenta.
Ingredient Substitutions
| Ingredient | Substitute | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Marsala | Sweet Marsala | Rounder, dessert-adjacent sauce — cut it with an extra splash of broth |
| Marsala | Madeira or dry sherry | Different accents, same fortified-wine depth |
| Cremini | Mixed wild mushrooms | The upgrade the sauce deserves |
| Chicken | Pork tenderloin medallions | Pork Marsala is a quiet classic |
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate up to 3 days — the sauce soaks into the crust and honestly improves.
Reheat gently, covered, with a splash of broth. Freezes acceptably 2 months; the mushrooms soften but the sauce survives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Marsala wine, and where do I find it?
A fortified wine from Sicily, sold near the ports and sherries (not the cooking-wine shelf — that one's salted). “Dry” or “secco” is the one for savory cooking.
Does the alcohol cook off?
The 2–3 minute hard simmer burns off most of it, and the rest mellows into the sauce's signature nutty depth. For zero alcohol, see the broth + grape juice + sherry vinegar workaround, but it's an approximation.
Why won't my mushrooms brown?
Crowding — they steam in their own moisture. Wide pan, don't stir for the first 3 minutes, and salt them only after color shows up.
Creamy or brothy Marsala?
Both exist honorably. As written it's the classic glossy brown; stir in 1/4 cup of cream with the broth for the creamy restaurant version.
Chicken Marsala — Quick Card
Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min · Serves 4
Nutrition Facts (estimated, per serving)
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 470 kcal | 40g | 18g | 25g | 680mg |
