Creamy Chicken Marsala
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A classic Italian dish EVERYONE will love! Pan-fried chicken in the most amazing marsala-mushroom cream sauce! YUM!
Featured Comment
I don’t have marsala wine on hand but when I do, this marsala chicken goodness is being made on repeat for weeks. And I mean, over and over again for weeks. I serve it over pasta, I serve it over mashed potatoes, I serve it over rice – sometimes I just serve it straight out of the pan with some crusty bread.
reasons to make creamy chicken marsala
- Cooks very quickly. With the help of chicken breast fillets, the chicken gets pan-fried and cooks very quickly and evenly (thank you, fillets!). And with 40 minutes start to finish, dinner is covered on busy weekdays and lazy weekends. Win-win.
- Short ingredient list. You don’t need anything fancy or any kind of specially ingredients here. Nope, with a few pantry staples, chicken breasts and Marsala wine, this flavor-packed Italian-American comfort food classic will be on your dinner table in lightning speed.
- Most silky cream sauce. The garlic-shallot-mushroom medley gets covered in the most heavenly, most lush, velvety marsala cream sauce. Sauce you’ll want to put on anything and everything.
- Great for family and company. This is one of those great recipes that is easy enough to whip up for family, but also oh-so-fancy to impress company.
- Freezer-friendly. Chicken marsala freezes very well, giving you a chance to have dinner on the table in no time during those busy weeknights between soccer practice pick up and homework!
tips and tricks for success
- Use marsala wine. Be sure to use marsala wine, not marsala cooking wine. Marsala cooking wine contains a significant amount of salt and can lead to an overly sweet and salty dish.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
- Freeze as needed. Leftover chicken marsala will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months, thawing overnight and reheating in the oven.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with creamy chicken marsala
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Creamy Chicken Marsala: Frequently Asked Questions
A chicken breast fillet is a trimmed, thin-sliced cut of meat taken from the breast portion of a chicken, prized for their tenderness. They are ideal for quick, weeknight recipes as they are conveniently portioned.
Marsala is a fortified wine and we recommend using dry marsala wine over sweet marsala wine as the latter can be very sweet for a savory dish like this.
Madeira, sherry, port or pinot noir are great alternatives.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Creamy Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 9 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ medium shallot, diced
- 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup dry marsala wine
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Equipment
Instructions
- Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge chicken in 8 tablespoons flour until evenly coated.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
- Add garlic, shallot and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock and wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Return chicken to the skillet.
- Serve immediately over mashed potatoes and crusty bread.
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I am hosting colleagues from France and Spain in a few weeks… do you think if I doubled this recipe that it would turn out well? Or do you have any recipes you’d recommend? You have my favorite recipe website. I’ve made so many of your recipes and they have ALL turned out delicious!
We love hearing that, Christina! This would be a great recipe to double for company. We hope it turns out well and is a hit with your colleagues!
Wow! This is the best! Easy to make & delicious; thanks for sharing this recipe.
I didn’t use the heavy cream and it wasn’t needed. It was great without it.
Delicious! This was so flavorful and delicious, my husband wants me to make it again this weekend. I served it with some garlic parm fingerling potatoes and green beans. You did it again Chungah! Thank you!
This meal is so delicious! We LOVE mushrooms so I doubled them. I also used chicken thighs. All of your recipes are delicious!! Thank you
Loved this recipe! It was easy and delicious. I did sub the mushrooms for 1 zucchini because I don’t love mushrooms.
I made this dish this evening, and put simply… fabulous! The wine I used was a Sauvignon Blanc which added the perfect punch to the sauce. Like others who reviewed, I would make a little extra sauce. Served on a bed of rice with broccoli and a salad. It was excellent thank you for posting!
This is very delicious! I made it last weekend and due to it being requested, I’ll be making it today. I’ll double this sauce this time. Keep the recipes coming! Thanks!
I’m thinking you could change out the wine for a different type if you don’t like Marsala?? Like maybe Maderia (yes, it will have a different flavor profile but that’s not a bad thing).
This was delicious!!
Next time I’ll double the sauce (we are saucy people) because it was delicious. We served it over egg noodles and sprinkled fresh parsley over it.
Can I substitute 1/2 and 1/2? I don’t have any heavy cream. Love all of your recipes!
what can I sub for the butter and cream in this recipe?