Creamy Chicken Marsala {20 Minutes}
My chicken marsala recipe features pan-fried chicken cutlets simmered in a creamy mushroom sauce. It’s my family’s favorite simple yet elegant weeknight dinner.

If you’re hungry for more Italian-inspired chicken recipes, try my chicken caprese, chicken Milanese, or chicken piccata next!
Table of Contents
- Why I love this recipe
- Key ingredients
- How to make chicken marsala
- Arman’s recipe tips
- Frequently asked questions
- Chicken Marsala (Recipe Card)
- More Italian-inspired recipes to try
Looking for a restaurant-style chicken dinner that’ll remind you of your favorite Italian restaurant? You need to try my chicken marsala recipe.
If you’re unfamiliar, this classic Italian-American dish features crispy chicken cutlets simmered in caramelized mushrooms and a marsala wine cream sauce. Despite its rich flavor, I knew I could make a one-skillet, 20-minute version–and now my family’s rightly obsessed!
Why I love this recipe
- Restaurant-worthy flavor. The chicken is juicy yet crispy, the mushrooms are tender, and the rich gravy has an addictive nuttiness from the wine.
- A weeknight no-brainer. Despite its rich flavor, this dish takes no time to cook, and I made sure even a novice home cook could make this recipe.
- Perfect for any occasion. Like my parmesan crusted chicken, this is fast and low-effort enough for a weeknight meal yet sophisticated enough for a romantic date night.
Key ingredients
- Chicken breasts. I prefer boneless skineless chicken breasts since they cook quickly and remain tender. I also had luck with boneless chicken thighs, though they take 5-7 minutes longer to cook, depending on the size. I don’t recommend bone-in chicken or chicken tenders.
- Marsala wine. This gives the dish its signature rich and nutty flavor. Opt for dry Marsala wine, as this is my preferred cooking wine.
- Shallots. Due to their delicate flavor, I much prefer shallots over onions for this recipe.
- Mushrooms. I like using cremini mushrooms for this recipe as they’re convenient and hold their shape nicely in the sauce. Other types of mushrooms, like white button mushrooms, can also be used.
- Heavy cream. For a rich, creamy sauce.
- Chicken broth. I prefer using a good quality, low-sodium broth so I have more control over the salt content.
- Flour. Coating the chicken in a tiny bit of flour before pan-frying is a surefire way to trap the juices inside, yielding juicy meat.
- Unsalted butter and olive oil. A combination of butter and oil is best when working with chicken. It keeps it from cooking and gives the pan juices extra flavor.
- Salt and black pepper. To taste.
- Parsley. Fresh chopped parsley for garnish.
How to make chicken marsala
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Prepare the chicken. Pat the chicken dry, butterfly it (slice it in half but leave it connected), and pound them to get an even thickness. Season them and dredge them in flour.


Step 2- Pan fry. Melt butter and oil in a large skillet, then cook the chicken cutlets until browned on both sides. Set aside.


Step 3- Sauté. Melt the remaining butter and sauté the shallots and mushroom slices until tender.


Step 4- Finish the marsala sauce. Add the wine and cook until the sauce reduces. Stir in the stock and cream. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until warm.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Omit the alcohol. If you’d rather not cook with alcohol, substitute it with equal portions of chicken stock.
- Add the cream slowly. To prevent it from becoming grainy, add the cream slowly as you whisk continuously.
- Be patient with the sauce. If the sauce seems thin, let it simmer for several minutes so it can thicken. If it has lost some creaminess, add a splash of cream once the chicken is back in the pan.
- Scrape the pan. Trust me, you want all the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. That’s where all the flavor is!
Frequently asked questions
Any semi-sweet or dry marsala works. Two of my favorites are Colombo marsala dry and Florio dry marsala.
Serving: 1servingCalories: 376kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 15gFat: 24gSodium: 799mgPotassium: 449mgFiber: 1gVitamin A: 389IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 14g
More Italian-inspired recipes to try
Originally published September 2023, updated and republished January 2025
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