This simple chicken marsala recipe is a restaurant-quality dish that’s ready for the table in less than 30 minutes!
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If you love easy chicken recipes, be sure to try this dump-and-bake maple Dijon chicken, our versatile crockpot Mexican chicken, and these baked chicken thighs, too!
I tried it tonight, it’s so delicious! And my whole family loved it.
– Estela
If you think that chicken marsala is one of those fancy dishes that you only order when you’re at Italian restaurants, then think again! This simple recipe comes together in one skillet in less than 30 minutes. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner when you’re short on time, but craving an indulgent escape.
A Simple Chicken Marsala Recipe Makes Weeknight Dinners Easy
Chicken marsala is an Italian-American dish that you’ll almost always find on the menu at chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Maggiano’s. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own version at home! This simple chicken marsala recipe features quick-cooking thin chicken cutlets and sliced fresh mushrooms in a hearty marsala sauce. It’s rich, earthy, and delicious alongside angel hair pasta, fettuccine, rice, and creamy mashed potatoes.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Purchase thinly sliced chicken breasts for a shortcut, or cut larger chicken breasts in half horizontally to create thin chicken cutlets that you pound flat with a meat mallet or meat tenderizer.
- The rich marsala wine sauce is made with dry marsala wine, a fortified Italian wine from Sicily. It comes in both dry and sweet varieties, either of which can be used to make homemade chicken marsala. Personally, I think a dry marsala wine pairs best with the savory flavors of the chicken and mushrooms.
- Marsala wine is fairly easy to find at your local grocery store or liquor store. If you can’t find it, there are some appropriate substitutes. The closest is a dry madeira wine, which is another type of Sicilian fortified wine. You could also use port wine, dry sherry, brandy, or a dry white wine. The alcohol cooks off, but you can also use chicken stock or broth instead.
- I make the dish kid-friendly by diluting the wine with an equal amount of chicken broth. If you prefer a stronger wine flavor, feel free to use 1 full cup of wine and omit the broth entirely. Just make sure that you’re using a good quality marsala wine for this meal since it’s the prominent flavor in the sauce. You don’t want to buy the cheaper cooking wine because it doesn’t taste nearly as good (and is often very salty).
- The butter may seem like an extra indulgence, but it helps emulsify the sauce.
How to Make Quick Chicken Marsala
A simple chicken marsala recipe makes weeknight dinners feel a little bit more special! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- If you’re not already starting with thinly-sliced chicken breasts, you’ll need to cut the boneless skinless chicken breasts horizontally into thin chicken cutlets. Pound the chicken to about ¼-inch thickness with a meat mallet.
- Dredge the chicken in a seasoned flour mixture.
- Pan-fry the chicken cutlets in a large skillet with olive oil until golden brown on both sides.
- Sauté the mushrooms until tender.
- Deglaze the skillet with the marsala wine and chicken broth.
- Add the garlic and butter. Simmer the marsala wine sauce until it reduces and slightly thickens. Add a splash of heavy cream if you like.
- Place the chicken back into the skillet, cover with the sauce, and serve.
What to Serve with Chicken Marsala
Serve the homemade chicken marsala with pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, homemade garlic bread, or no-knead cast iron focaccia bread to soak up the sauce. You can also go the low-carb route and opt for zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice instead. Add veggies to the meal with a classic Caesar salad, this garlic roasted broccoli recipe, oven roasted asparagus, sauteed spinach with garlic, green beans and mushrooms, or a simple green salad dressed in red wine vinegar salad dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, or Dijon vinaigrette.
Storage Tips
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- This meal is also freezer-friendly. Let the chicken and sauce cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat the chicken marsala in a skillet or pan over medium-low heat. Cover and stir occasionally until heated through, about 5-7 minutes. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
I made it last night. It was delicious. A+++
– Didi
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Simple Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 1 lb. thinly-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken cutlets (about ¼-inch thick)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ cup dry Marsala wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 large cloves)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Optional: splash of heavy cream
- Fresh parsley or fresh thyme, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Add the salt and pepper; stir to combine. Dredge the chicken through the flour mixture until coated on all sides. Shake off any excess flour. Set the chicken aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium. Place the mushrooms in the skillet, stirring and cooking until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Take the skillet off of the heat; add the wine and the chicken broth. Place the skillet back on medium heat, and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this gives the sauce great flavor). Add the garlic and butter to the skillet. This is a good time to add a splash of heavy cream if you like, too. Simmer the sauce until it reduces and thickens slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon the sauce over top, and continue simmering for a few more minutes so that the chicken warms through.
- Serve immediately and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- To make a creamy chicken marsala, simply add a splash of heavy cream to the sauce after adding the garlic and butter. How much is up to you! If you don’t want to dilute the flavor of the marsala, I’d start with about 2 tablespoons of cream.
- If you use chicken thighs or chicken tenders instead of breasts, you should still tenderize the meat and pound it flat to an even thickness. This will help the chicken cook quickly and evenly.
- Cooking for just for two? Using just ½ lb. of chicken while keeping the rest of the ingredients the same. You can never have too much of the delicious wine sauce!
More Simple Chicken Recipes
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Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
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Originally published in April 2017, this post was updated in March 2025.
20 minutes for chicken marsala?! Sign me up! This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, so I love how easy this is to prepare. Perfect for when I don’t want to stand over a stove for hours!
Yes, this is so darn easy! I hope that your husband can enjoy it soon! 🙂
This looks amazing Blair! I have a whole thing of mushrooms I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with. Time to make this!
The mushrooms are SO key in this dish, Megan! Love them with the sauce!!!
Love this recipe Blair. It’s healthy, seasonal, full of wonderful flavours and super easy to make. Perfect for busy families. Mushrooms are now totally in season, so I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks, Natalie! I agree — the mushrooms are SO good in that sauce. Perfect for the season! 🙂
dont have marsala wine, what I can I use instead
Dry white wine with a splash of brandy should be perfect!
I had trouble getting the sauce to thicken up. Any suggestions?
Hi Sandi,
If your sauce is not thickening, you can let it simmer longer. Or, create a slurry by combining 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tsp of water at a time in a bowl and stirring it into the sauce.
I just left the store and they were all out of Marsala wine…is there another wine to substitute? (I know it takes away from “Marsala” and the whole recipe title$
Hey, Amanda! Do you have brandy available? Marsala is a brandy-fortified wine, so you can try this substitute: mix together 1/2 cup of white wine + 2 teaspoons of brandy. Use that mixture in place of the marsala. If you don’t have brandy, then I would go with a white wine…but it will obviously change the taste of the dish. 🙂 Enjoy!
Thanks Blair!
You’re so welcome!
Will it be ok to omitt wine person is recovering alcoholic?
Yes! I would just substitute with an equal amount of chicken broth instead. 🙂
Do I have to make more sauce if put over pasta or will there be enough sauce in this recipe to coat the pasta?
Hey, Ashley! No, you should be able to use the sauce from the pan to dress the pasta. 🙂
I tried it tonight, it’s so delicious! And my whole family loved it.
I paired it with homemade mashed potato and steamed green beans and carrots. ???? Thank you!
Great! I’m so glad that your family enjoyed it, Estela! Thanks for letting me know!
I made it last night. It was delicious. Do you know if can make this dish the day before and still be good? Will the sauce still be good?
I made it last night. It was delicious. A+++ Do you know if I can make this dish the day before and still be good? Will the sauce still be good?
Hi, Didi! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! I think that you can definitely make it the day before and reheat it. It will be like restaurant leftovers — it will still taste good, but it probably won’t be quite as good as when it’s fresh and hot from the skillet. Just be careful that you don’t overcook the chicken and dry it out when you’re reheating it. 🙂
I once made the real, complicated chicken marsala. wow. too much work and I didn’t think it worth the effort. Probably my fault. I was hesitant to try this, but let me tell you it is great!!! Fairly easy to make and spot on. all I had was holland house marsala but it still was a hit. Next time I will buy the real deal. Anyway, my wife loved this and scarfed it up. She would not stop telling me how good it was and told me to put this on the rotation. I definitely concur. All I can say is that it is over the top. I followed the recipe exactlyThank you
Thank you, Raymond! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.