Chicken Marsala Recipe With Mushrooms

Looking for a restaurant-quality dinner that's ready in 30 minutes? This chicken marsala recipe with mushrooms brings tender, juicy chicken cutlets together with a rich, creamy wine sauce that'll have everyone asking for seconds!

I remember the first time I ordered chicken marsala at an Italian restaurant years ago. The waiter brought out this gorgeous plate with golden chicken covered in mushrooms and the most amazing sauce I'd ever tasted. I thought "there's no way I can make this at home" – but turns out I was totally wrong!

Here's the thing about chicken marsala: it sounds fancy, but it's actually super straightforward to make. You're basically pan-frying chicken, making a quick sauce with mushrooms and marsala wine, and letting everything come together in one pan. The whole process takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, which makes it perfect for those nights when you want something special without spending hours in the kitchen.

If you love easy Italian-inspired dinners, you'll want to check out my creamy garlic parmesan chicken – it's another weeknight winner that tastes like restaurant food!

Jump to:

• Why You Will Like This Chicken Marsala
• What You'll Need For This Chicken Marsala Recipe With Mushrooms
• How To Make The Best Chicken Marsala With Mushrooms
• How To Store And Reheat Chicken Marsala
• Tips And Variations For Your Chicken Marsala Recipe
• Chicken Marsala FAQs
• Recipes You May Like
• Time To Make This Chicken Marsala!
• Easy Chicken Marsala

Why You Will Like This Chicken Marsala

• Quick weeknight dinner – Ready in just 30 minutes, so you can have a fancy meal without the wait
• Rich and creamy sauce – The marsala wine and cream create this silky sauce that's absolutely delicious
• Perfect mushroom flavor – Cremini mushrooms get all golden and add so much depth to the dish
• Restaurant-quality at home – Tastes like something you'd pay $20 for at a nice Italian place
• One-pan wonder – Everything cooks in the same skillet, which means less cleanup (always a win!)
• Impressive but easy – Looks fancy enough for company but simple enough for a Tuesday night

What You'll Need For This Chicken Marsala Recipe With Mushrooms

For the Chicken:

• 2 large chicken breasts – Cut in half lengthwise to make 4 thin cutlets
• Salt and pepper – To season the chicken
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder – Adds extra flavor to the coating
• Flour for dredging – Helps create a golden crust and thickens the sauce

For the Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil – For cooking the chicken
• 3 tablespoons butter – Divided between cooking steps, adds richness
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms – Sliced fairly thin (baby bellas work great)
• 1 large clove garlic – Minced fresh
• ¾ cup marsala wine – Use semi-sweet or dry marsala
• ½ cup heavy cream – Creates that dreamy, creamy sauce

Substitution Notes:

You can swap cremini mushrooms for white button mushrooms if that's what you have. I've also used a mix of mushrooms before when I had random ones sitting in my fridge, and it worked perfectly!

If you can't find marsala wine, you can use a dry sherry or even a combination of white wine with a splash of brandy. Won't be exactly the same, but it'll still taste really good.

How To Make The Best Chicken Marsala With Mushrooms

Prep The Chicken

1. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create 4 thinner cutlets. This is important because thin cutlets cook way faster and more evenly. I learned this the hard way when I tried making this with thick chicken breasts once – the outside was done but the inside was still raw!
2. Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Don't be shy with the seasoning here.
3. Coat each piece in flour by dredging it on both sides. Shake off any excess flour – you want a light coating, not a thick crust.

Cook The Chicken

4. Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Wait until the pan is actually hot before adding the chicken (you should see the butter starting to foam a bit).
5. Add the chicken to the pan and let it cook for 4-5 minutes without moving it. This creates that beautiful golden crust!
6. Flip the chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side until golden brown.
7. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a plate. It won't be fully cooked through yet, but that's okay – it'll finish cooking in the sauce.

Make The Marsala Sauce

8. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the sliced mushrooms to the same skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned and have released their moisture.
9. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until you can smell it (garlic burns quickly, so don't walk away!).
10. Pour in the marsala wine and let it bubble away for 2-3 minutes. This cooks off some of the alcohol and concentrates the flavor.
11. Stir in the heavy cream and mix everything together until smooth.

Finish The Dish

12. Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices that collected on the plate. Nestle the chicken into the sauce.
13. Let everything simmer together for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (165°F on an instant-read thermometer) and the sauce has thickened up a bit.
14. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. I usually add a little more salt at this point because the sauce can be kind of sweet from the marsala.
15. Garnish with fresh parsley if you want (totally optional, but it makes it look pretty!).

How To Store And Reheat Chicken Marsala

Storing:

Let the chicken marsala cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. It'll keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Reheating:

The best way to reheat this is on the stovetop. Put it in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken broth or cream to loosen up the sauce. Heat it gently until warmed through – don't rush it or the sauce might separate.

You can also microwave it, but the sauce texture won't be quite as nice. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each one.

Freezing:

I honestly don't recommend freezing this because cream-based sauces can get kind of grainy when thawed. If you really want to freeze it, the chicken and sauce will keep for up to 2 months, but the texture might be a bit different when you reheat it.

Tips And Variations For Your Chicken Marsala Recipe

My Best Tips:

Want to know the secret to making this taste like it came from an Italian restaurant? Don't crowd the pan when you're cooking the chicken! If your skillet isn't big enough for all 4 pieces with some space between them, cook the chicken in two batches. Crowded chicken = steamed chicken, not golden seared chicken.

Also, make sure you're using actual marsala wine, not "marsala cooking wine" from the regular grocery store aisle. The cooking wine has added salt and preservatives that can make your sauce taste weird. Look for marsala in the wine section – a bottle will cost around $10-12 and you'll have plenty left over for another batch.

Tasty Variations:

• Add sun-dried tomatoes – Throw in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes with the mushrooms for extra flavor
• Use chicken thighs – Boneless, skinless thighs work great and stay super juicy
• Make it lighter – Swap the heavy cream for half-and-half (the sauce will be thinner but still tasty)
• Add more veggies – Spinach or asparagus added at the end works really well
• Try different mushrooms – A mix of cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms is amazing

Chicken Marsala FAQs

Recipes You May Like

• Creamy Mushroom Garlic Chicken – Another creamy chicken recipe with tons of mushroom flavor
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta With Sun-Dried Tomatoes And Spinach – If you love Italian-style cream sauces, you need to try this one
• One Pan Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta – Everything cooks in one pan for easy cleanup

Time To Make This Chicken Marsala!

This chicken marsala has become one of those recipes I make at least twice a month. It's quick enough for a weeknight but fancy enough that I've served it to guests plenty of times. The combination of tender chicken, earthy mushrooms, and that creamy marsala sauce just works so well together.

The first time I made this for Emily, she was about 12 and going through a phase where she only wanted chicken nuggets. I convinced her to try "fancy chicken" and she actually loved it! Now she requests it for special occasions.

Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turns out! And don't forget to save this to Pinterest so you can find it again later.