4.95 from 77 votes

One of Lisa’s favorite meals is Chicken Marsala. To her it means comfort food and having spoiled her with my classic version of Chicken Marsala, nothing else will do.

overhead shot of chicken marsala with mushrooms on a white platter

She’s tried ordering out and its never the same and it really only comes down to one reason.

The marsala that most people use does not impart that extra special flavor that makes my Chicken Marsala legendary.

Table of Contents:

What ingredients do I need to make Chicken Marsala?

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Chicken Marsala. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How do I make Chicken Marsala?

sauteed chicken breast with mushrooms in a saute pan

Dredge the chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then add it to a hot sauté pan with enough olive oil to saute the chicken.
Sauté the chicken for 2-3 minutes on one side, then turn it over to saute the other side. At this time add the sliced mushrooms to the pan.
Continue to sauté the chicken, turning it as needed and letting the mushrooms cook.

*Add more olive oil if needed.

marsala added to saute pan with chicken and mushrooms

After the mushrooms look cooked and the chicken is well seared on all sides, add in ¾ of a cup of your Marsala ( reserve 2 ounces to finish the dish).

Let the chicken marsala continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. This will also burn off the alcohol.

stock and cream added to the chicken marsala in a saute pan

Add in the chicken stock, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer on low as the sauce reduces.

Season with granulated onion and black pepper to taste.

beurre manie added to chicken marsala in saute pan

When the sauce has reduced by about half of its original liquid, roll 1 tablespoon of butter in flour, getting a good layer of flour embedded into the butter.

Add the floured butter to the sauce, this will help thicken your sauce (this method is called a beurre manie). Mix the beurre manie into the sauce and then add in the remaining Marsala wine.

What Marsala Should I use for Chicken Marsala?

Getting back to the reason my chicken marsala is better than most is the marsala wine I use.

In the mise en place, I have a bottle of Cribari Marsala. My first choice will always be Pellegrino Marsala but it’s hard to find and more than double the price of Cribari.

When I can’t find Pellegrino I use Cribari and the dish comes still comes out better than most Italian restaurants.

There is one other tip on buying marsala wine and that is if there’s a choice between dry and sweet, always buy the sweet.

This will contradict what most chefs will tell you, so you’re going to have to trust me on this one. Believe me, it will make a big difference in the flavor of the dish and it will not make the sauce sweet, it’s just how they differentiate between the two varieties.

Dry Marsala, in theory, should be more flavorful. But either I haven’t found a good dry marsala or it just doesn’t work as well as advertised in my dishes.

Chicken Marsala with mushrooms on a white platter

After the sauce has thickened and you are happy with the seasoning you can serve the Chicken Marsala to your guests.

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4.95 from 77 votes