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    Ask Chef Dennis » Recipes » Main Meals » Poultry Recipes » Classic Chicken Marsala Recipe

    Classic Chicken Marsala Recipe

    Published: May 13, 2019 · Modified: Jun 29, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley · 29 Comments·This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    4.78 from 18 votes
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    pinterest image for chicken marsala

    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.

    What ingredients do I need to make Chicken Marsala?

    Classic Chicken Marsala Prep

    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 Pelligrino Marsala but it’s hard to find and more than double the price of Cribari.

    That being said when I have both on hand, I start with Cribari and finish with Pelligrino. Now I’m not saying you need to buy two brands, it’s just something that I do to make the dish extra special for Lisa.

    When I can’t find Pelligrino 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.

    More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!

    • Chicken and Shrimp Pepperoni
    • Chicken Sorrento
    • Chicken Saltimbocca
    • Chicken Parm

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    Classic Chicken Marsala
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    4.78 from 18 votes

    Classic Chicken Marsala Recipe

    This restaurant-style dish is the perfect comfort food and easy to make.  It’s a great date night dinner that you can have on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Italian – American
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 337kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast o or chicken tenders
    • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms or regular mushrooms
    • extra virgin olive oil to saute chicken and mushrooms
    • seasoned flour to dust chicken seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
    • 1 tbsp butter
    • ⅛ tsp black pepper
    • ¼ tsp granulated onion
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • 1 cup Marsala
    • 1 tbsp heavy cream optional
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Prepare your chicken by triming away any fat and skin. . If you are using tenders you can just use them as they are.
    • dredge the chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, and 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, at this time add your mushrooms to the pan.
    • Continue to sauté the chicken, turning it as needed and letting the mushrooms cook.
    • 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).
    • Allow the Marsala to continue cooking for 1-2 minutes
    • Add in the chicken stock and heavy cream, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer on low as the sauce reduces. Season wiht granulated onion and black pepper.
    • When the sauce has reduced about half of its original liquid, roll 1 tablespoon of butter in flour, getting a good layer of flour embedded into the butter.  Now add it to the sauce, this will help thicken your sauce. (this method is called a beurre manie). 
      Add in the remaining Marsala wine to finish the dish.
    • After the sauce has thickened and you are happy with the seasoning you can serve the Chicken Marsala to your guests.
      I love serving mine with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, rice or egg noodles.

    Notes

    If the chicken breasts are thick your best bet is to split them down the middle making two thinner fillets from the one breast.
    You can also pound the breasts thinner with a meat hammer but that is not always necessary when you split the breast.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 756mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 289IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!
    pinterest image for chicken marsala
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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. online cake delivery in Delhi

      June 10, 2019 at 6:10 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing another awesome recipe as always! Been a long time reader and I found all your recipes

      wonderful. Tried a few of them as well but not as deliciously looking like yours. Keep up the great work!

      Reply
    2. Bethel C Esmillarin

      May 15, 2019 at 7:57 pm

      5 stars
      Chicke marsala is something that is new to me. I am fond of chicken and mushroom so Imma pin it!

      Reply
    3. aileen adalid

      May 15, 2019 at 10:10 am

      This looks so delicious! I would love to give this a try soon. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

      Reply
    4. ricci

      May 15, 2019 at 9:49 am

      This recipe sounds delicious! I love Chicken Marsala but haven’t made it in forever!!

      Reply
    5. Heather

      May 15, 2019 at 9:45 am

      This looks really really good. So good that I think my kiddos will actually want to eat this!

      Reply
    6. Alexandra Pilo-Torrijos

      May 14, 2019 at 11:47 pm

      I tried to make this dish but I couldn’t figure out what I was missing. Thanks for the recipe

      Reply
    7. Fatima Torres

      May 14, 2019 at 11:45 pm

      Just showed this recipe to my husband – he loves Chicken Marsala. Looking forward to making this over the weeken.

      Reply
    8. Beth

      May 14, 2019 at 10:01 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so good! I’m going to see if I can get my husband to make it for me one night. Thanks for the tips about which wine to buy, since I would have no idea!

      Reply
    9. Nichole Arnold

      May 14, 2019 at 7:30 pm

      Looks like a simple enough recipe I could whip up a few batches. Will be perfect for a pot luck dinner!

      Reply
    10. Catalina

      May 14, 2019 at 4:41 pm

      5 stars
      A must try recipe! Easy and delicious! The perfect weeknight dish!

      Reply
    11. sara lafountain

      May 14, 2019 at 12:19 pm

      5 stars
      This chicken marsala was easy to make and scrumptious! I served it with brown rice and roasted broccoli and cauliflower. Delicious!

      Reply
    12. Ruth I

      May 14, 2019 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      I am sure I would be loving this dish. It looks so delicious! Yes, perfect for date nights!

      Reply
    13. Lynndee

      May 14, 2019 at 9:05 am

      I don’t think I’ve ever tried preparing chicken marsala before. I will have to put this on the menu next week. We love chicken over here and that looks delish!

      Reply
    14. Terri Steffes

      May 13, 2019 at 9:06 pm

      5 stars
      We love Chicken Marsala. One of our local restaurants makes it like you, and has shared their recipe and will allow us to purchase a bottle of the wine from them.

      Reply
    15. Pam Wattenbarger

      May 13, 2019 at 8:13 pm

      I usually get chicken marsala at restaurants and always enjoy it. I had never thought of preparing it at home. I can’t wait to try the recipe.

      Reply
    16. Amber Myers

      May 13, 2019 at 6:06 pm

      5 stars
      We love chicken marsala! I’ve never actually tried to make it before. I should one night and surprise my husband. He’ll be so happy.

      Reply
    17. Tasheena

      May 13, 2019 at 5:17 pm

      5 stars
      I had Chicken Marsala for the first time over ten years ago… I would love to try making it at home.

      Reply
    18. Sarah Bailey

      May 13, 2019 at 4:42 pm

      There is nothing like a good chicken marsala is there? I have to admit I can’t remember the last time I made one so I’m going to have to try and cook up your recipe ASAP.

      Reply
    19. Karen

      May 13, 2019 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      This Chicken Marsala looks amazing! I love mushrooms, and I look forward to sharing this dish with my significant other!

      Reply
    20. Alli Smith

      May 13, 2019 at 4:24 pm

      5 stars
      I love to make Chicken Marsala at home. It’s one of my husband’s favorite meals. I’ve never been sure which Marsala wine was the best to use in my recipe so I appreciate your expert opinion on which brand to use. Next time, I’m trying your recipe. It looks amazing.

      Reply
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