Chicken marsala is an Italian-American dish that dates back to the 19th century in Sicily where they produce Marsala wine. It is extremely popular in Italian restaurants, and I can see why. This chicken marsala recipe has perfectly seared chicken with deliciously browned mushrooms and a rich garlicky marsala sauce that tastes great over pasta, potatoes, vegetables, or pretty much anything else.
Everyone who knows me knows that if I'm going to an Italian restaurant I'm going to order Chicken Marsala. Maybe it's a bad thing that I am so predictable, but I don't care. It is my favorite chicken dish. Even though its usually something I order at restaurants, theres really no reason to have to spend $20 a person to order it when its so easy to make at home.
And my chicken marsala recipe is the best, because adding sherry to the recipe in addition to the marsala wine gives it a really complex flavor. There is also a version of marsala with cream sauce that is also really awesome, which I will certainly write up at a later date, but n the meantime this one is more traditional without any cream in it.
Tips for making Chicken Marsala
Most of the items needed to make Chicken Marsala are straight out of the pantry, like flour and butter. This makes it a pretty simple recipe.
For the chicken breasts I suggest buying the regular size boneless skinless breasts rather than buying the thin sliced ones, as the latter tends to cook too fast and end up tough. If the breasts are too thick, cut them in half horizontally to make two thin chicken breasts, and then pound them to ¼ inch thick.
It is also better to use a dry marsala wine over a sweet one for this dish. I frequently will just cheat and use cooking wine if I don't want to spring for bottles of marsala wine and sherry to make this, and trust me it is just as delicious using cooking wine.
Chicken Marsala
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (pounded ¼ inch thick)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tpbs olive oil
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ⅔ cup marsala wine
- ⅓ cup cooking sherry
Instructions
- In a shallow dish combine the flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture until they are coated.
- In a large skillet combine half the olive oil and butter, and then heat on medium high until the butter is melted. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook them until they are brown, for approximately 5 minutes per side. Take the chicken out of the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan along with the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and cook it for about a minute.
- Add the marsala wine and sherry to the skillet, and then add the chicken breasts back into the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through.