A Chicken Marsala Recipe That Gets Everything Right

Chicken Marsala is one of the most beloved Italian-American dishes and for good reason. Thin, golden chicken cutlets are pan-fried until crisp, then finished in a rich, glossy sauce made from Marsala wine, earthy mushrooms, butter and chicken stock. The sauce reduces down into something deeply savoury, slightly sweet and completely addictive. It is the kind of dish that looks impressive on the plate but comes together in about 30 minutes once you understand the technique.

The key to a great Chicken Marsala is in three things. Pounding the chicken to an even thickness ensures it cooks quickly and stays juicy. Dredging it in seasoned flour before frying gives it a golden crust and helps thicken the sauce. And using a proper dry Marsala wine rather than a sweet one gives the sauce the depth and complexity it needs. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, pasta or crusty bread to soak up every last drop of the sauce.

Chicken Marsala Recipe

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 600g Boneless Chicken Breast, sliced in half horizontally to make thin cutlets
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the Marsala sauce:

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 250g button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • 180ml dry Marsala wine
  • 180ml chicken stock
  • 3 tbsp fresh cream (optional, for a creamier sauce)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Steps

  1. Prepare the chicken. Place each chicken cutlet between two sheets of cling film or in a ziplock bag. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound to an even thickness of about half a centimetre. This ensures even cooking and keeps the chicken tender. Season each cutlet with salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides.
  2. Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour, pressing lightly so it adheres, and shake off any excess. The flour coating gives the chicken its golden crust and helps thicken the sauce later.
  3. Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter together in a large wide frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, add the chicken cutlets in a single layer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 75 degrees Celsius. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Do not wipe the pan.
  4. In the same pan over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 5 to 6 minutes without stirring too much, allowing them to caramelise and turn golden brown. Stir occasionally.
  5. Add the chopped shallot and minced garlic to the mushrooms. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until softened and fragrant.
  6. Pour the Marsala wine into the pan. It will bubble vigorously. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the golden bits from the bottom of the pan as these add enormous flavour to the sauce. Let the wine cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it reduces by about half.
  7. Add the chicken stock and stir well. Simmer over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and becomes glossy. If using cream, stir it in now and simmer for 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
  8. Return the chicken cutlets to the pan. Spoon the sauce and mushrooms over the top. Simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes until the chicken is heated through and well coated in the sauce.
  9. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish generously with freshly chopped parsley. Serve immediately with creamy mashed potatoes, pasta or crusty bread.

Tips for Best Results

Pound the chicken to an even thickness. This is the single most important step for Chicken Marsala. Uneven chicken cooks unevenly. The thinner sections dry out while the thicker sections are still cooking. A quick pound ensures every part of the cutlet is golden and juicy at the same time.

Use dry Marsala wine rather than sweet Marsala. Dry Marsala gives the sauce a richer, more savoury depth. Sweet Marsala makes the sauce taste more like a dessert wine and throws off the balance of the dish. If Marsala wine is unavailable, dry Madeira or dry sherry is the closest substitute.

Do not crowd the pan when frying the chicken. Fry in batches if necessary. Crowding drops the temperature of the pan and causes the chicken to steam rather than sear, which means no golden crust and no flavour.

Let the mushrooms caramelise properly. Add them to the pan and leave them largely undisturbed for the first few minutes. Stirring too much causes them to steam and turn soggy rather than developing that golden, nutty flavour that makes the sauce so good.

Deglaze thoroughly. The golden bits stuck to the bottom of the pan after frying the chicken are pure concentrated flavour. When the Marsala wine goes in, scrape every bit off the bottom of the pan and stir it into the sauce.

This dish does not keep especially well as the chicken can dry out on reheating. It is best made fresh and served immediately.

Chicken Marsala is one of those recipes that feels far more special than the effort it requires. The golden chicken, the glossy mushroom sauce and the depth of the Marsala wine all come together in a way that is genuinely restaurant-worthy. Once you have made it at home you will wonder why you ever ordered it out.

Order Zorabian’s Boneless Chicken Breast from shop.zorabian.com and try this recipe at home.

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