Creamy Chicken Marsala

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Lightly coated, pan-fried chicken with a rich and vibrant Marsala wine sauce and sliced mushrooms creates a creamy chicken Marsala recipe that is a must make on pasta night.

Looking for a delicious and creamy chicken marsala recipe? Look no further! Our article will guide you through the steps to make this classic Italian dish right at home.

Indulge in tender chicken cooked to perfection in a rich and creamy sauce infused with the flavors of marsala wine, mushrooms, and garlic. Impress your family and friends with this simple yet flavorful meal that’s sure to become a new favorite.

a plate of rice and chicken with mushrooms

What is chicken Marsala?

Once only found in high quality Italian restaurants, chicken Marsala is an Italian-American pan-fried thin and boneless chicken dish. It simply has sliced mushrooms and a robust Marsala and Sherry wine sauce that is infused with cream, butter, herbs, and spices.

Is chicken Marsala healthy?

This Easy Chicken Marsala is a whole food recipe with 27 grams of protein! I have to say, chicken Marsala is higher in carbs and calories. Chicken Marsala in general is a healthy high protein dish that can be consumed in a healthier manner by serving with zoodles or whole grain rice or pasta.

You can also choose to use less sauce when serving to save on calories. If you’re counting calories, plan for a leaner breakfast and lunch to splurge on this chicken dinner.

For special diets

Gluten-free option: You can swap it out with a gluten-free flour or use cornstarch as a substitute for a gluten free chicken Marsala.

For low carb or Keto: Leave out the flour and cornstarch for a keto chicken Marsala recipe. Serve with zucchini noodles.

How To Make Chicken Marsala

To make our chicken Marsala recipe you need thin sliced chicken breast. You can choose to buy thicker breasts, slice them horizontally and go old school by wrapping the chicken cutlets with plastic wrap, then pounding it with a meat mallet until it’s about only ½ an inch thick.

flouring chicken in a bowl

Then add flour, salt, black pepper, and oregano to a bowl. Mix it and then generously coat your thin chicken breasts on all sides with the flour.

You can choose to add the flour mixture to a gallon sized Ziploc bag and individually coat each chicken breast that way for an easy clean up. Be sure to discard any of the leftover flour mixture.

Next, you’ll brown your chicken breasts on both sides by placing it into a hot pan with melted butter. You don’t want the heat too high, so a medium high flame is best. Sear both sides. Don’t worry about cooking it through, the chicken will continue to cook with the Marsala sauce. You want a beautiful golden outside with the tiniest hint of crisp at the edges.

chicken frying in a pan

Now that your chicken is perfectly golden on both sides, add in sliced mushrooms, bacon (this is optional, but really…BACON!), garlic, good quality Marsala wine and Sherry wine. Cover and let simmer until the chicken cooks, before you finish making your Marsala chicken recipe.

sauteing mushrooms in skillet

How To Make Creamy Chicken Marsala Sauce

Chicken Marsala sauce is a wine based sauce that is made creamy with heavy cream and with subtle hints of garlic, herbs, and spices it truly is a one of a kind Italian-American dish.

Once the chicken has browned and you’ve added in garlic, mushrooms, and Marsala and Sherry wine, and the chicken has cooked through, make a cornstarch slurry with heavy cream and cornstarch.

Add the cornstarch and heavy cream (you can add more heavy cream to make it “creamier”) to a small bowl and whisk until smooth, ensuring there are no bumps.

During the last two minutes of cooking time, add in the creamy slurry to thicken the chicken Marsala sauce. Taste and add more heavy cream if you’d like to make it extra creamy. Plus, add salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with fresh parsley!

A plate of food with broccoli, with Chicken marsala
about tastes of lizzy t

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala

Traditionally, chicken Marsala will be served with pasta. You can also serve this chicken Marsala recipe over a bed of white or brown rice, zoodles, and quinoa too.

Here are ideas for side dishes:

A plate of food with rice and chicken marsala
a plate of creamy chicken marsala
a plate of creamy chicken marsala

Creamy Chicken Marsala

5 from 1 vote
Lightly coated, pan-fried chicken with a rich and vibrant Marsala wine sauce and sliced mushrooms creates a coveted chicken Marsala recipe that is a must make on pasta night.
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 breasts halved and pounded 1/2” thick)
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 garlic cloves)
  • 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
  • 3 slices bacon (cooked and chopped) (Optional!)
  • 1 cup sweet Marsala wine (or marsala cooking wine)
  • ½ cup cooking sherry
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix well.
  • Coat each chicken breast in flour on all sides. Shake off the excess flour.
  • Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Once the butter is hot, add the chicken and brown on each side. (At this point it doesn’t need to be cooked fully…just browned in the butter.)
  • Add the garlic, mushrooms and bacon (if desired) to the pan.
  • Add the Marsala and sherry.
  • Cover the skillet, lower the heat so that the mixture is simmering. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken once during cooking.
  • In the last 2 minutes of cooking, combine the heavy cream and cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
  • Drizzle the cream into the skillet and stir. It will thicken slightly during the last minute or two of cooking.
  • The chicken is done when the juices run clear. (It should test 165º Farenheit in the middle.)
  • Serve over your favorite pasta noodles or rice. Top with fresh chopped parsley or fresh thyme.
  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • Cremini mushrooms are a delicious option.
  • If you don’t want to cook with alcohol, use homemade chicken stock or a low-sodium chicken broth instead. This will alter the flavor and won’t be a true chicken marsala, but is still a great dinner.
The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 4. For the calories shown, 1 serving is 1 piece of chicken and ¼ of the mushroom sauce (no pasta included). Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 603mg | Potassium: 731mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 646IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Calories 521
Keyword chicken dinner, chicken recipe, italian recipes

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About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Kait Gomez
4 years ago

5 stars
Made this for my family tonight with brown rice (husband said that he would have prefered noodles but he was out voted lol) Everyone loved it, even the kids (4 and 2). Definitely a keeper ^-^