This Chicken Madeira featuring a rich mushroom and wine sauce is made with simple every day ingredients. In under an hour you can have restaurant quality flavor on the dinner table. It’s a guaranteed hit to serve guests or a family night in!
Everyone who tries this gorgeous chicken Madeira will be convinced you’ve spent hours slaving away in the kitchen to achieve these rich flavors. No one has to know how easy it really is to throw together! I’m going to bet you already have most of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. So, what’s stopping you? Let’s get started!
Chicken Madeira
This chicken Madeira is a favorite dish of mine! It encompasses everything I love about simple cooking without skimping on flavor. The mushrooms are cooked in the wine slowly for about 15 minutes, just until the sauce reduces and thickens a bit, giving the sauce that amazing depth of flavor. I served this chicken dish over mashed potatoes, but pasta or rice would work just as well; there’s plenty of sauce in the dish.
What Is Chicken Madeira?
This recipe actually has origins quite close to home. It is actually The Cheesecake Factory’s spin on another classic; Chicken Marsala. Many of us have had the pleasure of ordering their famous Chicken Madeira, but did you know they are the originators of the recipe? I sure didn’t!
The name “Madeira” comes from the type of wine used to make this recipe. It refers to a small island just off the coast of Portugal. The wine has a unique deep caramel, woodsy, nutty flavor which is perfect for a comforting recipe like this!
Ingredients in Chicken Madeira
When you check this list out I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how small your grocery list will be. It truly is a simple recipe that is greater than the sums of its parts.
- Chicken breasts – You can use chicken thighs if you prefer. I like to use skinless and boneless chicken for this recipe.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
- Olive oil – Other types of oil such as avocado, coconut, sunflower, or safflower will also work.
- Cremini mushrooms – White button mushrooms, portobellos, or shiitake mushrooms will also work.
- Garlic – Use as much or as little as you like.
- Madeira wine – Look in the Portuguese section of your local wine shop to find this variety.
- Chicken broth – Use low or no sodium broth. Beef or vegetable broth can be used as well.
- Flour – Use 1 tsp cornstarch for a gluten-free option.
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter to have control over the sodium content.
- Parsley – Fresh parsley adds some nice bright color as a garnish to your finished dish.
What Type of Wine Can I Use in Chicken Madeira?
Having trouble finding Madeira wine? That’s okay- I promise I won’t tell if you use a different type. While Madeira wine has a very unique flavor, you can get pretty close with a dry port, Marsala, dry vermouth, or dry sherry.
How to Make Chicken Madeira
- Cook the chicken: Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat half the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and sear the chicken until golden. About 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Cook the mushrooms: Add remaining oil to the skillet. Saute the mushrooms, seasoned with salt and pepper, until they begin to brown. About 8-10 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Add the garlic, wine, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir and cook the sauce down for 15 minutes to thicken. If you’d like it to be thicker, add a ladle of sauce to the flour, mix well, and pour it back into the skillet, and stir well.
- Finish the chicken: Add the chicken back to the skillet and cook everything for another 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley, serve and enjoy!
What to Serve With Chicken Madeira
I love to serve my Chicken Madeira over mashed potatoes. You can also serve it over pasta, rice, or just on its own! Looking for some sides? Give these a try:
- Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes
- Roasted Green Beans
- Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies
- Garlic and Herb Roasted Carrots
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
You might also need some good homemade bread to soak up that sauce:
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Reheat simply in the microwave, or you can reheat leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop. If you’ve found the sauce has become too thick after storing and reheating, you can thin it out with a bit more broth or wine.
Want to freeze your leftovers? This is a very freezer friendly meal! You can store leftovers either in an airtight container or a freezer bag up to 4 months. Reheat either in the microwave or in a skillet. Make a big batch of this Chicken Madeira and store servings in the freezer to save yourself time on those busy weeknights!
Did You Love This Recipe? Try These!
- Chicken Marsala
- Chicken and Mushrooms in Creamy Dill Sauce
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Chicken Francese
- Coq Au Vin
- Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Mushrooms
- Honey Garlic Chicken
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Chicken Madeira
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts skinless and boneless, about 3 to 4
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb cremini mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups Madeira wine or a dry red wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour optional
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet or a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until they get to get golden brown. More time may be needed depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the skillet and add the mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper then cook for about 8 minutes until the mushrooms start to brown. Stir occasionally.
- Add the garlic, Madeira wine and chicken broth to the skillet and stir. Season with more salt and pepper as needed. Reduce heat and cook for another 15 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit and reduces. If you find that the sauce hasn't thickened enough, you can take about a ladle of the liquid from the pan and whisk it with a tbsp of flour, then pour it back into the saucepan and stir, the sauce should thicken almost instantly. Add the butter and stir, this will give the sauce a nice glossy color.
- Add the chicken breasts back to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over mashed potatoes.
Video
Recipe Notes
- You can use chicken thighs, drumsticks, or any cut of chicken that you prefer for this recipe.
- If you don't like mushrooms, you can simply eliminate the from the dish. You can add some sliced onions instead for more flavor.
- Try this recipe for perfect mashed potatoes to accompany this dish.
- Nutritional information does not include mashed potatoes.
- Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Reheat simply in the microwave, or you can reheat leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop. If you've found the sauce has become too thick after storing and reheating, you can thin it out with a bit more broth or wine.
- This is a very freezer friendly meal! You can store leftovers either in an airtight container or a freezer bag up to 4 months. Reheat either in the microwave or in a skillet. Make a big batch of this Chicken Madeira and store servings in the freezer to save yourself time on those busy weeknights!
Edgar says
I always love to eat chicken madeira at cheesecake factory resto. The flavor is so rich. I will try to follow the recipe. However, can I use Marsala wine?
Jo Cooks Team says
Yes marsala will be great!
Nicole says
I’ve made this several times I use chicken thighs because they stay nice and juicy and its always delicious. I serve it with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus!
l.green says
Love this recipe , all I have made it for, also loves it!!
Lilli says
Loved it!! Made it with the onions, it was great!!
Duana says
Could I just use cooking wine instead?
Joanna Cismaru says
You can, but I always recommend to use a good wine when cooking, at least the same wine as you’re drinking. Also keep in mind that you need a dry wine for this.
Ivanka says
Made this today, was simple enough and delicious! Putting it on my recipe list, my hubby liked it too 🙂 Just wasn’t sure about the amount of chicken: it says 4 lbs but should be 4 pieces of chicken breasts?
Joanna Cismaru says
Yeah, sorry about that, converting my recipe plugin and some stuff is getting messed up. Thanks for pointing that out. 🙂
Adina says
I love cooking with wine more than drinking it too. This dish looks perfect, I love the sauce on top of those mashed potatoes.
Joanna Cismaru says
Thanks Adina! 🙂