Chicken Marsala

This Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American classic. A quick and easy recipe of pan-fried chicken cutlets in a mushroom and Marsala wine sauce. Packed full of delicious flavors, my version includes shiitake mushrooms, smoky prosciutto, golden pan-fried chicken in a creamy Marsala wine sauce.

Chicken Marsala

You’ve probably ordered chicken Marsala at a restaurant, once or twice before. But did you know it’s incredibly easy to make at home and it’s ready in just 30 minutes. That’s a lot faster than driving out to a restaurants and ordering it. Not only is this dish super satisfying, but it’s packed full of earthy mushrooms, perfectly crisp chicken, and some cured prosciutto, it all comes complete in a creamy Marsala sauce.

This Americanized Italian recipe is so good, it’s addictive. The best thing about this dish is how quick it is to put together and how well it pairs with just about anything! I love to throw this over some perfectly al dente pasta, mashed potatoes, or some rice.

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken – Today we’re using chicken breasts, boneless and skinless. You can either pound them thin, or simply cut them in half horizontally. This will work if the breasts you’re working with are quite larger, if they’re on the smaller size, it’s better to pound them with a meat mallet.
• Flour – All purpose flour to dredge our chicken in and to thicken our sauce.
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
• Oregano – We’re using just dried oregano today and this is actually to season our flour.
• Olive oil and butter – We’re going to brown the butter. The olive oil will increase the smoke point and prevent the butter from burning.
• Mushrooms – Shiitake mushrooms for their earthy and meaty flavor, however you can use regular white or cremini mushrooms.
• Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
• Prosciutto – Prosciutto is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked. If you don’t have prosciutto you could use bacon as well or just skip it completely.
• Wine – Marsala wine or another dry red wine, but to be traditional stick with a dry Marsala.
• Broth – Chicken broth, low sodium to control the salt content of our dish.
• Heavy Cream – You can skip this ingredient, if you’re not looking for a creamy sauce. I’ve made this both ways, and both versions are delicious.
• Parsley – Fresh and chopped up fine to be sprinkled over top as garnish.

How To Make Chicken Marsala

1. Prepare the chicken: If you’re using 2 large chicken breasts, cut them in half lengthwise, no need to pound them thinner. If using smaller breasts, place the chicken breasts in between plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet so that they’re about 1/2 inch in thickness. Make sure not to break the meat.
2. Dredge the chicken: Add the cup of flour to a shallow plate, add salt, pepper, oregano and mix well. Dredge each piece of chicken breast through flour and set aside.
3. Cook the chicken: In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp of olive oil with 1 tbsp butter. Add the chicken to the skillet, and cook until they starts to brown, about 3 minutes per side. It’s ok if it’s not cooked through completely.
4. Form the base of the sauce: In the same skillet add the other tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and prosciutto and cook for about a minute. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes or until they start to brown slightly.
5. Finish the sauce: Sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour over the mushrooms and stir. Add the wine, chicken broth to the skillet and stir and make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir in the heavy cream, if using. Taste the sauce and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Let the sauce simmer for about 3 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken a little.
6. Complete the dish: Add the cooked chicken back to skillet and cook for another 5 minutes until sauce reduces and thickens a bit more. Garnish with parsley and serve.

FAQ’s and Expert Tips

FAQ’s

Tips

1. While the recipe mentions the use of Marsala wine to obtain the delicious sweet taste for your chicken, there are quite a few substitutes you can use for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic dietary needs. The alcoholic drinks you can sub your Marsala wine with are: Madeira, fortified wine, dry Sherry, Port or Pinot Noir, while the non-alcoholic drinks you ca use instead of Marsala are: white grape juice, figs-rosemary-sage puree, red grape juice/cranberry juice, or prunes/figs/plums with balsamic vinegar. Just keep in mind if you don’t use dry Marsala wine, this dish won’t be Chicken Marsala.
2. After adding the Marsala wine, make sure you allow it enough time to cook off the strong alcohol flavor, so that it doesn’t overpower the dish.
3. Keep the chicken warm while making the sauce by covering it with foil, or if your oven has a warming drawer, use that.
4. Always opt for a low sodium chicken broth, this way you can control how salty your dish is.

Leftovers

Fridge

If you end up having any leftovers, you can store your chicken in an airtight container once it cooled down to room temperature and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer

If you decide to freeze the meat, make sure it is cooled down completely before you store it in a freezer friendly zipper bag or airtight container. It keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Delicious Recipes To Try

• Cheese and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Penne with Prosciutto, Tomatoes and Zucchini
• Chicken With Creamy Mushroom Sauce
• Macaroni Salad with Prosciutto
• Honey Garlic Chicken