Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms Recipe
Chicken Marsala is a dish popular in American Italian-American restaurants, combining Italian roots with an American love of rich sauces. Thin chicken cutlets are simmered in sweet Marsala wine with mushrooms, creating a fragrant brown sauce. It’s an elegant yet simple main course for a weekend candlelit dinner.
This Chicken Marsala delivers restaurant-style depth of flavour with simple, accessible ingredients. The combination of sweet Marsala, browned mushrooms and tender chicken creates a rich, glossy sauce that feels special enough for guests but is easy enough for a weeknight.
Chef's tips
Brown the chicken and mushrooms well – the caramelised bits on the bottom of the pan are key to a flavourful sauce. Use a good-quality Marsala wine, ideally not overly sweet, and don’t skip reducing it slightly to concentrate the flavour.
How to serve
Serve the chicken and mushrooms over a bed of buttery mashed potatoes, fresh tagliatelle or polenta to soak up the sauce. Add a simple green side, such as steamed green beans or a crisp salad with lemon dressing.
Ingredients
- chicken breast - 600 g
- wheat flour - 40 g
- button mushrooms - 300 g
- Marsala wine - 200 ml
- chicken stock - 150 ml
- butter - 40 g
- olive oil - 20 ml
- garlic - 2 cloves
- thyme - 4 sprigs
- parsley flat-leaf, chopped - 10 g
- salt
- pepper
Preparation
- Slice the chicken breast crosswise into thinner cutlets. Gently pound each piece between cling film or in a bag until it is an even thickness of about 1 cm. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Put the flour on a plate and dredge the cutlets in it, shaking off any excess.
- Clean the mushrooms and slice them. Finely chop the garlic. Chop the parsley.
- In a large frying pan, heat half of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Arrange some of the chicken in a single layer and fry for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.
- In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining butter and the mushrooms. Fry for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, then start to brown and reduce in volume.
- Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
- Pour in the Marsala wine, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon – these add lots of flavour. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the liquid reduces slightly.
- Add the stock and the thyme sprigs. Return the fried chicken cutlets to the pan along with any juices from the plate. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the chicken is tender.
- Remove the thyme sprigs, taste the sauce and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Sprinkle the dish with chopped parsley and serve immediately, ideally with pasta or mashed potatoes.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan over low heat or in the microwave, adding a splash of stock or water if the sauce has thickened too much.
Chicken Marsala is one of those dishes that always feels like a treat but doesn’t require complicated techniques. I love how the sauce comes together in one pan, making both cooking and cleanup pleasantly simple.
