Chicken Marsala is one of my all-time-favorite Italian recipes. The savory wine sauce, all the mushrooms you can handle, and tender, delicious chicken all come together on a bed of pasta. You don’t have to go out and spend a bunch of money at a fancy restaurant to make this dish!
Homemade Chicken Marsala recipe
This recipe was taught to me by my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law shortly after we moved to Washington way back in 2006. It quickly because one of my favorites, and even though it takes a bit of time and elbow grease to do for a crowd, it is a regular on our home menu for special occasions.
There isn’t anything particular complex about my chicken marsala, but it does take a little time and effort, especially if you cook for an army like I do. Don’t let that scare you off though. The end result is worth the effort!
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Chicken Marsala shopping list
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken Breasts
- Mushrooms
- Green Onions
- Flour
- Marjoram
- Thyme
- Salt
- White Pepper
- Butter
- Vegetable Oil
- Marsala
- Chicken Broth
- Mizithra Cheese
- Pasta
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How to make homemade Chicken Marsala
This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
1
Pound the chicken
Take your chicken breasts, put them into a large ziplock baggie or between two pieces of plastic wrap, and use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound the chicken to about 1/4″ thickness.
2
Brown the mushrooms
Start out by melting the butter and tossing in some oil into a large pan. Put in the sliced mushrooms and green onions, and cook until the water from the mushrooms is released and cooked off, and the mushrooms are beginning to brown.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
3
Coat and brown the chicken
Dip the pounded chicken into the flour mixture. Brown the chicken on both sides. It doesn’t have to cook all the way through at this point. Be careful that the heat isn’t too high. You don’t want the little brown bits to burn!
4
Add the wine and stock
Add the wine and the chicken stock to the pan and stir all the brown bits up to make sure they are well-combined. Add the mushrooms and chicken back into the pan and cover.
Note: The sauce will be thin when you first add everything back into the pan. Once it simmers about 20 minutes it’ll thicken up from some of the flour coating that it steals off the chicken.
5
Brown the butter
Put the butter into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let it cook until it is browned. Don’t burn it!
If for whatever reason your sauce does not thicken up, don’t be afraid to use a little cornstarch slurry (cornstarch + cold water, mixed well and pourable consistency) to get it where it needs to be.
Check out my Browned Butter and Mizithra Pasta Recipe!
Featured Reader Reviews
I have been making this dish for at least 5 years now and my family loves it! We love Spaghetti Factory’s Chicken Marsala and this tastes so much like that! Since the pandemic we have not been able to go out as much so it’s so this recipe has been cooked so many times at our home whenever we need a taste of a restaurant meal. Thank you so much for sharing this!
–Norabelle
Try our Crispy Smoked Chicken Thighs too!
Want more recipes from my amazing family? Check these out!
Chicken Marsala
Treat someone you love with this incredible homemade chicken marsala recipe! Easy to prepare, and SO delicious to eat.
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-1/2 inch and cut into cutlets
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 bunches green onions, chopped
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 1/2 sticks butter, divided
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 cup dry Marsala wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- pinch of salt - to taste
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano or mizithra cheese
- 1 pound pasta
Instructions
- Pound your chicken breasts to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness between some plastic wrap or inside of a large ziplock baggie.
- Melt 1/2 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Add mushrooms and green onions. Brown the mushrooms. Add in the green onions during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Put everything in a small bowl and set aside.
- Add another 1/2 stick of butter to the pan. Add a little more more oil (if necessary). The oil helps keep the butter from burning. Also, start your large pot of boiling water for the pasta at this point.
- Combine flour, marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Lightly coat chicken breasts in flour and place in a single layer in frying pan over medium heat. Brown on both sides. Remove and repeat with remaining breast cutlets. Remove all when done, leaving behind the butter and brown bits in the pan. It is okay if there is a bit of pink in the middle. They will cook more in the sauce at the end.
- Add Marsala and let simmer for approximately 1 minute. Add chicken broth. Stir to combine and add in mushroom/onion mixture and chicken breasts. Stir a bit and then let simmer, covered, over medium-low heat. Cook until sauce is thickened, approximately 20 minutes.
- Brown the butter in a small pot by melting 1/2 stick of butter over medium heat. Don't touch it, but watch it carefully. It will start to bubble, foam, and under that foam it will start to brown. Brown well, removing from heat just before you think it'll burn.
- When pasta is done, drain well and toss with browned butter and grated parmigiano reggiano or mizithra cheese.
- Serve the chicken with some sauce poured over and a healthy heap of your brown butter pasta.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 665Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 1064mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 32g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate. If you are tracking these things for medical purposes please consult an outside, trusted source. Thanks!
Norabelle
Monday 17th of January 2022
I have been making this dish for at least 5 years now and my family loves it! We love Spaghetti Factory’s Chicken Marsala and this tastes so much like that! Since the pandemic we have not been able to go out as much so it’s so this recipe has been cooked so many times at our home whenever we need a taste of a restaurant meal. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Nicole Johnson
Monday 17th of January 2022
Aweeee!! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to let me know. Comments like this really make my day! <3
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