Chicken Marsala is an exceptional dish of tender chicken pieces coated in a luxuriously creamy Marsala sauce. An abundance of earthy mushrooms are found in this recipe for a more rich and deeply flavoured sauce. A beautiful dish for the holiday season, or to treat the family on a weeknight. test
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time50 minutesmins
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1/2cupall-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2tablespoonsolive oil
2tablespoonsunsalted butter,divided
10 - 12ouncescemini, or white mushroomsstemmed and thinly sliced
a few sprigs fresh thyme,optional
2small shallots, minced
2cloves garlic,minced
1 1/4cupdry Marsala wine
1cupchicken broth
1/3cupheavy cream
2tablespoonschopped fresh Italian parsley,for serving (optional)
Instructions
Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour to a shallow bowl. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the chicken breast in half, lengthwise. Working with 1 piece at a time, place inside a plastic bag and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin to about an even 1/4-inch thickness. Alternatively, cover with plastic wrap to pound. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Dredge each chicken piece in the flour mixture, shaking off excess, and transfer to prepared plate or baking sheet.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. A cast iron pan works great. Once oil is shimmering, add 1 tablespoon butter. Place the flour coated chicken in the hot skillet and fry until golden-brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. If your skillet is not large enough, do this in two batches. Transfer the browned chicken to a large plate.
Keep the heat on medium-high. Stir in another another tablespoon butter and add the mushrooms with fresh thyme spigs, if using. Give them a quick stir, then do not disturb for 2-3 minutes. Stir again, and cook until all their juices release, and they have browned well, about 2-3 more minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and push the mushrooms to the side of the pan and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots slightly soften and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the shallots and garlic with the mushrooms; cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour in the Marsala and cook for about 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned pieces. Add the broth and simmer another 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in the cream and simmer gently until the sauce has darkened and slightly thickened, about 4 to 6 minutes longer. Taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed.
Return the chicken to the pan. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and well-coated in sauce, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediatley.
Notes
A Few Tips:
Be sure to pound the chicken. Beating the chicken will make it thinner so it cooks faster. More importantly, it will tenderize the meat which is essential for the best chicken Marsala.
Be patient when cooking the mushrooms. Mushrooms have a lot of liquid which needs to cook off before they can brown and caramelize. This browning and caramelization will add depth and richness to the final dish.
Avoid using a Marsala “cooking wine”. It has added preservatives and will not make your sauce taste good.
Brown the chicken well in medium-high heat. A flour-coated chicken needs to be pan-seared using high heat or the chicken will not brown nicely and the flour coating will will turn gummy.
Don’t omit the cream. Like most, I try and avoid cream whenever possible. Here, it is essential to the dish and should not be omitted or replaced.
Store leftovers in a tight-lid container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.