Chicken Marsala is a dish made with pan-fried chicken breasts smothered in a marsala wine sauce with mushrooms that is delicious over a pile of egg noodles or linguini. For the same great flavors in a casserole, be sure to try my Chicken Marsala Casserole.

Chicken Marsala

The first time I ever had Chicken Marsala it was served over a bed of linguine noodles and I absolutely loved it! I’ve seen chicken marsala served over mashed potatoes as well as over a bed of rice too. If you ask me, you could put that wine sauce on just about anything and it would be amazing! I just love how the mushrooms carmelize just enough to bring out their earthy sweetness.

Chicken Marsala Recipe

This dish is made with sauteed chicken that has been coated in flour and cooked in a marsala wine reduction sauce. Of course, I couldn’t leave out the mushrooms!

Mushrooms Ingredients (full recipe below)

Button mushrooms
Shallot
Olive oil
Butter
Garlic

Chicken Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Flour
Salt
Ground black pepper
Olive oil
Unsalted butter
Chicken stock
Corn starch
Marsala wine
Parsley

What is Marsala Wine?

Marsala wine is made in Sicily and is known for its use in cooking, especially for caramelized sauces. Choose a dry marsala wine for this recipe, if possible. Dry marsala is more versatile in cooking, unlike sweet marsala, so if you can just buy one bottle, get the dry variety. In addition, the younger varieties of the wine (‘fine’ or ‘superiore’) are most commonly used for cooking. Madeira wine is the best substitute for marsala wine.

Sauteing the Mushrooms

The first thing you will want to do for this recipe is to prepare the mushrooms. I used button mushrooms and sliced them. You could also buy mushrooms that are already sliced. To saute the mushrooms, add olive oil and butter to a large skillet. Heat it up over medium until the oil and butter are sizzling.

Add the sliced mushrooms, shallot, salt, and pepper. Cook 6-8 minutes, or until the mushrooms are browned. Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set them aside for now. Wipe the skillet clean with a damp paper towel; you will be using that same skillet for the rest of this dish.

How to Prepare the Chicken

This Chicken Marsala recipe will make eight servings since you will slice each of the four chicken breasts in half. Use a sharp knife to do this and place each breast flat between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound each chicken breast with a meat mallet until it reaches an even thickness. It should be about 1/4-inch thick. If you don’t have a meat mallet, any heavy object would do like a skillet or even a wine bottle.

One Piece of Chicken Marsala on a bed of noodles

Breading and Cooking the Chicken

On a wide, flat plate, add the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge each half of the chicken breasts into the flour mixture, making sure to coat all sides. Meanwhile, in the large skillet that you used to saute the mushrooms, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter over medium heat until sizzling.

Add four of the chicken halves and saute them for about 6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reads 165°F. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place them on a plate. Tent them to keep them warm. Add the other tablespoon of both the olive oil and butter and cook the remaining four chicken breast halves until they also reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to the same tented plate.

How to Make Chicken Marsala

To finish preparing this dish, whisk to combine the corn starch and chicken stock in a medium bowl. Add the marsala wine and mix well. Pour the marsala mixture into the skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits in the pan.

Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until the sauce has thickened. This should take about five minutes. Finally, nestle the cooked chicken breasts in the sauce and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve over a bed of homemade egg noodles or linguini or on top of a pile of skins on mashed potatoes. Enjoy!