Homemade Chicken Marsala with Cream is my latest addition to a long list of skillet dinners, recipes I've made for years and rely on because they're affordable and straightforward. Like our others, it starts with dredging the chicken in flour to create a beautiful golden crust while keeping it juicy. The creamy sauce comes together in the same pan and cooks down until it is thick enough to coat every bite.
This One Pan Dinner Recipe feels elevated enough for dinner guests, but easy enough for a weeknight. And if you live in a hot climate like us, it's excellent for an electric skillet.
We've never been big on mushrooms in my family, but my grandpa introduced me to chicken Marsala when I was a young adult (it's one of his personal favorites). I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it! It's rich, creamy, and savory, but still has this gentle, one of a kind flavor that you have to taste to understand.
Now, we ARE big on skillet chicken recipes. We've published over 9 of those (like this Creamy Lemon Chicken or this Brown Butter Sage Chicken) that share all of our techniques to get juicy, tender meat and flavorful sauces.
It was a breeze to take those same techniques and apply them to a really delicious Marsala recipe as well!
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Why this version is my favorite
I have made this dish several different ways so you don't have too. 😉 Here are the highlights of the method I use and why they work!
- Use thin pieces of chicken: Similar to how we make our Chicken Romano, using thin pieces means that it cooks faster and the meat is more tender.
- Use both butter and olive oil: After making this this with just oil, just butter, and both, the combo of both is my favorite! Butter adds rich flavor and the oil contributes to the beautiful brown coloring and prevents the butter from burning.
- Let the sauce simmer down: I've tried to shortcut this process, but there really isn't anything that compares to a (slightly) longer simmer for a creamy sauce like this. The final result is glossy and slightly thickened, the perfect consistency to stay on the chicken instead of dripping off.
Ingredients for chicken Marsala with cream
Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below, but here are a few tips to help you make this recipe successfully.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: You will cut them in half horizontally, and if they are still thicker than ¼ inch you can use a meat tenderizer to thin them out further. Make sure they are an even thickness.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Table salt will taste saltier, be sure to use kosher salt.
- All-purpose flour: Adding a very thin coating helps with browning and gives something for the sauce to cling to. I can't recommend a gluten-free alternative that I have used successfully.
- Olive oil: You can opt to use all butter instead, but it is likely to burn.
- Butter: You can use all olive oil instead, but it won't have the same flavor.
- Fresh mushrooms: You want brown mushrooms for this recipe, commonly called baby bellas or cremini mushrooms in the grocery store. I prefer to buy them already sliced to make dinner faster.
- Shallot: This is easy to find in most of my local grocery stores. Some sources online say that red onion is a good substitute, but I truly think shallot adds a one-of-a-kind flavor.
- Garlic: You can buy it minced or use a garlic press if you have fresh cloves.
- Dried rosemary: I love the Burlap and Barrel rosemary when my budget allows, but any brand will do.
- Dry Marsala wine: There are different kinds of Marsala wine. Make sure your bottle says "dry" on it, not "sweet."
- Chicken broth: You can also opt to use Better Than Bouillon.
- Heavy cream: It may also be called heavy whipping cream in your store. Half n half doesn't have enough fat content to create the creamy texture of this sauce, so this is a key ingredients that should not be substituted or left out.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make chicken Marsala
My favorite pan for this recipe is a large electric skillet because then you don't have to cook in two rounds. But I have made it successfully in a 12 inch large skillet on the stove as well.
Start by sprinkling the chicken breasts with salt and set them aside for a few minutes. While that sits, you can prep everything else you'll need.
First, combine the flour and pepper on a large plate or shallow dish. Then chop the shallot and mushrooms. Lastly, combine the wine, broth, and heavy cream in a liquid measuring cup.
Heat your electric skillet to medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoon of butter. While it is heating, dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture very lightly and shake off the excess.
Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and mostly cooked through. Remove and set aside.
*Note, if you're using a 12 inch skillet on the stove, do this in rounds with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter and three breasts at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan).
In the now empty skillet, add the last tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. You want the liquid to evaporate and the mushrooms to turn golden brown.
Add the shallot, garlic, and rosemary and cook for another 1 minute, stirring often. Then add the marsala, chicken broth, and cream.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat until it is simmering rapidly. Simmer the sauce until it is slightly thickened and has gotten a little darker in color, about 10 minutes (don't give up on it... it thickens the most near the end).
Return the chicken to the skillet and continue simmering the sauce for another 1-2 minutes, until everything is warm and the sauce is thickened a little further. Turn the chicken around a few times to coat in the sauce, then serve warm.
Shortcuts
Every few minutes saved gets dinner on the table faster. Here are a few things you can do to make this recipe more weeknight-friendly.
- Buy the mushrooms already sliced.
- Get chicken cutlets from your butcher, or breasts that are already pounded thin. This is the most time saving.
- Use a vegetable chopper to make quick work of the shallot.
- Buy the garlic pre-minced.
- Use a carton of broth. I often use water and bouillon, but grabbing a carton is just faster.
What to serve with chicken Marsala
This meal is true Italian-American comfort food, so you can serve this with sides from either cuisine! Here are some of my go-to options.
- Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
- Everyday Green Salad
- Green Beans Almondine
- Easy Pull Apart Bread
- Pasta (the sauce can be spooned over the top of fettuccine, penne, or your favorite pasta)
- Garlic Bread
- Italian Chopped Salad
Substitutions
- Meat: Chicken tenderloins are a good option that will fit in a skillet on the stove easier than breasts and require no trimming.
- Herbs: Thyme is a great option if you don't have rosemary.
- Mushrooms: You can use portobello mushrooms, which are a larger version of bellas, but you'll have to chop them smaller.
FAQs
There are three ways to get a beautiful golden brown color. The first is to use both olive oil and butter, which encourages browning. The second is to maintain the heat at medium-high. And the third is to leave the meat undisturbed while it's cooking. If you move it around, it won't have a chance to brown.
This dish is really best served fresh. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge in an airtight container with all the sauce poured on top. I suggest cutting it into smaller pieces before reheating, because it will allow you to microwave it for less time, which prevents it from drying out or getting tough.
Tips & tricks
- For the best texture and quicker cooking, use thin chicken breasts.
- Don't touch the chicken while it's cooking. The longer it sits undisturbed, the more golden brown color it will develop.
- Cook the sauce low and slow. If the heat gets too high, it may split instead of reducing into that thickened, glossy sauce you're going for.
More recipes
Looking for other recipes? Try these:
This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Simple Chicken Marsala Recipe
Equipment
- electric skillet (or 12 inch skillet)
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half horizontally and about ¼ inch thick (pound them if needed and ensure an even thickness)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon butter divided
- 8 oz bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium shallot finely diced (about ¼ cup)
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¾ cup dry Marsala wine (not sweet)
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and set aside. While that sits, prep everything else: Combine the flour and pepper on a large plate or shallow dish; chop the shallot and mushrooms; combine the wine, broth, and heavy cream in a liquid measuring cup.3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Heat your electric skillet to medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoon of butter. While it is heating, dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture very lightly and shake off the excess.*Note, you can also make this in a 12 inch skillet on the stove. In this case, cook the chicken in two rounds with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter and three breasts at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan.2 tablespoon olive oil, 2.01 tablespoon butter
- Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and mostly cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- In the now empty skillet, add the last tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. You want the liquid to evaporate and the mushrooms to turn golden brown.0.99 tablespoon butter, 8 oz bella mushrooms
- Add the shallot, garlic, and rosemary and cook for another 1 minute, stirring often. Then add the marsala, chicken broth, and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat until it is simmering rapidly. Simmer the sauce until it is slightly thickened and has gotten a little darker in color, about 10 minutes (don't give up on it... it thickens the most near the end).1 medium shallot, 2 teaspoon garlic, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ¾ cup dry Marsala wine, ¾ cup chicken broth, ¾ cup heavy cream
- Return the chicken to the skillet and continue simmering the sauce for another 1-2 minutes, until everything is warm and the sauce is thickened a little further. Turn the chicken around a few times to coat in the sauce, then serve warm.
Notes
- For the best texture and quicker cooking, use thin chicken breasts.
- Don't touch the chicken while it's cooking. The longer it sits undisturbed, the more golden brown color it will develop.
- Cook the sauce low and slow. If the heat gets too high, it may split instead of reducing into that thickened, glossy sauce you're going for.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
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