The Best Recipe for Chicken Marsala

Ingredients for Chicken Marsala

This recipe has two parts to it: the marsala mushroom sauce and the golden brown tender chicken breasts. You can can a full list of ingredients with their measurements in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview of the key ingredients.

• Butter — Sautéing the mushrooms and shallots in butter rather than olive oil amps up the richness and makes for a creamier sauce.
• Veggies and Aromatics — The marsala cream sauce is packed with flavor and texture from the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic. I don’t suggest using onion or garlic powder here; you really need those fresh aromatics to build all that flavor.
• Fresh Herbs — Fresh sage and thyme add so much herby earthiness to the sauce without making it taste heavy. In a pinch, you could sub in 1/3 the amount of dried herbs.
• Marsala Wine — The star ingredient of this dish! Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily that can run sweet or dry. I suggest using a drier marsala wine and not a sweet one.
• Chicken Stock — Stock tastes much richer than broth, and homemade is of course the gold standard if you have some on hand.
• Heavy Cream — To make the chicken marsala extra creamy, I like to add a healthy splash of cream for richness and flavor.
• Lemon Juice — Adding lemon juice to the marsala wine sauce doesn’t make it taste at all lemony, it just brightens the flavor and prevents the dish from tasting super heavy.
• Chicken Breasts — Boneless skinless chicken breasts are my preferred cut for this recipe.

Katie’s Tips for Making This Recipe

• Use Good Quality Marsala Wine — The marsala mushrooms are the star in this recipe, so don’t skimp on the marsala wine; it’s the key ingredient! For best results, purchase a dry marsala not sweet marsala wine. Sweet marsala would not taste right in this recipe.
• Pound the Chicken Breasts Thin —In this recipe, you want the chicken to be thin and tender. Using a meat mallet to pound chicken achieves both of these goals; it tenderizes the meat and flattens it into thinner pieces. Thick, large chicken breasts should be cut in half thickness-wise and then pounded because it can be hard to pound them thin enough without tearing the meat.
• Cook the Chicken Properly — Overcooked chicken can result in dry meat. Likewise, undercooked chicken taste good either. Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of the chicken breasts. Chicken is cooked through at 165 degrees F.
• Cook the Marsala Sauce in the Same Pan As the Chicken — This makes for a more flavorful, nuanced tasting chicken marsala.

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala

Saucy chicken marsala is perfect served over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes. It feels so rich and comforting, yet sophisticated at the same time. And it’s perfect for a winter evening!

Other great sides to serve include:

• Buttered egg noodles
• Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Broccoli or Lemon Roasted Broccolini
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Fluffy Potato Rolls
• Crispy Prosciutto Salad

Katie’s Tip: Not sure which wine to pair with your chicken marsala? I prefer a lighter red wine with this meal — something like a Pinot Noir tastes great. For those that prefer medium-bodied red wines, Malbec is another good wine pairing. And if you favor white wines, you’ll want to look for a full-bodied white wine such as a Chardonnay.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

To store: Store leftover chicken marsala in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Make sure to transfer any leftover mushrooms in marsala sauce to the container, too!

To freeze: I like to freeze leftovers in individual serving portions so I can have them for lunch during the work week. Let the chicken marsala cool to room temperature, then transfer to a freezer safe airtight container. Use within 2-3 months.

To reheat: Reheat leftover chicken at partial power in the microwave, 30-60 seconds at a time, or stovetop in a lidded skillet. If you have frozen the leftovers, thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.