This 30-Minute EASY Chicken Marsala recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, but it’s also elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. The delicious marsala wine, bacon, butter sauce will have you licking your plate!
For a creamy chicken marsala, be sure to try my Chicken Marsala with Mascarpone Sauce too!
Table of Contents
What is Chicken Marsala?
Chicken Marsala is a traditional Italian dish that’s simple to prepare and amazingly delicious! Most likely originated from Sicily, where Marsala wine is made, this dish has a creamy sauce that’s got a hint of sweetness from the marsala, a smoky-richness from the bacon, and lots of umami-goodness from the wild mushrooms.
And all this decadence can be yours in just 30-minutes!
Ingredients needed
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – You’ll want to cut them in half horizontally, or use chicken cutlets.
- Flour – For dredging the chicken.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt + Pepper
- Bacon – I like to use thick cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Mushrooms – You can use any kind of mushrooms you prefer. Button, cremini, chanterelle, oyster and shitake are great options
- Marsala Wine – Dry is preferred, but sweet will also work.
- Bone Broth – Or chicken broth.
- Butter
- Fresh Parsley
How to make it
Make cutlets
Use chicken cutlets, or create thin cutlets by cutting a chicken breast in half, horizontally, and then pounding each half thin using a meat mallet. Don’t be intimidated here. Just place your chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten the breasts out to about 1/4 inch-thickness.
Dredge in flour
Then comes the flour dredging. This is what helps get those chicken cutlets nice and golden and a bit crispy on the outside. To “dredge,” pour the flour into a shallow dish and dip each chicken breast into the flour, shaking off any excess flour and gently coating each of them in the dredging mixture.
Pan fry
Fry those chicken cutlets up in a large skillet until they’re golden brown and then tent them under some foil to keep them warm while you prepare the marsala sauce.
It all starts with the bacon. I let it sizzle away in the same skillet that we used for the chicken, just for a couple minutes until it releases some of its fat, then I throw in the mushrooms and let them get nice a golden brown.
Be sure not to salt the mushrooms until the end, otherwise, they won’t turn that beautiful golden brown color.
Add flavor
Then we add in the marsala, a bit of bone broth or chicken stock, and a couple pats of butter for good measure. Swirl it all around and then add the chicken back to the pan, spooning the sauce over the top.
Tip: For a creamy chicken marsala, feel free to swirl in a bit of heavy cream at the end.
Recipe FAQs
Any of your favorite mushrooms will work in this recipe. I tend to use standard cremini or button mushrooms, but portobellos, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, and shitakes are all great options!
Dry marsala is preferred in this recipe, but sweet will also work if that is all you have on hand. I’ve used both with great success.
If you don’t have any have any marsala wine on hand, you can also use dry madeira wine, sherry or red vermouth in a pinch.
What to serve with Chicken Marsala
- Mashed Potatoes or Rice – to soak up all that yummy sauce!
- Pasta
- More → 25+ best side dishes for Chicken Marsala
Which wine goes with Chicken Marsala?
- Pinot Noir. It’s hint of earthiness was amazing with the wild mushrooms, but it’s backbone of dark fruits paired so well with that lightly sweet marsala wine sauce, and with a bright acidity, it was able to stand up nicely to the rich, bacon-flecked sauce.
- Click here for MORE wine pairings for chicken marsala.
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Full Recipe
Easy Chicken Marsala
Equipment
- Shallow Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in half horizontally)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 slices thick cut bacon (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 8 ounces mushrooms (stems trimmed and halved (about 2 cups) (button, cremini, chanterelle, oyster and shitake are great options))
- 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine (sweet will also work)
- 1/2 cup bone broth (or chicken stock)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken in it. Shake off the excess.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Place 2 pieces of chicken in the pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and keep warm under a tent of foil. Warm the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in the pan and repeat to brown the remaining chicken. Place that chicken under your foil tent as well.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the bacon to the skillet, saute for a couple minutes to render out some of the fat, then add the mushrooms to the pan. Saute until brown and liquid has evaporated, 4-5 minutes.
- Add Marsala to the pan and boil for about 30 seconds, then add the chicken stock and let it reduce slightly, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan to warm through. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve.
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