Chicken Marsala is a quick Italian-American classic featuring thin-pounded chicken breasts seared until golden, then finished in a silky Marsala wine and butter sauce with sautéed mushrooms. The key is slicing the breasts thin and cooking them fast over high heat.
Check what you already have. We'll leave it off your shopping list.
CookOS may earn a commission from Instacart orders.
Prices vary by store
*Service fees apply. Instacart® and the Instacart logo are registered trademarks of Maplebear Inc. d/b/a Instacart.
Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large 12 to 14 inch sauté pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until they give off their liquid and the pan is dry. Salt and pepper them to taste and transfer to a bowl.
On a plastic cutting board remove any visible fat from the chicken breasts and use a meat pounder to thin them to even thickness of 1/8 inch or ask your butcher to do this for you.
Place 1/2 cup of flour in a large paper bag, add salt and pepper to taste.
Dredge each cutlet in the flour mixture, coating them well and shaking off the excess. Place them on a baking sheet.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter in the same sauté pan used to cook the mushrooms. Over medium high heat, brown the cutlets in batches on both sides.
Transfer them as they brown to a dish.
If the pan seems dry add a little more butter. Raise the heat to high and pour in the Marsala wine. Stir, scrapping up any bits in the pan and reduce the wine to 1/2 its volume. Stir in the lemon juice. Return the chicken and any collected juices to the pan along with the mushrooms.
Heat until hot, add the parsley and serve immediately.
Store leftover chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or wine to restore sauce consistency.
Slice them 1/8 inch thick — this ensures they cook through in 1-2 minutes without drying out. Slicing while partially frozen makes this easier.
Yes. Dry sherry, dry vermouth, or dry white wine works as a substitute, though Marsala's slight sweetness is part of the classic flavor.
It creates a light golden crust on the chicken and helps thicken the sauce. Use a paper bag to coat the chicken evenly with minimal mess.
Sear the chicken and set aside, then make the mushroom and wine sauce separately. Reheat gently together just before serving to prevent overcooking the meat.
Since the slices are thin (1/8 inch), they cook in 1-2 minutes per side. The meat should be opaque throughout with no pink inside.
