Chicken Marsala is an elegant Italian dish featuring thin, flour-dredged chicken cutlets crowned with a luxurious cream sauce of sautéed cremini mushrooms, shallots, fresh sage, and thyme. It delivers restaurant-quality results in under 30 minutes.
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Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a heavy skillet. Melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until golden.
Then, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes. The mushrooms should be slightly browned and their juices evaporated.
Stir in the garlic, sage, and thyme, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring as needed so the ingredients don't burn.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a wide, shallow bowl. Stir until well sifted. Set aside.
Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, gently pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap until they are 1/4 inch thick.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Then, dredge the chicken breasts on both sides in the flour mixture. Shake excess flour off.
As each chicken breast is coated in flour, set aside on a baking tray.
Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium high heat in a heavy skillet. You may use the same one that was used for the mushrooms.
Once the butter mixture is melted and the pan hot, add half of the chicken and cook until golden, about 2 - 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and repeat on the other side.
As the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a large oven safe platter in the preheated oven.
Repeat cooking process with the remaining chicken. Then, add those cooked pieces to the platter, arranging all of the chicken so that it is in a single layer.
Add the marsala wine to the same skillet and cook for 30 seconds over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
In a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour into the chicken broth until smooth. This helps thicken the sauce without clumps.
Pour the broth mixture into the skillet along with the cream, lemon juice, and the reserved mushrooms (plus any juices).
Stir well and cook over medium heat until the sauce starts to simmer. Then reduce the heat to low and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If desired, season the sauce, according to your taste preferences, with additional salt and pepper.
Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer it to the skillet, spooning the sauce over the top.
Serve chicken plated with sauce and mushrooms along side roasted garlic mashed potatoes (our favorite) or a top fresh pasta, such as tagliatelle.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water if needed. Chicken is best served fresh but can be warmed at 325°F for 10 minutes.
Yes. Use button mushrooms, portobello, or a mix of wild mushrooms. Keep the weight the same and slice uniformly for even cooking.
Marsala is a fortified Italian wine that adds sweetness and depth. Substitute with dry sherry, dry white wine, or brandy in equal amounts.
Pound to about 1/4-inch thick so they cook evenly and quickly—roughly 3–4 minutes per side.
Yes. Prepare the mushroom sauce up to 2 days ahead; reheat gently on the stovetop. Cook the chicken fresh just before serving.
Use medium-high heat, don't overcrowd the pan, and avoid moving the cutlets while they sear. Pat them dry before dredging in flour.
