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Creamy Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian dish that is ready in under 30 minutes! Marsala wine is made into a creamy sauce paired with mushrooms for the ultimate savory bite. It’s simple and easy to whip up and sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
I am such a fan of mushrooms with just about everything. They are the perfect companion to pasta, soup, sauces, and pretty much everything else. If you love mushrooms too, then you will love this Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken, this delicious Skillet Creamy Chicken Mushroom Florentine, and this simple but oh-so flavorful Creamy Garlic Parmesan Mushroom Chicken.
Marsala Chicken
Do you ever make something and think, DANG! I just made that?! This Creamy Chicken Marsala became an instant favorite with the very first bite. The creamy sauce is made with sweet marsala wine and wow, the flavor is incredible. (Don’t worry because alcohol does burn off during the cooking process and is safe for the kids to eat). All you have to add to it is some heavy cream, garlic, mustard, and voila!
Everything about this meal is SO GOOD. It’s perfect served with roasted root vegetables and a simple Caesar salad. You could also serve it over pasta al limone or your favorite noodles for a filling chicken pasta. My family always requests mashed potatoes, so I know for a fact it’s great with those too! This marsala sauce is perfect over rice too. However you decide to serve it, you are going to love this quick and easy chicken dish!
Ingredients
The key ingredient in this creamy chicken marsala is of course, the Marsala wine! You can find Marsala wine fairly easily and it’s perfect to have in your pantry for more recipes, like this creamy garlic pork marsala. You can find the measurements below in the recipe card.
- Chicken Breast: I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe. You could also use chicken thighs or chicken cutlets instead.
- Salt and Black Pepper: To season the chicken.
- Olive Oil: I prefer to cook with olive oil, but you can use your favorite cooking oil. You could use butter instead.
- Mushrooms: Thinly sliced as evenly as possible so they all cook at the same rate.
- Marsala Wine: The key ingredient! It adds all the body and flavor to the sauce.
- Chicken Broth: To help make the sauce.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is what makes this sauce so thick and creamy!
- Ground Mustard: I prefer to use ground mustard, but you could also use a liquid mustard. Or you could leave it out altogether if your family doesn’t like mustard flavor.
- Garlic Powder: To add to the depth of the sauce.
- Parsley: Fresh, for garnish. You could also add fresh thyme as well.
Creamy Chicken Marsala Recipe
This creamy chicken marsala recipe is pretty much as easy as it gets! Don’t be intimidated by cooking with wine, I kept this recipe so simple that anyone could do it. If you prefer to cook without wine, I share my substitutions below in the tip box.
- Cook Chicken: In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown and cooked throughout. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Make Sauce: Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes. Add marsala wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. This allows the alcohol to burn out. Add the chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, ground mustard, and garlic powder.
- Thicken Sauce and Serve: Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Place the cooked chicken back in the sauce and continue to simmer for about 1-2 minutes.
Tips for Making Creamy Chicken Marsala
This creamy chicken marsala recipe is super easy, but I always like to include a few personal tips that I’ve learned over the years from cooking a lot. Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this recipe.
- Cutting the Breast in Half: I like to slice my chicken breasts in half or buy them thinly sliced so that they cook quickly and easily. Place one chicken breast half on a cutting board, flat/smooth side down. Put the palm of your non-cutting hand on the top of the breast, and, using a very sharp knife, slowly cut horizontally through the breast, starting with cutting into the long, thick side.
- Choosing a Marsala Wine: Marsala is an Italian fortified wine with smoky, deep flavor. When making savory dishes like chicken or veal Marsala, dry Marsala is the classic choice; when making desserts, sweet Marsalis generally used. Marsala wine is a fortified wine from Sicily with a deep flavor and is used in this sauce to create a caramelized rich flavor. When making savory dishes like Chicken Marsala, dry Marsala is the best option.
- Wine Alternative: If you are not interested in using dry marsala wine in this recipe, or don’t want to buy a bottle just for this, I’ve got you covered! Here are some substitutions you could use instead: 1/4 cup of white grape juice, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, or 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar.
Storing Leftovers
I love having creamy chicken marsala in the fridge as leftovers because the sauce gets more flavorful over time. It’s seriously so good the next day, and makes a perfect lunch. Here is how to store leftovers.
- In the Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Creamy Chicken Recipes
I think chicken is absolutely perfect paired with a creamy sauce! I’ve got so many recipes on my blog, I just had to share a few of my favorites with you. You are going to want to try them all!
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Creamy Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced or cut in half
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine or substitute
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- fresh parsley for garnish, chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly brown and cooked throughout. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes. Add marsala wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. This allows the alcohol to burn out. Add the chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, ground mustard, and garlic powder.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Place the cooked chicken back in the sauce and continue to simmer for about 1-2 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello,I made this today.I doubled the chicken broth and heavry cream and added extra garlic powder and musitard.Served over rice and had Rosemary Olive Oil Bread.It was Awesome!!!
This is a very good recipe and is absolutely dinner party worthy. The only changes I’ve made when cooking this is to add some very thinly sliced shallots or even super thin sweet onions (about 3 tablespoons with the mushrooms) and have doubled the mushrooms. Adding a few rehydrated shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, also adds more of that umami flavor that enhances everything else.
If you can’t find Marsala, a good sherry (I use a semi dry one) can be substituted as the flavors are very similar. Do not do what a friend I shared this with did. She used port wine and it turned everything sort of gray. Tasty, but not to the eye.
I love the recipes, I’ve added shrimp with the chicken and the Marsala came out perfect. Must have the mushrooms, it makes the meal. Also try a few pimentos. A little sip in the Marsala , not Chicken ala King !!!
Specifically, what Marsala do you use? I tried another recipe a while back and the guy at Specs Liquor Store sold me what he thought was the right one. It wasn’t. It ruined the dish. My husband loves Chicken Marsala. I would love to get it right. Thanks.
I’m thinking of making this for a holiday gathering with about 12 ladies. I was wondering if you are able to make this the day before since I will be working that day.
Yes, that should be okay.
Can I use dry marsala wine in this recipe? Will it still turn out good??
I have not tried it will dry marsala. Let me know how it turns out and what you loved about it! XOXO
I made this today with sherry cooking wine. I made a larger portion of chicken so I added extra garlic powder/seasonings to taste and liquids (chicken broth, wine, cream). It was awesome! I would suggest to lightly coat the chicken with flour to thicken the sauce a little more. – thank you
Could I use half and half instead of heavy cream in the dreamy chicken marseille?
Yes, that will work great! Thanks for following along with me! XOXO
What is a good marsala wine brand to use? Thank you.
This was a wonderful recipe. I love chicken marsala and I’m so glad I have a good recipe to make at home! I did sub canned coconut milk for the heavy cream (lactose intolerant). I also added the cornstarch as suggested in a comment. The Family really enjoyed it!
That is awesome! I am so glad that you all enjoyed it! XOXO
Hi Alyssa – this recipe looks great, I plan on making it tonight for dinner. Should I *not* toss the chicken in flour? other chicken marsala recipes I’ve made in the past involved that. Thanks.
Hi. Can I use dry? I asked the sales clerk from a liquour store to give me marsala wine and she gave me “sperone marsala dessert wine”
There’s another one in the store same brand sperone and sweet but it says it jas a toffee caramel vanilla aroma so I am not sure if this is the one
I served mine over fresh angel hair pasta. I found that I was a little short on sauce. How can I increase some of the liquid ingredients to have more sauce without changimg the taste which by the way was fabulous.
That is PERFECT!! I always love angel hair pasta. You can try doubling the recipe other than the chicken and see if that helps with adding more sauce to the pan. Hope that helps!! XOXO
just tried this recipe simply delicious and super easy to make .
I am so happy it was so good! I love this Chicken Marsala! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
This is fabulous! I added a small onion sliced thin with the mushrooms. And I thickened the sauce with cornstarch and water to get the consistency I like. Best recipe I’ve tried for chicken marsala.
MMM! That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Cooking wine has salt in it. Reason, back in the day the chefs would drink the wine as they cooked and get drunk. So they put salt in the wine to keep them from drinking. Awwww!