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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.
Made this last night. My husband and I found it to be very bland. I had to add a lot of pepper at the table…. Not sure what happened. I followed the recipe to the T.
Can this be made ahead of time and re heated
Yes, you can do that! Enjoy!
If you do make ahead. Should you refrigerate all together or separate sauce from chicken and put in different containers then combine before reheating. Also, how do you reheat and at what temp for how long. I am making for Christmas dinner for 20 people and am trying to do the night before so I can just put it in oven as I am making alot of other dishes..
This is exactly what Chicken Marsala should taste like! It was excellent!! I didn’t add a thing!!! Better than some restaurants I’ve gone to and was disappointed with their version. So easy to make! My husband is a great cook and he loved it!! Next time I’m inviting company so I can impress them with this awesome dish! Thank you so much!!! You truly are a gifted cook!
Hello, and thank you for the great recipe. My wife and I enjoyed it very much.
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for following along with me!
Super easy and super delicious! I added a pat of butter and cooked pasta to the chicken and sauce (I had to eliminate the mushrooms) then sprinkled grated Parmesan and fresh ground pepper on top. Yum ? and kid approved!
So glad I found this recipe! It was amazing easy and out of this world delicious! I love any kind of Marsala, so this recipe allows me to make it whenever I want. Thank you, thank you!
My sauce came out lighter in color, I had to season more amply and I added sundried tomatoes. It was delicious ?
Wow…your recipes are crazy delicious, and very healthy, I must admit I tweak just a bit, because I am doing the keto’s diet, your recipes are doing it for me. Thanks
where can I find the nutrients for your recipes?
I like to use myfitnesspal.com or skinnytaste.com for any nutritional information. Hope that helps answer any nutritional questions that you have!
Please claify which Marsala wine! In your description you say “The creamy sauce uses the SWEET marsala wine…”, but later you say “When making savory dishes like Chicken Marsala, DRY Marsala is the best option.” Which then are you telling us to use for this recipe – SWEET or DRY?
Thanks in advance
Both kinds work well, they are equally delicious but quite different in taste. I prefer the sweet myself…
Tastes great chicken is super moist
Excellent! In 5 days I have made it twice. Yum!
I have not cooked with cream before, I used half and half. I followed the recipe but the cream sauce separated. The flavor delicious, the consistency wrong…what did I do?
You need to use heavy cream (35%). It’s the only kind you can boil without the cream separating.
You should pour in very slowly as you whisk, because the cream is cold and what you are cooking is hot it doesn’t want to mix, so when you introduce it slowly the two temps become one temp!
Hope that helps! I had many failed attempts at cooking thankfully I’ve learned some little tricks.
U used half and half that’s the issue
Heavy cream is best!
This recipe is fabulous!! Chicken was tender, mushrooms and sauce was so smooth and tasty! Loved it! This will become a favorite!
I think this is the best chicken marsala I’ve ever made! It turned out so tasty and and was quick and easy to make!
Can carnation evaporated milk b used instead of the heavy cream
Hello Jackie,
I would not suggest this. I would you the heavy cream if possible. It will keep the texture and flavor as it should be. I hope you love it. Thanks for following along with me!
No doubt about it, you have to use heavy cream. Alyssa, I have tried a lot of marsala chicken recipes, this is by far the most flavorful with so few ingredients. I didnt have dry mudtard, but used minced garlic, dried thyme, chopped red onion and probably 3/4 cup marsala. I could drink this stuff! Recipe rocks girl!!!
As a calorie saver I used 50% less fat creme fraiche and the chicken marsala dish was beautiful.
This recipe is a keeper
I made this recipe for my wife and mom-in-law last night and they loved it! I certainly gained some points with this one and I can’t wait to make it again. The hardest part was finding a place that sold Marsala Wine. For whatever reason, my local grocers didn’t carry it! Anyways, the meal was extraordinary and so much easier than I expected. I doubled the recipe and still only spent a fraction of restaurant prices. Thank you for sharing!