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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.
I am planning on making this today but a bit confused that in the ingredients list you say to thinly slice the chicken but the video and pictures have whole chicken breasts. I am planning on butterflying and tenderizing them before cooking.
Hi Alyssa,
I just signed up for your recipes. They look awesome and I am looking forward to trying them out. Can the Alfredo sauces be frozen? I bought a quart of whipping cream by mistake so am looking for recipes where I can use up the whipping cream…lol
Thank you,
Brenda
Thanks for signing up and following along with me! My Alfredo sauce cannot be frozen. It will separate too much. You can refrigerate it for 3 to 4 days.
What’s the best way to get the beautiful golden color in the sauce?
It may depend on your wine choosing and it should just look that color as you are preparing it.
This recipe sounds awesome! Should the bottle of Marsala be stored in the refrigerator after it’s opened?
You will want to read the back label to see on that, but more than likely, yes.
This was very good, my family loved it.
Amazing! The second recipe of yours that I’ve made and it was sensational! Thank you so much ?
Can you make this as a freezer meal?
As this will be great!
Thanks for this recipe! My husband loves Chicken Marsala from a restaurant that has now closed in our town, and I’ve never found a recipe that made me want to try it. This one is happening tonight! One quick tip that will bring your chicken (in any dish) to a different level: Run a bowl of hot water. Add about 3 tablespoons salt and stir. Soak your chicken in this brine for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Your chicken will not only be very clean, it will be moist and tender and perfectly seasoned with salt. Trust me, it won’t be too salty.
I like the tip about the Brine, I never thought to do that cooking except for the turkeys!
I’ve never had Marsala wine. I drink moscato wine occasionally and usually have some in the fridge. Would this work in place of Marsala?
Yes, that sounds delicious too!
Dry sherry has a taste quite similar to Marsala, if you have any of that on hand….
Would cooking sherry work instead of Marsala wine?
Yes, of course! Let me know which way you like better!
Amazing! Everyone loved this dish! Very easy to make. I served it with pasta and asparagus. Sooooo good!
What can you use if you don’t have cream?
In some recipes, you can substitute 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter or margarine for 1 cup of heavy cream. If your recipe calls for whipping that cream, it won’t work. You need the fat that’s in heavy cream in order to get whipped volume.
I love this recipe … so easy to make and not many ingredients either. A family favourite!
OMG, this Chicken Marsala was so good! My husband normally isn’t real happy when I experiment with new recipes, but last night he was raving how good it was! Even party guest worthy! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
After laughing at Sarah P’s comments, I just had to post. My man often chuckles that I rarely try a recipe new without changing things up; but I’m pleased to report I followed this one to a “T” and it was fantastic!!! I served it over capelini with steamed broccoli on the side. We enjoyed a couple of Negroni’s during the oven bake which set up our pallets for a sweet yet aromatic meal. I’ll be looking for other recipes here!
This recipe is a hit for my family! I must confess I do make a double recipe for the sauce though because it does seem to cook down quickly. But then everyone just gets more mushrooms I say that’s a win win!
I’m one of those a-holes who changed the recipe and then leaves a review. It was very good. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut them into bite sized pieces. I also chopped up 5 garlic cloves and added a bundle of green onions and sauteed them with the mushrooms. I doubled the marsala, chicken broth and cream because I cooked a lot of chicken. I used a bit of corn starch to thicken it because I was hungry and didn’t want to wait longer for it to thicken on its own. It was still a great meal. Next time I might add some sun-dried tomatoes and/or spinach for some added flavor. This was a great base recipe that will stand up to cooks adjusting it to add their own flair to it.
haha. You are awesome! Thanks for being honest and letting us know how you changed it to make it your own! I love your ideas and will be trying it soon. Thanks so much for sharing!
Could this work in the Crock-Pot? Any adjustments need to be made?
Yes, this would be great in the crockpot. Let me know how you like it?