Chicken Marsala is an Italian American dish (like so many of the things I make). It is pan-seared chicken cutlets with earthy mushrooms in a Marsala wine sauce. Traditionally it isn’t made with cream, so you can totally opt out of it, but I suggest you add a little. I also like to add sun-dried tomatoes because, why not? I do what I want in my kitchen.
My dad LOVES this dish. If it’s on the menu, there is a good chance he will order it. I remember going to this one restaurant growing up, and every time we went, he would get it, I would get it and even sometimes my mom (though she was usually more of a baked sole person). My mom also did catering, and it was often a dish they served and she would bring home all the leftovers. Needless to say, I have eaten A LOT of Chicken Marsala in my 35 years. My husband also loves anything with mushrooms, so he’s always down for this as well.
It’s an easy, delicious dish and I highly recommend giving it a try if you haven’t. It will always impress your friends, unless they’re weirdos and don’t like mushrooms…
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts sliced in half ( 4 pieces total)
- 3 tbsp. of flour
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- 2 tbsp. olive oil or enough to coat pan
- 2 tbsp. butter
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. paprika
Marsala
- 8oz Crimini mushrooms cleaned and chopped in thirds (or buy pre-sliced)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. butter
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ tsp. Dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp. thyme
- ½ onion finely diced or 1 shallot
- 2-4 cloves of pressed garlic
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 – 1 ½ cups beef or chicken broth. I like beef because it gives a deeper flavor.
- ½ cup dry Marsala wine
- Pinch of red pepper
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley chopped
Directions
- I like to start by prepping all of the herbs and veggies and setting them aside.
- I take the chicken and cut it into two pieces and tenderize it. If you haven’t done this before, I use a piece of plastic wrap, cutting board and a tenderizer. I place the chicken on the cutting board and then the plastic wrap on top of it. Then I tenderize the chicken breast on both sides. You want the thickness to be as even as you can, so they cook evenly. I place them aside when done.
- Take your tenderized chicken and add it to a large Ziploc bag or bowl and add your flour and dried seasonings and shake it up to coat the chicken. Pull it out, shake off excess and set aside on a plate to be cooked.
- Get your large skillet add 2 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter to coat the bottom of the pan and turn it on medium.
- Once your skillet is hot and ready, place your chicken in it to cook. This should take about 3-4 minutes per side. When chicken is done remove it from the pan and place on a clean plate.
Sauce
- If the bottom of the pan doesn’t look too bad you can just use the oil/butter that’s already in it and just add a little more. If it looks too burnt, clean it out with a paper towel and start fresh.
- Heat oil and butter in the pan and add mushrooms and stir around. Allow these to cook for 3 minutes till they begin to soften and brown. Then add your finely diced onion/shallot. Let them cook down for about 5 minutes onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook together for 1 minute. Add the Marsala wine to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. Then add beef stock and dry seasonings, omitting parsley. Cook this down for about 4 minutes then add milk or cream and stir. Cook for another minute and then taste for seasoning.
- Now it’s time to join them together. Take your chicken and nestle it into the sauce and sprinkle in your sundried tomatoes, let this cook for about 5 minutes. If the sauce gets a little too thick just whisk in a little more stock/broth.
- Sprinkle with parsley and you are all done!
- I like to serve it with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. Also great served over some buttered penne.
