Skillet Chicken Marsala is a one pot meal for quick and easy dinners, ready in just 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian-American dish that features pan-seared chicken breasts in a savory Marsala wine sauce.
It’s a delicious and elegant dish that is still easy to make and perfect for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion.
This Easy Skillet Chicken Marsala is a tasty and straightforward rendition of the classic dish.
The combination of tender chicken, flavorful mushrooms, and a rich Marsala wine sauce makes it a crowd-pleaser for the entire family.
Ingredients
Let’s talk about the ingredients you are going to need for this recipe. Full quantities and recipe details can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Chicken Breasts – boneless and skinless
Mushrooms – any variety is fine. I like to use crimini or white button mushrooms.
Butter
Garlic Cloves
Marsala Wine – you want to use a true marsala wine, not a cooking wine. Cooking wines tend to not be great in flavor.
Lemon Juice – to brighten the sauce. It will not taste like lemon!
Cornstarch – for thickening the sauce, or you can use flour
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh Parsley – optional, for garnishing
Instruction Overview
Preheat a large, deep skillet or shallow pot over medium high heat.
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper.
Add 2 Tablespoons of oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook until golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes.
Flip the chicken over and cook an additional 5 minutes until golden brown and also cooked all the way through. Add a little more oil if needed. If your chicken is browning too fast, reduce the heat to slow browning but continue cooking the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add a little more oil so there is approximately 2 Tablespoons of oil in the pan. Heat until the oil is warm.
Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften and begin to release moisture, approximately 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, stir, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the cornstarch to the mushroom mixture, stir, and let cook for 30 seconds.
Add the marsala wine, scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan with the spoon, and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thickened, approximately 5-8 minutes.
Stir the lemon juice into the sauce and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and incorporated.
Season the sauce as desired with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice. Add the chicken back to the sauce and to heat through and coat with the sauce, if desired. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Modifications and Substitutions
You can also add some additional vegetables straight in the sauce like asparagus or tomatoes.
Make this a gluten free recipe with cornstarch to thicken the sauce instead of flour.Â
Want to skip the alcohol? You can use chicken stock or chicken broth instead. The marsala wine has a mushroom flavor, so you might want to also consider adding extra mushrooms to amp up that flavor profile.
Kim’s Tips
I strongly suggest using true Marsala wine from a liquor store and not Marsala cooking wine that you might find in the grocery store. The flavor is much better and when you cook with it, including reducing it in this sauce, the quality of the wine makes a big difference. Â
I love to serve this with some rice (rice pilaf is my favorite!) and a side veggie like our Tomato Garlic Italian Green Beans or Air Fryer Asparagus.
If you are planning on using the sauce to coat pasta, as a potato gravy, or also like a lot of sauce, I recommend doubling the sauce ingredient quantity.
FAQs
What is chicken Marsala sauce made of?
The key to chicken marsala sauce is marsala wine which has a mushroom flavor. It also incorporate mushrooms, herbs, aromatics, and butter.
What is chicken Marsala traditionally served with?
Chicken marsala is great served with mashed potatoes, rice, and vegetables.
What does chicken Marsala taste like?
Chicken marsala has a deep, rich and earthy flavor from the mushrooms.
What’s the difference between chicken piccata and chicken Marsala?
Chicken piccata has a sauce made of white wine, lemon, and capers. It is bright and citrus focused. Chicken marsala is a deeper, richer flavor of mushrooms.
What is better for Chicken Marsala dry or sweet?
Dry marsala wine is best for chicken marsala to keep the dish on the savory side.
More One Pot Meals
Skillet Chicken Marsala
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Knife
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (approximately 6-8 ounces each)
- salt
- black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil more or less as needed
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced (crimini or white button are great)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (or 2 Tablespoons flour)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups Marsala wine dry (not cooking wine)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- Preheat a large, deep skillet or shallow pot over medium high heat.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.4 chicken breasts, salt, black pepper
- Add 2 Tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook until golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes. If too hot, reduce the heat.3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- Flip the chicken over and cook an additional 5 minutes until golden brown and also cooked all the way through. Add a little more oil if needed. If your chicken is browning too fast, reduce the heat to slow browning but continue cooking the chicken. The chicken is done when it is 165°F in the thickest part.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. If needed, add a little more oil so there is approximately 2 Tablespoons of oil in the pan. Heat until the oil is warm.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften and begin to release moisture, approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.8 ounces mushrooms, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the cornstarch to the mushroom mixture, stir, and let cook for 30 seconds. Add the marsala wine, scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan with the spoon, and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thickened, approximately 5-8 minutes.1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups Marsala wine
- Stir the lemon juice into the sauce and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and incorporated.1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Season the sauce as desired with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice. Add the chicken back to the sauce and to heat through and coat with the sauce, if desired. Serve over pasta or with vegetables, rice, or potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.fresh parsley
It was delicious, my husband loved it!!
Soooo good! Thank you for this recipe.
Sooooooo good! Definitely making this again! I had to add a little more cornstarch to get it to thicken. Otherwise – followed the recipe as written.
Very good!! Even all of my kids ate it up. I had mine over quinoa to keep it gluten free.
I made this last night and I’m surprised and happy. When I made chicken Marsala in the past it was too sweet so I hesitated trying again. What a wonderful recipe, I would make this for guests. Thank you for posting.
So glad you liked it, Charles!