Creamy Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms (Printable)

Tender pan-seared chicken in a rich Marsala wine and creamy mushroom sauce served over al dente pasta.

# Ingredient list:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, approximately 1.5 lbs
02 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Sauce

07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - 8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
09 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
10 - 3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
11 - 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
12 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
14 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Pasta

15 - 12 ounces fettuccine or spaghetti
16 - Salt for pasta water

→ Garnish

17 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
18 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

# Cooking steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
02 - Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
03 - In a shallow dish, combine flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour mixture, shaking off excess.
04 - Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
05 - In the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter and mushrooms. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes until mushrooms are browned. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
06 - Pour in Marsala wine, scraping up browned bits from the skillet bottom. Simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
07 - Add chicken broth, cream, and thyme. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
08 - Return chicken and accumulated juices to the pan, coating thoroughly with sauce. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes to heat through.
09 - Serve chicken and sauce over cooked pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The Marsala wine gives the sauce a sweet, earthy depth that tastes restaurant-fancy but cooks up in under half an hour.
  • Everything happens in one skillet, so cleanup is blessedly simple even after a long day.
  • The cream binds the wine and broth into something so velvety you'll want to spoon it straight from the pan.
  • It reheats beautifully, which means lunch the next day feels like a small gift to yourself.
02 -
  • Don't skip pounding the chicken, uneven thickness means some parts dry out while others stay undercooked.
  • Use dry Marsala, not sweet, or the sauce will taste more like dessert than dinner.
  • Let the mushrooms sit undisturbed for a minute or two before stirring so they actually brown instead of steaming.
  • Scrape up every bit of fond from the bottom of the pan when you add the wine, that's where all the flavor lives.
03 -
  • Pat the chicken completely dry before dredging so the flour sticks and forms a proper crust instead of turning gummy.
  • Don't crowd the pan when searing, if the chicken touches it steams instead of browns.
  • Taste the sauce before adding the chicken back in, it's your last chance to adjust the seasoning before serving.
  • Reserve a little pasta water and toss it with the noodles before plating so the sauce clings better.
Return