Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms
Chicken Marsala is a skillet dinner built around a few precise moves: thin chicken cutlets, a light flour coating, properly browned mushrooms, and a wine sauce that reduces until it lightly coats the pan. The dish should taste savory and rounded, with the Marsala adding gentle sweetness rather than dominating the plate.
Use dry Marsala if you want a more balanced dinner sauce. Sweet Marsala will work in a pinch, but the finished dish will be noticeably richer and sweeter. Cremini mushrooms give the sauce more depth than plain button mushrooms, though either can be used if they are browned well before the wine goes in.
Pounding the chicken to an even thickness helps it cook quickly without drying out. The flour should be a thin dusting, not a heavy breading, so the cutlets brown in butter and olive oil while still leaving enough fond in the skillet to flavor the sauce.
Serve Chicken Marsala as soon as the sauce is glossy and the cutlets are hot through. Mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, polenta, or a simple green vegetable all work well because they catch the mushroom sauce without competing with it.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Pat the chicken dry, place the pieces between sheets of parchment, and pound them to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
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2
Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge each cutlet lightly, shake off the excess, and set the chicken on a clean plate.
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3
Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches until golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.
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4
Add the mushrooms to the same skillet with 1 tablespoon butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid and brown at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes.
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5
Stir in the shallot, garlic, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until fragrant and softened, about 1 minute.
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6
Pour in the Marsala wine and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Simmer until the wine is reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes.
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7
Add the chicken stock and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter until the sauce looks glossy.
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8
Return the chicken and any resting juices to the skillet. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, turning the cutlets once, until they are hot through and coated in sauce.
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9
Taste the sauce for seasoning, spoon mushrooms over the chicken, and finish with chopped parsley before serving.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, halved horizontally:1 1/2 lb
- Kosher Salt:1 1/4 tsp
- Black Pepper, freshly ground:3/4 tsp
- All-Purpose Flour:1/2 cup
- Olive Oil:2 tbsp
- Unsalted Butter, divided:4 tbsp
- Cremini Mushrooms, sliced:12 oz
- Shallot, finely chopped:1 large
- Garlic Cloves, minced:2 cloves
- Dry Marsala Wine:3/4 cup
- Low-Sodium Chicken Stock:3/4 cup
- Heavy Cream:2 tbsp
- Fresh Parsley, chopped:2 tbsp
Tips & Notes
- Do not crowd the skillet when searing the chicken; browning in batches gives the sauce better flavor.
- If the sauce reduces too far before the chicken returns to the pan, loosen it with a splash of chicken stock.
- Use dry Marsala for the most balanced sauce; avoid cooking wine labeled Marsala because it is usually salty and harsh.
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