Juicy pan-fried chicken in a rich marsala wine sauce with mushrooms and a splash of cream.
In my Chicken Marsala, I like to lightly coat the chicken in a seasoned flour mixture that adds even more flavour to this impressive dish.
I’ll also show you what to do if you want a no-alcohol version.

Creamy sauce being spooned over chicken marsala in a pan
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I do so enjoy a good sauce drizzle shot.
I’d like to say that I spooned this sauce on, took the shot and moved on.
But no.
This took about 25 shots to get the one I wanted.

I may photograph many many recipes, but I’m still learning every time, and I still take more bad photos than good photos.
One day I’ll make a recipe, take 5 perfect shots and be done.

Nah. That’d be boring.

It’s taken me a while to get my chicken masala recipe on the blog. Mine is a little different from your usual chicken masala in that I like to coat the chicken with a light, flavourful coating before frying it off.
It adds SO MUCH more flavour!
All cooked up in the rich creamy masala sauce with a TON of mushrooms (yay! I get to eat all of them because no-one else in my family likes mushrooms) it’s a dinner party or date night dinner recipe for sure!

What do we need?

Ingredients for chicken marsala on a wooden table

How to make this recipe

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  1. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have four breast fillets
  2. Dip the chicken breasts in a bowl with a lightly whisked egg, then dredge in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic salt.
4 image collage showing how to coat the chicken breasts for chicken marsala
  • Fry the chicken breasts in a pan in a little olive oil, then remove from the pan.
  • Add butter to the pan and heat on a medium heat, then add sliced onion and soften them.
  • Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, then add in marsala wine simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan and pour in chicken stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in a little cream.
8 image collage showing how to make chicken marsala

Serve topped with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Tastes great with mashed potato and green veg.

Forkful being taken from a piece of chicken marsala on a blue plate. Mashed potato and green beans also on the plate.

What to serve with Chicken Marsala


chicken marsala on a plate with mashed potato and green beans. Forkful of chicken being taken.
What can I substitute for marsala wine?

If you don’t have Marsala wine, you can swap it out for maderia, red vermouth or white wine mixed with 2 tsp brandy.

Does the alcohol cook out of Chicken Marsala?

The alcohol won’t completely cook out of this dish as it uses quite a lot of marsala wine.
See tips below if you want an alcohol-free version.

Chicken Marsala without wine

If you don’t want to use wine in this dish (I know – it won’t exactly be a chicken ‘marsala’ with no marsala) you can try either of the following options. It won’t be exactly the same – since Marsala is a fortified wine, that has flavours of wine with a hint of brandy – but it will still taste great.

  • Replace the marsala wine with the same amount of chicken stock (in addition to the stock that’s already in there), plus 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.
  • Replace the marsala wine with the same amount of non-alcoholic red or white wine or non-alcoholic red vermouth.
chicken marsala with mushrooms and onions in a pan

Love a comforting creamy sauce dish?

Try one of these:


Watch how to make it

YouTube video

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5 from 10 votes

Chicken Marsala Recipe

Juicy pan-fried chicken in a rich marsala wine sauce with mushrooms and a splash of cream. So easy! Plus tips for a no-alcohol version.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp dried paprika
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 brown onion peeled and sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 250 g (8 oz) mushrooms sliced, I like to use a mixture of chestnut and button mushrooms
  • 180 ml (3/4 cup) dry Marsala wine
  • 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) chicken stock
  • 3 tbsp double/heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
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Instructions 

  • Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have four breast fillets
    2 large chicken breasts
  • Whisk the egg lightly in a shallow bowl.
    1 large egg
  • In a separate shallow bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic salt.
    3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic salt
  • Dip the chicken breasts in the egg, then dredge in the flour mixture.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet) on a medium-to-high heat.
    3 tbsp olive oil
  • Place the chicken in the pan and fry on both sides until golden.
  • Take the chicken out of the pan and place on a plate whilst you make the sauce
  • Add the butter to the pan and heat on a medium heat.
    1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften.
    1 brown onion
  • Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are lightly browned.
    3 cloves garlic, 250 g (8 oz) mushrooms
  • Add the marsala wine. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
    180 ml (3/4 cup) dry Marsala wine
  • Add the chicken back to the pan, and pour in the chicken stock. Bring the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
    300 ml (1 1/4 cups) chicken stock
  • Stir in the cream, then turn off the heat.
    3 tbsp double/heavy cream
  • Serve topped with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Tastes great with mashed potato and green veg.
    2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Video

YouTube video

Notes

Can I make ahead?
The coating on the chicken tastes best when the chicken is eaten right away, but you can make it ahead if you like and it will still taste great.
Make the dish, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. 
Reheat, covered in the oven at 160C/320F for 20-25 minutes or on the hob (the burner) until the chicken is piping hot throughout.  You may need a splash or water/stock/cream to loosen as it will be a little thicker. 
Will it freeze?
Yes, cook the dish then, cool, cover and freeze.
Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator overnight, then take out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking to take the chill off the chicken breasts.
Reheat as per the ‘make ahead’ instructions above.
Ingredient swaps
  • If you don’t have marsala wine, you can swap it out for maderia, red vermouth or white wine mixed with 2 tsp brandy.
  • Don’t like mushrooms? swap them out for sliced leeks, green beans or asparagus.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe
You can halve or double this recipe using the same ratios.
Nutritional information is per serving WITHOUT the serving suggestions of mashed potato and green veg.

Nutrition

Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 954mg | Potassium: 715mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 638IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. Caroline says:

    5 stars
    Very enjoyable! The chicken was really tender and had a delicious flavour. Loved the golden coating. Will be making again. 🙏

  2. Alan says:

    5 stars
    This is now a home favourite ‘go to’ recipe. Love it.

  3. Sarah says:

    5 stars
    I made this tonight in next to no time – we found it a most delightful dinner with so much flavour, thank you.

  4. Graham Temperton says:

    Only noticed your site recently but i’ve made 3 of your recipes already , love them love the layout and pics and the way you show the ingredients. Thank you , the gorgonzola pasta one 3 times yum (put a couple of pounds on though ! who cares )