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Chicken Marsala is my cosy, restaurant-style chicken dinner that delivers big flavour with minimal faff. Golden, pan-seared chicken nestled in a glossy Marsala wine sauce, packed with buttery mushrooms, a kiss of garlic and that sweet-savory depth you only get from proper Marsala.
I’ll also show you what to do if you want a no-alcohol version.
“Very enjoyable! The chicken was really tender and had a delicious flavour. Loved the golden coating. Will be making again. 🙏”
Nicky’s Notes
It’s taken me a little while to get my Chicken Marsala recipe on the blog because I wanted it just right. This version is a little different from the classic — I like to give the chicken a light, seasoned coating before frying. It locks in the juices, adds a lovely golden crust, and honestly, makes the sauce cling beautifully and add SO MUCH more flavour!
I’ve cooked and tested this recipe several times, tweaking the seasoning and adjusting the balance between wine and stock, so you get all the depth of flavour without the sauce tasting heavy. That light dusting of flour also helps thicken the sauce naturally, so you don’t need to faff with cornflour.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Chicken Marsala
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
A note on the mushrooms
I like to use a mixture of chestnut and button mushrooms. The chestnut mushrooms bring a lovely earthy, nutty flavour and give the sauce a deeper colour, while the button mushrooms stay soft and juicy, soaking up all that Marsala richness.
Don’t like mushrooms? swap them out for sliced leeks, green beans or asparagus, it will still taste AMAZING.
The Marsala Wine
Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily, and it’s the star of this dish. It adds a sweet, depth that you just can’t replicate with standard wine. You’ll usually find it in the fortified wine section of larger supermarkets, near sherry and Madeira.
If you don’t have marsala wine, you can swap it out for maderia, red vermouth or white wine mixed with 2 tsp brandy.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Butterfly and slice 2 chicken breasts into 4 fillets, then dip in egg and dredge in seasoned flour. Pan-fry in olive oil until golden, then set aside. In the same pan, cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in butter until softened, add Marsala wine and simmer. Return the chicken with stock, simmer again, then finish with cream. Garnish with parsley and serve with your favourite sides.
How to Butterfly and Slice Chicken Breasts into Fillets
For this recipe, I like to take 2 large chicken breasts and turn them into 4 thinner fillets. It means they cook more evenly, stay juicy, and you get that lovely golden coating without the chicken drying out.
Here’s how to do it:
- Place the chicken breast flat on a chopping board. Hold it steady with the palm of your hand.
- Using a sharp knife, slice through the breast horizontally, starting at the thickest side, to open it out like a book — this is butterflying.
- Once butterflied, slice right down the middle to create two even fillets.
- Repeat with the second chicken breast — you’ll have four fillets in total.
👉 Tip: If your chicken fillets are still a bit uneven, you can cover them with a bit of baking parchment and give them a light bash with a rolling pin. That way they’ll cook through at the same time and give you a more even golden crust.
Recipe Pro Tip
- Coat the chicken before frying. A light dusting of seasoned flour on the chicken makes all the difference — it locks in the juices, adds a lovely golden crust, and helps the Marsala sauce cling beautifully. It also naturally thickens the sauce as it simmers, giving you that glossy, restaurant-style finish without needing to add extra thickeners.
This little step only takes a minute, but it’s what elevates the dish from “tasty chicken in sauce” to a proper dinner party-worthy Chicken Marsala.
🍽️ What to serve it with
Serve topped with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Chris and the kids always request mashed potato with it, but I’ll admit it’s also divine with pasta or even a chunk of crusty bread to mop up the sauce. It also tastes great with:
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Roast Potatoes
- or Sauteed Potatoes
- And don’t forget the green beans or buttered carrots if you want 😋
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.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItI do love a good sauce drizzle shot. Truth be told, it took me about 25 attempts to get the photo you see at the top of the post — I’d spoon the sauce on, snap a shot, then try again (and again!). Even after photographing hundreds of recipes, I still take more bad photos than good. But that’s part of the fun, right? Keeps me learning every time.
📺 Watch how to make it
Chicken Marsala Recipe
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
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have four breast fillets2 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
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions
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.
Leftovers & Freezing
If you wanted to freeze the chicken marsala then cook the dish as per the recipe 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 suggestionsNutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Chicken Marsala Recipe was first posted in March 2021. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
? Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have Marsala wine, you can swap it out for maderia, red vermouth or white wine mixed with 2 tsp brandy.
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.
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.
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.
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Very enjoyable! The chicken was really tender and had a delicious flavour. Loved the golden coating. Will be making again. 🙏
This is now a home favourite ‘go to’ recipe. Love it.
I made this tonight in next to no time – we found it a most delightful dinner with so much flavour, thank you.
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 )