Chicken Marsala and Mushrooms

By Molly O’Neill

Updated October 3, 2024

  • Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(5,243)
Comments
Read comments

Served over a tangle of linguine or with a side of roast potatoes, this classic Italian-American dish made with chicken breasts, mushrooms and Marsala wine is comfort home cooking at its absolute best. Good news: It's also weeknight easy. First, pound boneless chicken breasts (you can use boneless thighs, too, but they might need a little more cooking time) with a mallet or a rolling pin until they're about ¼-inch thick. Season them generously with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and fry in a little olive oil until they're golden brown. Make a quick sauce of mushrooms, shallots and Marsala and pour it over the chicken. Garnish with a little chopped parsley or chervil for color. That's good eating.

Featured in: Food; Dem Bones

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 ½ pounds), pounded to ¼-inch thickness

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  • ⅔ cup flour

  • ½ pound cleaned and thinly sliced button, crimini or shiitake mushrooms (or a combination)

  • 1 shallot, minced

  • 4 tablespoons Marsala wine, more as needed

  • 3 tablespoons veal glaze (see recipe) or chicken stock, more as needed

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 tablespoon chopped chervil or parsley (optional, for garnish)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

24 grams carbs; 132 milligrams cholesterol; 444 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 707 milligrams sodium; 43 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium-size skillet set over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste and dredge in flour. Place 2 of the chicken pieces in the pan and cook until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add another tablespoon of oil and the remaining chicken pieces. As chicken is cooked, set aside on a plate and loosely tent with foil to keep it warm.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet, add the mushrooms and shallot and cook until the mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown. Add the Marsala wine and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the veal glaze or stock and heat for 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Remove from heat and swirl in the butter until melted. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and pour the sauce from the skillet over the chicken. Garnish with chervil or parsley and serve.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
5,243 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Louie Phillips

Excellent recipe! As noted above, you will need more liquid than the recipe calls for. I used 8 oz of chicken stock and 5 oz of Marsala. Then added another good glug of Marsala towards the end. Served with Nigella's Italian roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus with Parmesan. Delicious, restaurant quality Saturday night at home meal.

Jack

Substitute for Marsala wine - 1/4 cup dry white wine and 1 teaspoon of brandy.

Michele

Cook the shallots and mushrooms first, otherwise the flour remaining in the pan from the chicken will burn. Shallots, then mushrooms then chicken, then deglaze with wine and lemon juice. Def needs lemon juice. Also can add lemon zest to the chicken before dredging in flour.

Summer

The Marsala is sweet so it needs an Umami balance-lemon juice, stock and butter? Also, definitely more mushrooms.

Suburbanancy

Olive oil has a low burn point. Why would one heat the pan to high with olive oil in it? It burns. Also, the Marsala flavor does not come through; I had to add 2-3 times the amount. I prefer a more syrupy sauce. Will be making my own recipe hereafter.

Joe

My wife has made a different version of this for many years, the favorite of our now adult son, that includes some sautéed pancetta, and some cream stirred in at the end. She also has to significantly increase the fluid quantities from the original recipe she used. While delicious additions, it makes this much heavier, and you need to watch the salt content due to the pancetta. I tried this as a somewhat lighter alternative. Good, except the doubling the fluids still left us wanting more.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.