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Chicken Marsala is one of those old-school Italian-American restaurant dishes I never get tired of. Traditionally, it’s made with veal, which naturally thickens the sauce as it simmers thanks to its collagen-rich texture. Chicken breasts don’t behave quite the same way, so I finish the sauce with a splash of heavy cream to give it that velvety, glossy consistency you expect. Along with golden thin-cut chicken breasts and browned mushrooms, the Marsala wine deglazes the pan before reducing into a savory sauce with deep flavor, in surprisingly little time.

A skillet filled with creamy chicken marsala and mushrooms, garnished with herbs, surrounded by a glass of Marsala wine, fresh thyme, salt, and chopped parsley on a white surface. A spoon rests in the skillet. — Chockfull of mushrooms in a rich sauce, this chicken Marsala cooks in one skillet in about 30 minutes.

The cooks in my family made this dish a few times a year when I was growing up, and it was always a production — in a good way. I remember the whole kitchen smelled like something serious was happening. But those versions had a thinner sauce, and dry chicken. Mine is richer, and I think it’s better.

Why this recipe works

Cutting the chicken into scaloppine — not pounding whole breasts — gives you thinner, more even pieces that sear cleanly and finish cooking in the sauce without drying out.
The Marsala goes into a very hot pan so it boils the second it lands. If it steams instead of sizzles, you’re cooking off alcohol without deglazing — the sauce loses the resinous backbone that makes it worth eating.
The mushrooms are cooked first, so they brown properly in a dry, hot pan instead of steaming in the chicken’s moisture. The concentrated bits they leave behind are the first layer of flavor in the sauce.

A better Marsala sauce, with cream

Overhead view of classic chicken marsala ingredients on a white surface: raw chicken breasts, sliced mushrooms, fresh parsley, shallots, garlic, thyme, butter, flour, cream, salt, black pepper, and a bottle of Marsala wine.

Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally into thin, even cutlets — the same technique I use for chicken piccata. The goal is uniform thickness — around ¼ inch — so every piece makes full contact with the pan and browns in the same amount of time. If you’d rather skip the knife work, ask the butcher for thin-sliced chicken cutlets.
Marsala wine: Dry Marsala is non-negotiable — sweet Marsala makes a cloying sauce. Look for bottles labeled ‘dry’ or ‘secco’, and avoid anything marked ‘marsala cooking wine,’ which contains added sugar, salt, and preservatives (and one taste reveals it). In a pinch, a 50/50 mix of dry white wine and brandy is a close substitution.
Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms have more depth than white button mushrooms — earthier, meatier, less watery. I use a mix of both because the creminis carry the flavor and the buttons add some texture. Either way, slice them thick enough that they hold their shape after browning. Thin-sliced mushrooms will shrink until they disappear into the sauce.
Cream: A small amount of heavy cream — just half a cup — goes into the pan after the Marsala reduces to a glaze. It stabilizes the sauce so it doesn’t break during the final simmer and rounds out the wine’s sharpness. Don’t substitute half-and-half — it doesn’t have enough fat to emulsify properly and the sauce will be thin.

How to slice chicken breasts for Marsala

1. Cut each breast in half crosswise.
2. Then slice each piece horizontally — you’re after ¼-inch thick cutlets.
3. Season the 12 pieces of chicken scaloppine with salt and pepper.

4. Dredge in flour and shake off the excess — too much flour makes the sauce gluey..
5. Rest on a parchment-lined sheet while you prep the pan.

Brown the mushrooms

1. Melt butter and olive oil over high heat in large sauté pan. Spread the mushrooms in a single layer — if they’re crowded they’ll steam instead of brown.
2. Add shallots, garlic and thyme. Cook until softened, then remove everything out of the pan.

The sear and the sauce, in one pan

1. Same pan, fresh butter and oil. Don’t crowd it — brown the chicken in batches if needed.
2. Pour in the Marsala — it should boil instantly.

3. Reduce until it coats the pan in a syrupy glaze.
4. Add the cream and broth, stirring to lift up anything left on the bottom of the pan.

5. Add the reserved cooked mushrooms and their juices to the pan. Simmer 5–7 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon.
6. Sprinkle the chicken with parsley. Serve with cooked pasta, roasted potatoes or these olive-oil mashed potatoes.