Creamy One-Pan Chicken Marsala
This one looks fancy, but it isn’t! You’re just using simple ingredients and making the sauce and chicken all in one pan. It’s creamy, it’s delicious, and even if you hate mushrooms like me, I still think you’ll like this. (I just don’t eat them! The sauce still has tons of flavor.)
I love this with pasta and crusty bread for a nice double dose of carbs. One of the best, simple, and classic dinner recipes to add to your rotation.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Choose a quality dry Marsala wine rather than the cooking ones in the wine aisle. You don’t need anything super expensive, just a drinkable wine. I wouldn’t substitute the heavy cream, but if you insist, try half-and-half, though it won’t be as thick or creamy.
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As written, this recipe makes 4 servings. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Just remember you’re cooking in batches so it will take longer.
Equipment
- Large frying pan or skillet
- Shallow dish (for dredging the chicken)
- Tongs
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 chicken breast cutlets (about 1 pound total)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces sliced bella mushrooms (baby portobellos)
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
How to Make Chicken Marsala
Step One: Coat The Chicken
First, let’s get that chicken ready. Mix your flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish (like a pie plate). Coat each piece of chicken on both sides and shake off the extra flour. No need to be perfect here.
Step Two: Cook The Chicken
Heat up your olive oil in a big skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add your chicken pieces. Don’t crowd them – work in batches if you need to. Cook about 5-6 minutes per side until they’re golden. They don’t need to be cooked through yet, so don’t worry about that. Take them out and set aside.
Step Three: Cook The Veggies
Add your butter to the same pan (don’t clean it – all those brown bits will give you flavor). Toss in your mushrooms and let them cook for 6-8 minutes. They’ll release water first, then start getting golden. That’s when you know they’re ready.
Add your onion and garlic and cook another 5 minutes until everything smells amazing and the onion is soft.
Step Four: Add The Wine
Here’s where it gets fun – pour in that Marsala wine and let it bubble away. It’ll reduce by half in about 3-4 minutes. Just stir it occasionally so nothing sticks.
Step Five: Thicken The Sauce
Next, add your chicken stock, cream, and thyme. Let this simmer for about 3 minutes until it thickens up a bit. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats a spoon.
Step Six: Add The Chicken
Put your chicken back in the pan with any juices that collected on the plate. Let everything simmer together for 5-7 minutes until the sauce reduces and your chicken is cooked through.
Step Seven: Garnish And Serve
Stir in that fresh parsley, taste it, and add more salt and pepper if you need to.
Serving & Storing
Serve this dish over pasta (we like linguine or fettuccine best) or mashed potatoes. Homemade crusty rolls and a salad are perfect on the side.
Place leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When you’re ready to eat, reheat the chicken and sauce on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at half power. You may need to add a splash of chicken broth or water to thin out the sauce if it thickens while stored in the fridge.
I personally would not freeze this, but you can give it a try.
Questions and Troubleshooting
Yes, you can use chicken thighs or even a mixture of both thighs and breasts. You’ll need to pound the thighs thin, and they might need a minute or two more of cooking time.
Just let your sauce simmer a little longer if it isn’t thickening as expected. It will get there!
Believe it or not, yes! I hate mushrooms and just don’t eat them. The flavor is still great.
The trick is to brown the chicken on both sides but not cook it all through in the first step. You’ll finish cooking it in the sauce, which helps it stay juicy. Keep an eye on it during the final simmer, and use a meat thermometer to make sure it reaches 165°F if you’re unsure.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Classic and filling, this slow cooker chicken cacciatore is very adaptable (for all those picky eaters you have).
- If you can make Marsala chicken, you can make this similar creamy chicken piccata.
- Cast iron skillet smothered chicken only needs 15 minutes of prep.
- You barely have to do anything for this crockpot Mississippi chicken (except start early).
Printable Recipe
One-Pan Chicken Marsala
Equipment
- Large frying pan or skillet
- Shallow dish (for dredging the chicken)
- Tongs
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 chicken breast cutlets (about 1 pound total)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces sliced bella mushrooms (baby portobellos)
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup marsala wine
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
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Instructions
- Dredge the chicken. Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Then, coat each chicken cutlet evenly on both sides with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken cutlets in a single layer (working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding). Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked through at this point. Then, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the veggies. In the same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Then, add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 6-8 minutes until they release moisture and turn golden brown. Next, stir in the diced onion and garlic, cooking for another 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add wine and simmer. Pour in the Marsala wine and simmer over medium heat. Allow the wine to reduce by half, taking about 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Thicken the sauce. Once the wine has reduced, stir in the chicken stock, heavy cream, and thyme. Continue simmering the sauce for about 3 minutes, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
- Add chicken. Return the chicken cutlets and any juices that have accumulated on the plate into the pan. Stir gently to coat the chicken with the sauce. Let the chicken simmer in the sauce for another 5-7 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half and the chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish and serve. Stir in the fresh chopped parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve hot over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Love,
I rubbed the chicken with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and paprika and let it sit for a few minutes before coating it with the flour mixture. My family loved this recipe!! So delicous!