There are so many classic Italian dishes I grew up eating that are just so comforting to me- like this Classic Chicken Marsala. The chicken is so tender and that sauce is absolutely luscious with its rich flavors from the Marsala wine.
Ok I’m going to address the not so classic part of this before we dive in- that curly pasta… I know not how you’d normally see Chicken Marsala served but come on, its so fun and my kids love it! Feel free to serve it with a more traditional spaghetti or even roasted potatoes. Either way, this Classic Chicken Marsala is delicious! There really isn’t anything difficult about this but it does require a bit of time but trust me, its so worth it!
There are basically two parts to making this- the chicken and the sauce. I will start by saying that this is a good sized recipe, plenty for a big family dinner for sure! I started with 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts and carefully cut each into 3 thinner pieces. The thin cut chicken breasts are dredged in seasoned flour then browned in a heavy pan with olive oil until golden.
Once all the chicken is browned and set aside we can move onto part two- the Marsala sauce! In that same pan with all those tasty drippings you’ll add butter, sliced baby bella mushrooms, garlic and onion. Once the water is cooked out of the mushrooms and they begin to become golden you are ready to move on. See, simple so far right?
Next I stir in some of the seasoned flour we used to dredge the chicken to thicken the sauce. Stir in the marsala wine- the good stuff, not the grocery store stuff- and simmer until reduced my about half. Stir in chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes. I then add the chicken back in and simmer for a little longer. I finish the dish with butter for a little extra richness and plenty of fresh chopped parsley. As with any recipe, I’m sure there are many variations out there on the sauce- this is how I grew up learning it from Grandma.
Like I said, you’ll typically find Classic Chicken Marsala served over a long pasta or with a side of roasted potatoes and vegetables but I went with this really fun curly shape because, well I just thought they were so darn adorable! I have to giggle when people get bent out of shape over recipes because its just cooking- do what you love, experiment and have fun in the kitchen~ eat the silly shaped pasta 😉
- 6 chicken breasts
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 7 Tbsp butter, divided
- 24 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ finely chopped red onion or shallot
- 4 large garlic cloves, rough chop
- 1½ cups marsala wine
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Fresh chopped parsley
- pasta of your liking
- Carefully cut each chicken breast into 3 thin sliced pieces.
- In a shallow bowl mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Reserve ¼ cup of the seasoned flour to the side. Lightly coat each piece of chicken with flour and set aside.
- In a large skillet {I used my large cast iron}, heat over medium high heat with a light olive oil. Once hot, cook the chicken in batches until golden on each side. Set the chicken aside and repeat until all chicken is cooked.
- To the same skillet with the drippings, add 3 tbsp butter, mushrooms, garlic & onion. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook out the water in the mushrooms and allow the mushrooms to get lightly golden.
- Stir in ¼ cup seasoned flour to the skillet and stir to coat. Cook for just a minute or two.
- Add 1½ cup Marsala wine and reduce by about half.
- Stir in 4 cups chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Add chicken back in and simmer 5 more minutes. Finish with plenty of fresh chopped parsley & 4 tbsp butter.
debi at Life Currents
I used to work at a restaurant that served chicken marsala; it was so popular. Yours looks even better than that version! My family will love this!
Brandi Burgess
It doesn’t get much better than this Classic Chicken Marsala!!!
michele
holy moly… this was amazing! The sauce flavored the pasta and the chicken was so tender! I’ll definitely be making this in our regular rotation!
Sandra Shaffer
Delicious and so simple to make. Even though there is only two of us at home most days I made the whole batch just so I could have leftovers! This is a keeper!
Amy Nash
This was such a fantastic dinner and so much easier than I thought it would be to make! My husband was super excited to eat this!