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Sometimes I forget how good chicken marsala is, and when I have it I’m like, why don’t I eat this every day?!
Inspired by Cheesecake Factory’s recipe, this chicken marsala features golden brown chicken breasts, simmered in a creamy mushroom marsala sauce and served over tender pasta.
If you haven’t tried chicken marsala, get ready to fall in love! And if you have, you’ll love this easy recipe that you can make in your own kitchen.
What is Chicken Marsala?
Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish named after Marsala wine, a fortified wine from the Sicilian city of Marsala.
The dish typically features pan-fried chicken breasts cooked with mushrooms in a Marsala wine sauce. The wine lends a sweet and nutty flavor to this classic recipe, creating a savory and rich sauce that is loved for its depth of flavors and comforting qualities.
Ingredients for Chicken Marsala
You’ll need these simple ingredients to make Cheesecake Factory’s chicken marsala:
- Boneless chicken breasts
- Dry marsala wine. You won’t need a separate trip to the liquor store, as you can usually find marsala wine in the regular grocery store.
- Mushrooms. It’s unclear which type of mushroom the Cheesecake Factory recipe uses, and some copycat recipes call for cremini mushrooms, but I recommend using plain button mushrooms.
- Chicken broth. You could also use chicken stock, if preferred.
- Heavy Cream
- All purpose flour
- Butter
- Garlic
- Pasta. The Cheesecake Factory chicken marsala recipe uses farfalle, or bowtie, pasta.
How to Make Chicken Marsala
Cook the Chicken
Start by dredging the chicken in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper. This will just give it a thin coating.
Cook the chicken in a pan of butter and olive oil over medium heat. The cooking time will vary depending on how thick your chicken cutlets are, but it should take around 7-8 minutes per side to cook through.
If you have a thermometer, check to see that the cooked chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees before removing it from the pan.
Keep the cooked chicken warm on a separate plate while you make the sauce.
Boil the Pasta
Cook the pasta to al dente, drain it and set it aside. This can also be done while you’re making the sauce.
Make the Creamy Marsala Wine Sauce
To the pan that you used for the chicken, add a few more tablespoons of butter, followed by the mushrooms, flour, salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms until they start to soften and release their liquid.
Now, deglaze the pan with the marsala wine. Deglazing a pan means that you’re adding a liquid to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of a pan that are left after searing meats.
So once you raise the heat on that wine, scrape any browned bits you see on the pan. Those browned bits have so much flavor!
Finally, stir in the cream and chicken broth. This will turn the rich marsala wine sauce from a deep brown color to a lighter brown color.
Nestle the tender chicken breasts back into the pan and simmer everything together for about 15 minutes. The creamy sauce will thicken and it will be just perfect!
Serving Suggestions for Chicken Marsala
Serve this chicken marsala over a bed of cooked pasta to soak up the flavorful marsala wine sauce.
Alternatively, you can pair it with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.
A side of sautéed vegetables or a simple green salad adds freshness and balance to the meal.
How to Store Chicken Marsala
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll stay fresh for several days.
Leftovers can be easily reheated in the microwave.
What is a good substitute for marsala wine?
If you don’t have marsala wine, madeira wine can be substituted.
Without marsala wine, you’ll have a tough time making chicken marsala. But madeira wine is a similar enough fortified wine that you can use in a pinch.
Be sure to opt for the dry version of madeira, as opposed to the sweet version.
When you make this chicken marsala recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below.
Enjoy!
For more chicken dinner recipes, try these:
- The Best Crispy Chicken Thighs (Keto Friendly)
- Oven Baked Italian Chicken Tenders
- Easy and Creamy Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pasta
For more Italian dinner recipes, try these:
- Lasagna al Forno (Baked Pasta Bolognese)
- Best Ever Chicken Piccata (One Pan Recipe)
- Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake
Chicken Marsala Recipe (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lb. bowtie pasta
- 8 oz. mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup dry marsala wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. salt divided
- 3/4 tsp. black pepper divided
- fresh parsley garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook and drain pasta according to package directions for al dente. Set aside.
- Combine 1/2 cup of flour, 1 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Heat olive oil with 2Tbsp. of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and place it into the pan. Cook chicken until it's browned on both sides and cooked through the center, about 7-8 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
- Add the remaining butter. Stir in 1 Tbsp. of flour, 1 tsp. of salt, 1/2 tsp. of pepper and the sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have softened and released liquid.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until sizzling.
- Pour in the wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Stir in the cream and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Put the chicken back into the pan and simmer 15 minutes.
- Serve the chicken and sauce over pasta.
Roman says
I have a question before I make this. What kind of marsala wine is used in this recipe ?
as I remember there 2 kinds.
1) is sweet
2) the other is dry.
Thank you
Roman
Jackie says
Hi Roman,
Good catch, I’ve updated the recipe card to clarify that you should use the dry kind of marsala. Let me know how you like it! 🙂