Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms (Printable)

Tender chicken breasts cooked in a rich mushroom sauce with aromatic herbs and a flavorful savory blend.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
03 - 0.5 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging

→ Cooking Fat

04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Mushrooms & Aromatics

06 - 10 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped

→ Marsala Sauce Substitute

09 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 0.25 cup unsweetened white grape juice
11 - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
12 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

→ Finishing Touch

13 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
14 - Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Place chicken breasts between plastic wrap sheets and gently pound to 0.5-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
02 - Dredge each breast in all-purpose flour, shaking off excess.
03 - Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.
04 - Lower heat to medium. Add remaining butter, then mushrooms; sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add shallot and garlic; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add chicken broth, grape juice, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to skillet. Stir, scraping pan bottom to deglaze. Simmer until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.
06 - Return chicken and juices to skillet. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes to heat through and coat with sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve with optional lemon wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Tastes like restaurant food but comes together in under an hour with ingredients you probably already have.
  • The sauce is so good you'll want to soak it up with bread, and nobody will know you skipped the wine.
  • It's elegant enough for guests but homey enough for a Tuesday when you need comfort.
02 -
  • Don't overcrowd the pan when searing the chicken—if it's too crowded, it steams instead of browns, and you'll lose that restaurant-quality crust.
  • The sauce needs those 8–10 minutes to reduce and concentrate; if you rush it, you end up with watery Marsala instead of something rich and coating.
  • Adding the chicken back with its juices matters—those are pure chicken flavor that rounds out the sauce and keeps everything moist.
03 -
  • If your sauce seems too thin after reducing, turn the heat up and let it bubble more aggressively—reduction is everything in making a sauce that clings to the chicken instead of sliding off.
  • Let the pan get properly hot before adding the chicken—a cool pan means steaming instead of searing, and searing is what makes this taste like restaurant food.

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