The Best Chicken Marsala Recipe
Here I'll share with you the easiest and most delicious way to serve the classic Chicken Marsala!
Servings: 4
Cost: £4 / $5
Equipment
- Large Pan & Tongs
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Wooden Spoon
- Large Shallow Dish (for dredging chicken)
- Jug (for stock)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2x 250g / 9oz Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp
- 40g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp EACH: Olive Oil, Unsalted Butter
Marsala Sauce
- 3 tbsp / 45g Unsalted Butter (see notes)
- 2 Shallots, very finely diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, very finely diced
- 200g / 7oz Baby Button Mushrooms, sliced
- 160ml / 2/3 cup Dry Marsala Wine (see notes)
- 160ml / 2/3 cup Chicken Stock
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
- 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Horizontally slice each chicken breast right through the centre to create 4 even-sized breasts.
- In a large shallow dish combine the flour, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Dredge each chicken breast through the flour, then shake off excess and place to one side.
- Add 1 tbsp oil and butter to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and fry both sides for a few mins, or until golden on the outside and just about cooked through the centre. Remove them from the pan and place them to one side.
- Lower the heat slightly to medium, then melt in 2 tbsp butter (save the final tbsp for later). Add the shallots and fry for a couple of mins until they soften, but aren't quite yet turning golden. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds or so, then add in the mushrooms and fry until soft and golden.
- Raise the heat to high and pour in the marsala wine. Simmer for 3 mins to reduce it by a little over half. Lower the heat back down to medium and stir in the stock and cream.
- Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, around 7-10 mins (it will thicken, just keep simmering and stirring away). Add the final tbsp of butter and swiftly stir until it melts and emulsifies with the sauce. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
- Add the chicken back in the pan and baste in the sauce to coat it and warm it through. Garnish with parsley then serve up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
a) What is Marsala Wine? - This is a fortified wine from the region of Marsala in Sicily. It's got a rich, slightly sweet and nutty flavour.
b) When can I find Marsala Wine? - You'll find it in some supermarkets, but more likely in wine shops and Italian grocers. Failing that you can always pick things like this up online. Just make sure it's DRY marsala wine, not sweet (which is more commonly used in desserts).
c) What can I sub the wine with? - The marsala is of course an essential ingredient in chicken marsala. If you're looking for something similar without wine I recommend going for my Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken.
d) Reducing the wine/thickening the sauce - The more you reduce the wine, the less intense the flavour will be. I find a rapid 3 minute simmer, plus the extra simmering with the chicken/stock results in a good balance without the wine being too overpowering. The sauce will thicken, especially once the chicken is added back in because of the flour. Just make sure it's heavy/double cream you're using!
e) Butter - I always like using unsalted butter, just to get more control over the saltiness of the dish. If you only have salted butter, it's not a deal breaker, just don't chuck in a load of salt in the sauce before you've taste tested beforehand. I like to add a final tbsp of butter right at the end to create a silky, buttery finish. I like to keep the final tbsp of butter in the fridge until the last second. It helps thicken the sauce a little.
f) Serving - Here I've served with Mashed Potato and Asparagus. Rice or even Roast Potatoes would work - anything to mop up that lovely sauce!
g) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4 with no sides and assuming half of the flour mix attaches to the chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.96g | Protein: 31.03g | Fat: 28.19g | Saturated Fat: 15.113g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.809g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.236g | Trans Fat: 0.467g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 374mg | Potassium: 612mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 3.04g | Vitamin A: 941IU | Vitamin C: 10.6mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2.06mg