Chicken Marsala Recipe

Prepare and pound

Pat the chicken breasts dry. Slice each breast in half horizontally to make two thinner cutlets (or butterfly and then gently pound between parchment to about 1/2 inch thickness). Season both sides with salt and black pepper.

Dredge

Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge each seasoned cutlet in the flour, shaking off excess, and set aside on a plate.

Brown the chicken

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 2–3 cutlets (do not crowd) and cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to a warm plate and repeat with remaining oil, butter, and cutlets. Keep chicken warm; do not clean the pan.

Cook mushrooms

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet if needed. Add sliced mushrooms in an even layer and let them brown undisturbed for 3–4 minutes, then stir and cook another 2 minutes until lightly caramelized and any liquid has mostly evaporated.

Add aromatics

Push mushrooms to the side, add the minced shallot and cook 1 minute until fragrant, then add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the fresh thyme leaves.

Deglaze with Marsala

Pour the 3 tablespoons Marsala wine into the hot pan to deglaze, scraping up browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Allow the wine to reduce by about half, about 1–2 minutes, over medium heat.

Add stock and finish sauce

Stir in the 3 tablespoons chicken stock and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Let simmer 1–2 minutes. Stir in the 2 tablespoons heavy cream and simmer another 1 minute to combine. If you prefer a thicker sauce, mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the simmering sauce and cook 30–60 seconds until thickened.

Return chicken to pan

Return the browned chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet, spooning sauce and mushrooms over the cutlets. Simmer gently 1–2 minutes just to rewarm and finish cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Garnish and serve

Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the chicken and sauce. Serve immediately over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice as desired.