Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms (Print Version)

Tender chicken breasts cooked in a rich mushroom sauce with savory Italian-American flavors.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
03 - ½ cup all-purpose flour (65 g), for dredging

→ Cooking Fat

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

→ Mushrooms & Aromatics

06 - 10 oz 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 (240 ml)
10 - ¼ cup unsweetened white grape juice (60 ml)
11 - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
12 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

→ Finishing Touch

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

# Preparation Steps:

01 - Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound to ½-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
02 - Coat each breast evenly with all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess.
03 - Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breasts 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
04 - Reduce heat to medium, add remaining tablespoon of butter. Sauté mushrooms until browned, about 5 minutes. Add shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
05 - Add chicken broth, white grape juice, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, scraping pan bottom to deglaze. Simmer until sauce reduces by half, about 8 to 10 minutes.
06 - Return chicken and any collected juices to the skillet. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until heated through and coated with sauce.
07 - Sprinkle chopped parsley over chicken. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • No wine required, but tastes richer and more complex than you'd expect from simple pantry staples.
  • The chicken cooks so quickly that this becomes a weeknight dinner that still feels special.
  • Those browned mushrooms soak up every bit of sauce, making even skeptics ask for seconds.
02 -
  • If you skip the pounding step, some parts of the chicken will overcook while others stay undercooked—trust the process even though it feels like an extra step.
  • The magic happens when you actually let the mushrooms brown instead of crowd the pan; give them space and patience, and they become the real star of the dish.
  • Once you return the chicken to the pan, keep the heat at a simmer, not a rolling boil, or the sauce breaks and the chicken toughens up in the last seconds.
03 -
  • Don't skip the deglazing step—those browned bits on the bottom of the pan are where half the flavor lives, and a wooden spoon and a little sauce liquid is all it takes to release them.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks greasy, whisk in a tablespoon of cold water off the heat and let it rest for a minute; the emulsion usually comes back together beautifully.

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