Healthy and Easy Chicken Marsala…A One Pot Meal
An easy and healthy chicken marsala is just 20 minutes away! This classic Italian favorite is full of mushrooms and sweet marsala wine and is sure to please all the mushroom lovers in the house!
Years ago, back in my good ole’ waitressing days, I worked at an amazing Italian restaurant. Everything there was delicious. But by far one of the most popular dishes on the menu was the chicken marsala. An aromatic dish of chicken, browned mushrooms and sweet marsala wine. It just so happens that my hubby adores mushrooms. Me, not so much.
I hate to sound negative, but truth be told I can’t stand the fungi. I know, I know what you are thinking: what chef or even foodie hates fungi…(two thumbs point upwards and to self) this girl! The texture, the flavor, pretty much everything about them really eek me out. But, I do love to cook with them. And hubby loves to eat them. I gotta say though with this dish, the chicken and the sauce is so good, even I are it. I just brush off all the shroomies and handed them over to my hubs.
Being the good girlfriend that I was, I always brought home a nice order of the chicken marsala to hubby (then just a boyfriend) and watched him lick the plate clean. He always gave me the side of penne with marinara that came with it, while he searched for some crusty bread to mop the sauce off the plate.
Years later, after we had moved in together I vowed to recreate the marsala for him. It took me a couple of tries and after a couple of different recipe variations, I finally got it juuuuuust right.
It’s super simple yet getting the right proportions down is the key. I also simplified this recipe a great deal. Which in turn led to a much stronger depth of flavor and less calories. Here are a few differences that I have done to add flavor and eliminate the fat.
How Do You Make Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms?
1. I no longer dredge the chicken in flour. I just find it’s unnecessary. Yes technically it does give the chicken a bit more chewy texture and flavor, but I get along without it just fine. Plus this also mean I get to skip a step and a dish.
2. I reduce my sauce TWICE. Yes twice. I first add some marsala wine to the pan when I add the shallots and the mushrooms and let it simmer. Why? Because then the mushrooms soak up all that glorious wine. Once the shrooms look how I want them to look I add the second shot of wine along with the chicken broth and then we add our chicken in.
3. The sauce CAN BE finished off simply with a touch of half and half that makes everything feel fine. I have made it without it many times, and it is just as good, I promise.
When I served it to the hubby, he gobbled up every last fungus off his plate and I felt mighty fine for cooking up a restaurant meal for half the price, plus left overs. Dinner well done.
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Dreamy Chicken Marsala
Description
This classic Italian Chicken Marsala is full of mushrooms and sweet marsala wine and is perfect for a quick weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 1.5 Pounds Chicken Cutlets (or buy your own chicken breast and slice them thinly)
- 1 10 Oz Package of Crimini Mushrooms
- 1 Shallot (Chopped Small)
- 2 cup Marsala wine (or a sweet wine such as a Sherry)
- 1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
- 1/2 cup half and half (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
- Diced tomatoes for garnish
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Olive oil for sauteeing
Instructions
- Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan until it is bubbling.
- Saute chicken on both sides until it develops a nice crust.
- Remove the chicken to another plate.
- Reduce heat to medium high and add shallots and more olive oil if necessary. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and scrape up the bottom to remove all the yummy bits.
- Add the mushrooms and ONE cup of Marsala wine.
- Continue sauteeing until the sauce is reduced and the mushrooms are rich in color, about 15 minutes.
- Pour in marsala wine. Again scrape the bottom of the pan with the rubber spatula or wooden spoon. This is called deglazing.
- Add in chicken back into the pan and nestle into the sauce and mushrooms.
- Let reduce by half and add chicken stock. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
- Add in the half and half if desired. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley to serve
Notes
1. A little tip for browning your mushrooms: DO NOT put salt in until the end. Salt draws out moisture and moisture will prevent the caramelization process.
2. Feel free to add in some quartered potatoes into the mix at the same time as the mushrooms for the ultimate one pot meal.
- Category: dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Mila, I may have a hard time getting off your blog today!!! Did I already tell you how excited I am that I have found you?! Hehe I keep seeing more recipes I want to check out. I LOVE mushrooms, as does my youngest son, but the rest of the family can’t stand them. However my husband doesn’t mind the flavor…it’s just the texture for him. So I cook with them and then my youngest son and I get all the mushrooms. What could be better than that?! Definitely trying this…pinned it as well.
Michelle! You are a doll! The funny thing is… I hate mushrooms!!! But the hubby loves them! So I make them quite frequently! I plan on posting my easy roasted mushrooms this week as well!!! And you better believe as soon as I get to my computer I will be checking your site out 🙂
I’m sure it’s good for this to be healthy but my goodness it looks SO delicious! Can I have your mushrooms? 🙂
Haha! Thank you Maureen!!! Yes you can have my mushrooms 🙂
I adore Chicken Marsala and make it at home. Yours looks incredible! Love the dot of color from the tomatoes too. What beautiful photos.
Thank you so much Patty!!!
One of my favorite dishes, can’t wait to try your recipe. Looks delicious.
Thank you so much!
I love chicken marsala! This looks so comforting and delicious! A classic – excited to try your recipe, Mila!
Thank you Jess!!!! Appreciate the kind words 🙂
Hmm… I don’t think my previous comment went through (doh!) So if this is duplicate, feel free to delete 🙂 So anyway, I was just saying that I’d marry you if you recreated this dish for me! I love your techniques of skipping the dredging process and twice reducing the sauce – cut the calories and amp up the flavor. Sounds like a win-win to me!
Thanks Kathleen… If I get to move to Cali I accept your proposal 😉
Your photos….GORGEOUS. PS Agree with not dredging in flour. I only do this for things like fish now. I don’t even do it for casseroles – I find it leaves a slight burnt flavour in the stew! PINNING!
Omg Nagi!!! Thank you so much!!! I wasn’t sure how I felt about the photos … But you have confirmed some happy thoughts for me 🙂
And yes why add the calories with flour when you don’t need them 🙂
Your pictures are gorgeous girl! Pinning to a few boards right now! Not dredging sounds perfect and I love the sauce! Awesome dish!
Omg thank you!!! I credit Nagi for helping me brighten the pics up 😉
They are gorgeous! Great job guys!
Your photos are fantastic! I’d pick out all the mushrooms if I could have me a helping! This sounds fantastic! Reducing the sauce twice must make this so so flavorful!
Thank you shashi!!!! Yea I accidentally learned the double reduction thing and really loved it!!!
Absolutely gorgeous, Mila, and I love that you left out the flour. I find it so funny that you like the taste of the chicken cooked in mushrooms but you don’t like the little fungi, lol. Probably a texture thing, right?
Your pictures, your recipe – brilliant! I so enjoy visiting your blog, Sweetie – always a bright spot in my week 🙂
Omg Robyn!!!! What an awesome comment!!! Made my day! And yes I’m a freak… It’s a texture and taste thing… But I guess the Marsala wine covers up the taste of the shrooms just enough 😉
You had me at ONE PAN!! 😉
Gigi… A lot of recipes on here are one pan 🙂
Well Mila, looks like I have some STALKING to do! 😉
Please do 🙂 I would appreciate it!
i made it yesterday for my family. and my family like it so much. it was the best sunday i spent with my family. thanks to you for share recipe with us
Awwwww what an awesome comment Geeta. That is so kind of you!!! I am so glad you and the family enjoyed it!
This looks so exciting. I am cooking for my girl tonight. Can’t wait to try it.
Kasper! I am so excited to hear your feedback!
Well, THIS was delicious – VERY SWEET though – is marsala supposed to be? LOL I wasn’t sure. Maybe I somehow messed up BUT the hubs and I loved this, and the no flour = perfect for me, I have celiac and hate extra steps, I DID add corn starch to thicken the sauce 😉 YUM
Hi Amber! Yes Marsala is a dessert wine so it is supposed to be sweet 😉 you can always add some citrus at the end to balance things out 🙂
Hello, I’m so excited to try the recipe I loveeee chicken Marsala and yours looks delicious. I wanted to know if I should use red potatoes or brown. So excited can’t wait!
I would use red 🙂
I have made this and it looks and the sauce tastes great! My husband however will not be home in time to eat it. Would you recommend keeping the garnish (parsley and tomato) aside until its time to eat it if it has to wait until tomorrow?
Yup exactly!!!!