Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken & Prep
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
- 5 g salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 30 g all-purpose flour
Searing & Sauce Base
- 30 ml olive oil
- 45 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 225 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 2 garlic, minced
Liquids & Garnish
- 120 ml dry marsala wine
- 120 ml unsalted chicken broth
- 10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 502 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbohydrates
- 14 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 701 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 14 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 121 mg
- Potassium
- 677 mg
- Calcium
- 46 mg
- Iron
- 1.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 52 mg
- Phosphorus
- 352 mg
- Zinc
- 2.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 124 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 47 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.18 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.45 mg
- Niacin
- 17.3 mg
- Folate
- 29 mcg
- Water
- 219 g
- Alcohol
- 5 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the chicken cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, gently pound them to an even 6 millimeter thickness. Always wash hands, utensils, and surfaces thoroughly with hot, soapy water immediately after handling raw poultry to prevent cross-contamination.
Season the pounded chicken evenly on both sides with the salt and black pepper. Place the all-purpose flour in a shallow dish and coat each cutlet lightly, shaking off any excess flour.
Heat the olive oil and 15 grams of the unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken cutlets and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 74 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit).
Transfer the fully cooked chicken cutlets to a clean plate. Cover them loosely with foil to keep them warm while you prepare the sauce.
In the same skillet, add the sliced cremini mushrooms. Spread them into an even layer and cook completely undisturbed for 3 minutes to develop a rich brown crust. Stir with a wooden spoon and continue cooking for another 2 minutes until their moisture has evaporated.
Lower the skillet heat to medium. Add the minced shallot and garlic to the browned mushrooms. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon to prevent the garlic from burning.
Pour in the dry Marsala wine to deglaze the skillet. Use the wooden spoon to actively scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine boil and reduce by half.
Pour the unsalted chicken broth into the skillet. Bring the mixture back to a gentle simmer and let it cook until the sauce thickens slightly and can lightly coat the back of your spoon.
Remove the skillet completely from the heat. Add the remaining 30 grams of cold unsalted butter, swirling the pan continuously until the butter melts entirely, creating a glossy and emulsified sauce.
Return the resting chicken cutlets, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate, back to the skillet. Turn the chicken over once using tongs to completely coat it in the warm Marsala sauce. Garnish with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Always choose Dry Marsala rather than Sweet Marsala for savory dinner dishes; sweet Marsala is best reserved for desserts like zabaglione.
- Pounding the chicken cutlets to an even thickness ensures they cook uniformly and rapidly, preventing the exterior from drying out before the interior reaches a safe temperature.
- The residual flour on the exterior of the seared chicken acts as a natural thickening agent for the sauce once the chicken is returned to the pan.
- When deglazing, the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan are called the fond. This fond is essential as it provides the foundational savory backbone of your finished sauce.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The sauce may thicken significantly when chilled.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze in an airtight container. Mushrooms may experience a slight textural change upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth or water to loosen the sauce.
Troubleshooting
The sauce is too thin and watery
Cause: The wine and broth were not reduced enough, or the chicken was not properly dredged in flour
Fix: Remove the chicken and simmer the sauce vigorously for another 2 to 3 minutes, or whisk in a tiny pinch of cornstarch slurried with cold water.
Prevention: Allow the liquids to aggressively simmer and reduce before removing from heat. Ensure chicken has a light, even coat of flour.
Mushrooms are rubbery and grey instead of browned
Cause: The pan was too crowded or the mushrooms were stirred too frequently
Fix: Cannot be fixed once fully cooked, but will still taste fine in the sauce.
Prevention: Cook mushrooms in a single layer and leave them completely undisturbed for the first few minutes.
Cultural Context
Chicken Marsala is a quintessential Italian-American classic, tracing its foundational roots to Western Sicily where Marsala wine has been produced since the late 18th century. While traditional Sicilian cooking features meat dishes braised with wine reductions, the specific combination of quick-fried floured chicken cutlets, mushrooms, and a velvety pan sauce is a hallmark of mid-20th century Italian-American restaurant cuisine.
