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This Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Chicken Marsala makes for the best any night of the week dinner that feels extra special. Lightly breaded chicken seared until golden with nutty browned butter. The chicken is finished in a simple marsala wine pan sauce with caramelized balsamic mushrooms. It’s delicious, especially when served over creamy, herby mashed potatoes or pasta. Every bite is layered with delicious, hearty flavors and caramelized mushrooms. The perfect way to spend a relaxing night in the kitchen with family and friends.
Mondays should be all about thirty-minute skillet dinners like this, especially during these short December days. This is one of those recipes that looks and tastes like it took time to prepare, but really it’s the simplest.
This recipe started out completely different, but I’m so happy with where I landed. This is delicious guys.
When I started working on this recipe, there wasn’t any kind of marsala sauce involved. I was working on creating a creamy balsamic chicken, and while the idea sounded good, the outcome was a very dark and odd-looking dish with very little visual appeal.
Since I’m all about presentation and food that looks as delicious as it tastes, I decided to forget about the recipe, it didn’t feel that special to me. And I, of course, want everything I share with you guys to be overly delicious and pretty.
So I left it alone for a couple of days. But then, someone in my family mentioned chicken marsala. This got me thinking, what if I combined the balsamic chicken and the chicken marsala into one dish.
I could caramelize the mushrooms in balsamic vinegar, then toss the chicken in a creamy marsala wine sauce. It sounded even more delicious than my original idea, so I gave it try, and now here we are.
A balsamic and marsala chicken hybrid! It’s crazy what few tweaks in a recipe can really do to make something DELICIOUS.
I am excited about this one. I love when recipes form and develop over time, they always end up being my favorites.
The simple details.
If you love a good chicken marsala, you’ll love this slight twist even more. It’s all about those caramelized balsamic mushrooms.
Start with the chicken. If you’ve made chicken parmesan this is very similar. Just dredge the chicken through a mix of flour, then pan-sear it in a hot skillet. This allows the chicken to form a nice golden crust on the outside. Using thin chicken cutlets is key. The thin chicken cooks evenly and browns nicely in a short amount of time.
Tip: if your grocery store does not carry chicken cutlets, as a swap, try asking your butcher to pound out chicken breasts for you. This is super easy to do at home, but truthfully…it’s just not that much fun. The butcher can quickly pound out the chicken and save you the trouble…and the mess.
Also, you can easily make this chicken gluten-free by replacing the flour with almond flour. Or use your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I like cup4cup).
Pan-sear the chicken, then add in the butter. The butter browns around the chicken creating an even more delicious flavor.
Now the mushrooms, the best part! You want to thinly slice the shrooms, then let them crisp in a little olive oil. Once they’ve cooked down, just add a splash of balsamic vinegar and let the sauce caramelize over the mushrooms. It’s so simple but so delicious.
Once caramelized toss in a bit of butter, shallots, garlic, and lots of thyme. Again, allow that butter to brown, creating an even more delicious flavor.
At this point, just add in the wine, simmer until reduced, then stir in the cream. Allow everything to simmer and thicken into a delicious creamy sauce.
What to serve this creamy balsamic mushroom chicken marsala with…
Well, you guys know me, I love my carbs. I served this saucy, creamy chicken over my slow cooker mashed potatoes. Twas’ delicious.
Other sides that would be great? Definitely any kind of pasta, steamed rice, or if you are looking for something on the lighter side, spaghetti squash is always a delicious, healthy option.
You can’t go wrong either way. The sauce makes just about anything you serve alongside it great. One thing that is a must? Crusty bread for moping up the extra sauce. You just have to do it.
My mom taught me well.
Looking for other simple dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo
Herby Buttered Balsamic Mushroom Ravioli
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Chicken Marsala, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Chicken Marsala
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 731 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets, or 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cups shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup dry marsala wine
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour and garlic powder in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through the flour mix, pressing to adhere.2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Add 1 tablespoon butter and allow the butter to brown around the chicken, about 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet.3. To the skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden. Add 2 tablespoons butter, the shallots, garlic, thyme, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 4-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the balsamic vinegar. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms have caramelized. Spoon half the mushrooms out of the skillet and onto the plate with the chicken. 4. Pour in the wine and broth. Cook 10-15 minutes until reduced slightly, then pour in the cream. Add the chicken to the skillet and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through and thickened slightly. Spoon the reserved mushrooms over the chicken. 5. Serve the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes, pasta, or steamed rice. Top with fresh thyme or parsley.
Fabulous Fabulous Dish!!! Thank you for the recipe! (I served it with mashed potatoes and oven roasted asparagus). My dinner guests gave rave reviews!
This recipe will definitely be in my “company worthy “ folder ?
Hey Becky,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
Absolutely delicious! I overcooked my chicken a little bit so next time I’ll go less time in the beginning. Didn’t read it closely enough to see it was going to simmer a little longer.
Will definitely make again.
Any tips on how to peel shallots quicker? And would this go over polenta well?
Hi Shannon,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! You can smash the shallots like you would with garlic and that should help to peel them. Yes, you could definitely serve over polenta. Have the best week:) xTieghan
Oh SO good! The recipe was super easy to follow. I have made it several times for my family and we love it. The best part – dinner guests told me it was the best Chicken Marsala they’ve ever had!!!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! Have the best week:) xTieghan
BEST recipe ever!! Made the mushrooms ahead of time and also had the chicken seasoned with flour and garlic ready to go as well-this enabled having lots of time to be with my guests before finishing the recipe and serving. Everyone absolutely loved it and this will definitely be my “go to” again.
Hi Nancy,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx
I made this tonight after craving chicken marsala for like. I have a few recipes in different cookbooks that I almost tried, but the crushed red pepper & balsamic vinegar in this one intrigued me.
WOW! Glad I did this one. These two ingredients added so much flavor that this recipe is going to be in my recipe rotation! I don’t even wanna try the other recipes from my other cookbooks.
I will say .. I definitely need to add more mushrooms next time I make this. I don’t know why I thought six would be enough after dicing them. I’m lazy and typically buy pre-cut sliced mushrooms but they didn’t have cremini ones already sliced. My grocery store (thanks Arizona *eyeroll*) didn’t carry shallots either so I subbed a red onion and did half of one. Great flavor! Can’t wait to cook this again! Thanks for a great recipe Tieghan! <3
Hey Cydney,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try!! Have the best day:) xx
This was sooo easy and delicious! I love the tangy balsamic mushrooms they add a wonderful contrast with the creamy sauce. Plus you cook everything in one pan, soooo tasty!
Hey Deidre,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing!!!! The flavors go together perfectly! I literally make it every week!!!
Hey Bridget,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Yum. Will make again for sure!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
It was wonderful
Hey Beth,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Would you think it would be OK to make this recipe the day before, assemble it and heat in oven prior to dinner for 30 mins?
Thanks, Chris
Hey Chris,
I don’t think this would be the best recipe for that, the chicken would probably dry out and the sauce would break. Let me know if you have any other questions!! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight with my husband, was fun to make together and amazingly delicious. Used almond flour and mashed potatoes. Will most definitely make this again and again!
Hey Angie,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:) xT
This was wonderful! Definitely making it again. I only had sweet Marsala on hand and almond flour. I made zoodles and steamed green beans. Loved it. Thank you!
Hey Sarah,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Such a great recipe!! My husband and I loved it!
Hey Renee,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Wow! I felt like a real chef! That was so dang good! Honestly it will be a household staple at this point! thank you!!!
Hey Kristi,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was a winner!! xTieghan
Making this for about the 12th time! Sons birthday dinner request. I have to admit I buy the Simply Potatoes (mashed/whipped) they are so easy and tast great! Love love love ❤️
Hey Shari,
Love to hear this!! Happy Birthday to you son!! xTieghan
Hey! I want to make this tonight – I am wondering if regular red wine is ok to use instead of Marsala? Or what would you suggest?! I love this recipe I’ve made it before, but what to perfect it 🙂
Hey Sarah,
Sure, that would be fine to use, you could also use beef broth. Please let me know if you give the dish a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I am not a Chef but in my opinion red wine would not be a good substitute for sherry in this recipe. Sherry imparts a distinctive mellow umami like flavor. If anything I believe a White Wine or Dry Vermouth would be a better substitute. Just my thoughts, Helen
Where do you see sherry in the recipe?