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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.

Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Chicken Marsala | halfbakedharvest.com

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

Spicy Pesto Pasta Alla Vodka

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

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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.

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Ingredients

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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.
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is the best chicken marsala I have ever had. Definitely make extra sauce as it is so delicious over mashed potatoes!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Cathie,
      Amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed:)

      Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Wow, this is SO delicious! The sauce has the perfect flavor, I couldn’t get enough! I think I’ll double the amount of the sauce next time to have some extra. Thank you for another delicious recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hey Rachel,
      Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a tasty one! xxT

      Reply

    1. Hi Suzann,
      Coconut milk will work well for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  4. 5 stars
    unreal. super easy recipe to follow and actually so so yummy. everyone should make this. I LOVED it.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sarafina!
      Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this recipe! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Easy recipe to follow. I used the breasts from a whole chicken deboning them and cutting them into the two tenders and then sliced the breasts thin and ended up with 8 pieces. Used fresh mushrooms from the farmers market. Mixed some cooking sherry and rose together because that is what was here. Served with orzo and a mixed salad.

    Wonderful recipe and result on the plate.

    Reply

    1. Hi Michael,
      Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I am so glad it was a winner:) Have the best week! xx

      Reply

  6. This may be the best chicken marsala recipe I’ve ever made! Very rich and delicious -I served it with rice but next tine will try mashed potatoes. I love all your recipe’s and can’t wait to try more.

    Reply

    1. Hi Michele,
      Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! I hope you had a great holiday weekend!?

      Reply

    1. Hey Bonnie,
      Sure, I would just add 10-15 minutes to you cook time. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

      Reply

  8. Hi Tieghan – my husband I absolutely love this recipe. It was so easy to make and the taste was delish! I reserved some of the flour/garlic powder mixture and added a little into the pan at the very end to thicken the sauce up – my husband’s preference. The result was a delicious meal. Truly enjoying making your recipes.

    Reply

    1. Hey Trudy,
      Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! Thanks so much for your kind message! ?xxT

      Reply

  9. 5 stars
    Made this for my husband and myself the other night, and it was so good! I’ve always been a sucker for chicken marsala. Thank you so much for sharing this excellent recipe that I’m sure to make again!

    Reply

    1. Hey Brittany,
      Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hi Taylor,
      Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx

      Reply

  11. 5 stars
    I love this recipe, and make it at least every two weeks. I grill my chicken on the grill then add it in later, just to make things faster. The mushrooms and sauce are a more modern update on stroganoff and I can’t get enough! Cheers to another great recipe.

    Reply

    1. Hey Jenn,
      Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. Hi! I love this recipe and have made it about 10 times already, but I’m having my in-laws over and they are dairy-free, is there a heavy cream alternative you suggest?

    Reply

    1. Hey McKenna,
      So glad you have been enjoying this recipe!! Coconut cream will work well for you:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    This was SO good. Exactly what I was craving. I often use a night when my husband is away to make something with lots of mushrooms cause he doesn’t appreciate them the way any good human should. This was perfect. I put it over a thick spaghetti noodle and it was amazing. The only tweak was that I added about 2 tsp of Dijon at the end of the sauce making for a little kick of acid. Also some parm and (as recommended) fresh parsley over the pasta. Divine!

    Reply

    1. Hi Cherryl,
      Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it. Have the best week:) xx

      Reply