Next Post
Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Millionaire’s Bars.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
Absolutely love this! Now want to make it for company. Are there some make-ahead tips for any part of the recipe? Thanks!
Hey Mo,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! I would make through step 3 and then finish the recipe when you are ready to serve. ❄️
Thank you so much for replying!! I had to decide earlier today so I did make it all the way, then separated the chicken from the sauce and kept the reserved half of mushrooms separate too. Tonight I plan to put pull everything out of fridge to reach room temp then put Chicken in bottom of casserole dish, cover with the sauce and reheat in preheated 350 oven for about 20 min. Will put reserved half mushrooms on top, at room temp. I’ll let you know how it goes! Should’ve been more patient and waited for your response which came in just a couple hours!! Thank you!!
I hesitated to make this as the wine was $32.00. I’m so glad I splurged! This dish was delicious. As good, or better than any restaurant entreé. I served it over fettuccine. I am looking forward to making other recipe´s on your site. Thank you for your web site.
Hey there,
Happy Monday!! 💘 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Holy moly if I could give this 10 stars I would. This is my favorite recipe of yours that I’ve tried. I served it over mashed potatoes. The sauce was so creamy, flavorful, and decadent. Will absolutely be making this one again!
Hey Breana,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
Delicious. Made it with shiitake mushrooms, and the flavor was fantastic. Served with brown rice and a nice salad.
Hey Katherine,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Holy Smokes! This is one of the best of yours that we have tried! And that’s saying A LOT! I used bone in/skin on thighs and legs because that’s what I had on hand. No breading. Seasoned /oil and roasted in the oven for 40 mins on 400 then transferred to the Dutch oven to brown more and give me the crispies in the pan. Other than that, I followed the recipe and served over garlic mashed taters. My hubs is licking his plate and already looking forward to left overs for work tomorrow. 🙂
Hey Mel,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
This was absolutely delicious! I followed the directions but added time for the pasta based on package instructions! Will be making this again!
Hey Erin,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well! xT
This is one of the most incredible meals! My husband and I are loving this. I had to make some adjustments. I used sherry since I did not have Marsala wine, used greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. I served over mashed potatoes and a side of roasted broccoli. Paired with a nice bottle of Syrah. Perfection!!
Hey Kim,
Perfect!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xx
My boyfriend and I have a tracking spreadsheet of all your recipes we’ve tried with notes and ratings and for the longest time your spicy pesto penne alla vodka was #1 until we tried this! This was so good! Served it over some garlic mashed potatoes and we have a new favorite! Could eat this every day
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW!!! One of my favorite of yours, and I have made quite a few. It hit just right on this chilly January night. Easy to prepare but feels so elegant at the same time. Another one on the rotation board. Thanks again for making me feel like a chef in the kitchen, Tieghan!
Hey Jill,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Could you add orzo like the chicken artichoke Marcella recipe? Thanks
Hey Laura,
Sure, I bet that you would work well for you, you may need to add 1/2 cup chicken broth. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Delish! I’ve made it twice and my husband and I love this dish! I served it over pasta! Your recipes are all amazing!
Hey Cat,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
Whole family loved this dish! Will be making again:)
Hey Helen,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄
This is a really tasty recipe. However, I suspect the reduction stage of this recipe is key as my sauce was a little “soupy” despite my reducing according to the recipe instructions. I would advise really paying attention to reducing the wine broth mixture by half to get a thicker sauce.
Hey Jeannette,
Happy Friday!!☃️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
One of my favourite recipes. It’s so flavourful and easy to make.
Hey Lisa,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
Every recipe you provide is absolutely amazing. Chicken marsala is one of my favorites and omg.. I love it. Could eat it every day. Lol.
HBH never disappoints!
Thank you for all your hard work!
Hey Jillian,
Perfect!! ⛄️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Thanks for your kind message!! xx