Chicken Marsala

4.84 from 12 votes

This budget-friendly Chicken Marsala recipe is so rich and flavorful, you won't believe it didn't come from your favorite Italian restaurant!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Total Cost: $9.14 recipe / $2.28 serving

Servings: servings

Calories: 407kcal

Author: Jess Rice

Equipment

Rolling Pin
Heavy duty freezer bag
Mixing bowl
Large 12" skillet

Ingredients

Chicken

2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, $2.98
½ tsp salt divided, $0.02
1 tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.05
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning $0.30
½ cup all-purpose flour 1 Tbsp reserved, $0.04
3 Tbsp vegetable oil divided, $0.12

Marsala Sauce

1 tsp salt $0.03
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms sliced, (roughly 2 cups) $2.17*
½ white onion sliced thinly, $0.58**
½ cup Marsala cooking wine $2.33***
1 cup chicken broth $0.13****
2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley minced, $0.12
2 Tbsp salted butter $0.27

Instructions

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Place one chicken breast at a time in a heavy-duty freezer bag (unsealed) and use a tenderizing mallet (or a rolling pin…whatever is safe and sturdy that you have on hand) to hammer each one 1/4" thin, starting in the thicker middle part of the breasts and working your way to the ends. Repeat this process until all breast pieces are 1/4" thick and equally flat.
Combine ½ tsp salt, black pepper, dried Italian herb seasoning, and all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl, reserving 1 Tbsp of flour. Lightly coat the chicken breasts in the seasoning mixture and shake off excess flour. Transfer to a clean plate.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Try to not crowd your pan! You can do this in 2 batches if you need to. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a clean plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Turn the heat down to medium. Add 1 tsp sea salt, sliced mushrooms, and onions. Spread them out on the pan, flipping as needed so each mushroom piece browns, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom of your pan with a wooden spoon as you go; the browned bits on the bottom become a tasty part of your sauce!
Add the Marsala wine and broth to the pan, scraping the browned bits off the bottom again. Simmer until the liquid reduces by 1/3, about 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
Now, make a slurry with your reserved 1 Tbsp of flour; whisk the flour with a small amount of water or liquid from your cooking pan until there are no lumps. Then, whisk in the flour “slurry”, minced parsley, and butter until it has completely melted. Finally, add the chicken cutlets back, flipping them halfway, cooking for another 4 minutes total. Let the sauce thicken while the chicken finishes cooking in the sauce.
Garnish with additional minced parsley (optional) and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy over any pasta you have on hand!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Video

Notes

*Any mushroom will work here, but I highly suggest using baby bella mushrooms because they have a rich flavor and add earthiness to the dish!

**Yellow or sweet onion will also work in place of the white onion, so use whatever you have on hand.

***Marsala cooking wine has unique, sweet, rich, and smoky notes. Cooking wine is much more budget-friendly than straight Marsala wine since it is shelf-stable, so none will go to waste! Designated "cooking wines" are not meant to be drunk (though they do contain alcohol). They contain salt and other preservatives, which extend their shelf life. If you use straight Marsala wine (the kind you'd drink), make sure it's dry, not sweet.

****Chicken broth forms the savory base of the sauce. I use Better than Bouillon because it's super budget-friendly and easy to keep in the fridge. Vegetable bouillon or broth is also fine.

Nutrition