If you have been searching for a Chicken Marsala recipe without cream, you have landed in the right place! I’m so happy you are here. I’ll be the first to say it. This dish is just plain delicious. Golden pan fried chicken is smothered in a luxurious wine and butter sauce and served with flavor packed mushrooms that melt in your mouth. It is one of my all time favorite recipes and one I love to make for company.
Please…stop reserving chicken marsala for date nights out! It may feel a tad fancy, but you may be surprised just how quick and easy it really is. You can easily pull this off at home. Even on a weeknight. It’s truly one of the easier recipes on the blog, so let’s get to it.
Tips for Preparing Chicken Marsala
1. Keep your pan heated to the right temperature.
You want to get your pan hot enough that it will form a golden crust on the chicken, but not so hot that you burn the brown bits that will be left behind in the pan. These tiny golden bits add so much flavor to the sauce when you deglaze your pan. I keep my burner on medium heat, but you may need to adjust up or down as the chicken cooks to make sure everything stays nice and golden brown.
2. Let the sauce simmer for the full 15 minutes.
15 minutes may seem like a long time to wait, but you want to give the sauce a full 15 minutes for all of the flavors to come together. You want the liquid to reduce by 1/2 so be sure not to rush this step. The longer you simmer, the more the alcohol will cook down as well.
What to Serve With Chicken Marsala
My favorite way to serve this dish is alongside a pile of linguine that has been tossed in the marsala wine sauce. Throw some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top and serve with a slice of French bread and a glass of wine for a truly romantic meal at home. If you aren’t into linguine, here are some other sides you can try.
- Mashed potatoes
- Egg noodles
- White rice
- Green beans
- Broccoli
Be sure to check out my recipe for the best chicken parmesan before you leave!
The Memories (If You’re Interested)
Chicken marsala is one of the first things I learned to cook growing up. When I recently told a close friend that I had started a food blog, she told me her parents still rave about the chicken marsala I made them back in middle school. This friend happens to be an amazing cook, so I’m sure it was a tag team effort. That throwback chicken marsala came from All Recipes, and I kept some of the original elements like oregano and cooking sherry. My version, like the original, also doesn’t call for cream. It is all wine and butter over here!
It made me laugh to think about cooking dinner for someone’s parents at such a young age, and it also brought back some pretty hilarious memories of our own choreographed dance to Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine”. Good Lord would I love to get some of that sass back. I’m sure there is a video somewhere. If I ever come across it, I’ll be sure not to post ; ).
This one’s for you Carrie. P.S. Dylan if you’re reading this…this was basically what my life was like before I met you. Dancing cowgirl. I don’t know what happened.
Quick Chicken Marsala Without Cream (Easy Recipe)
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Golden, pan-fried chicken breasts smothered in a rich marsala wine and butter sauce, and served over linguine with sautéed mushrooms. Pure deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise to a thickness of approximately 1/4 inch*
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/4 cup shallots, minced
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thick (about 1/2 inch thick)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup marsala wine
- 1/4 cup cooking sherry
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
- lemon juice (one squeeze)
Optional
- 1 pound linguine pasta cooked according to package directions (don’t forget to salt your pasta water!)
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preparing the Chicken
- Add the flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, and oregano to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag.**
- Add the chicken breasts to the bag, seal, and shake until each piece of chicken is evenly coated in the flour mixture.
Cooking the Chicken Marsala
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a 12-inch skillet.
- Add the flour-coated chicken and gently cook until one side is golden brown, flip once and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through. This should take several minutes per side. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the final temperature comes to 160 degrees. It will continue to cook and reach 165 as it rests.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside to rest.
- Add cremini mushrooms, shallots, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt back to the pan. Sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds stirring continuously
- Add the marsala wine, cooking sherry, chicken stock, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 15 full minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, Remove sprigs of thyme and Swirl in 4 tablespoons of cold butter. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to wake up all those flavors.
- Return the chicken and juices to the pan and turn each piece in the sauce several times to coat it. Cook on low for 3 minutes to warm it through while continuing to flip the chicken to soak up the sauce.
Finish the Dish
- Place the chicken breasts on individual plates. Spoon a bit of sauce over each piece of chicken.
- Toss the linguine in the remaining sauce and plate it alongside the chicken.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan and garnish with fresh thyme if desired.
Notes
* You may want to pound the chicken to create more uniform pieces with an even thickness.
** You can make the flour mixture in a bowl or on a plate rather than using the Ziploc if you wish.
*** It is fine to use all marsala wine and leave out the cooking sherry. Just increase the amount of marsala wine to 1 cup.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pan-Fry
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Keywords: chicken marsala, linguine, mushrooms
This recipe was easy to make and really tasty. I rediced the sauce too much, so next time I’ll make sure to cook it less.
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it! You can always add back some more liquid if the sauce gets over-reduced. A little chicken stock works great!
One of my all time favorite recipes of yours! So delicious and easy to make. I love that you still use noodles – so much better than the marsala with mashed potatoes that you see everywhere else!!
★★★★★
Aww thanks! So glad you like it. I love it with linguine too. Definitely a favorite at our house, and it really is a quick dinner.
Can’t wait to make it tomorrow for my family. Haven’t made it in such a long long time. My family is looking forward to it
Thanks for answering my questions. At 93 my family is so Happy I’m making it again. Enjoy your holiday. You are making mine special,
It is such an honor that you are making my recipe during the Holidays! It really means so much. I hope your family loves it. ❤️ Your comment definitely made my week. 😊
This recipe was perfect, just the way I remember it tasting from Boston’s North End Italian restaurants. Loved that you included alternate ingredients as what I thought was Marsala turned out to be Madeira – which worked perfectly. Hubby declared it perfect for company. Thanks!
★★★★★
Wow!! What an amazing compliment. Thank you so much for making the recipe and for all of your kind words. It means so much. I hope it is a part of many dinner parties to come 🙂
My husband and I loved this recipe! It came out great and was so easy! We will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it and love to hear that it will be a repeat. Thank you so much for checking out my site and for this kind note.