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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

US Customary – Metric

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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This post was originally published on December 7, 2020
4.33 from 1450 votes (1,134 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  2. My milk curdled and the whole sauce turned out too thin. What’d I do wrong? Seems like there should have been a roux involved?

    Reply

    1. Hey Amanda,
      So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? It usually helps to have the cream at room temp and your pan hot while stirring. Let me know how I can help for next time! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. 5 stars
    YUM!!!! Had this bookmarked for a while and was so excited to try it. First time cooking with marsala wine but I followed the recipe and it came out fabulous. Served over mashed potatoes and a side of roasted veggies – couldn’t get enough of the sauce! Saw some comments and might try coconut milk instead of cream next time…but will definitely be a staple regardless!

    Reply

  4. I finally got around to making this tonight and WOW. This is full of flavor, rich and delicious. Even my husband couldn’t get enough. Thanks for another amazing recipe!

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh — delicious! I didn’t have chicken broth & used low sodium veggie broth instead and it still came out delectable! Super easy, made it in one pan which is always a plus as well.

    Can’t wait to make this again!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Delicious! I usually am ambivalent about chicken Marsala but this piqued my interest. The balsamic adds an extra depth and balances the sweetness. Love this!

    Thank you, Tieghan!

    Reply

    1. Hey Elizabeth,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    This recipe is AMAZING! My mom is a big fan of chicken marsala. We had takeout from a fancy Italian restaurant over the holidays and the chicken marsala was good, so I wanted to recreate it a couple weeks later. After I made this recipe, everyone (including my mom) agreed, this recipe was, hands down, more flavorful than the fancy Italian restaurant version. I made it with mashed potatoes–HIGHLY recommend.

    I also live in Texas, where you can’t buy alcohol over 17% on Sundays. Well Marsala wine apparently has a very high alcohol content, so I wasn’t able to get actual marsala wine. But the cooking marsala wine worked just as well!

    Reply

  9. Hey! Looks like a delicious meal! I’m just wondering what size breasts, I have some that are 24 ounces and others that are 12. How many ounces of chicken did you use? Many thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hey Mackenzie,
      Sorry I’m not sure the exact ounces of chicken that I used, either one will work just fine. I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. I love ya, Teighan, and own both of your books. But this is the third recipe that I have recently made that is in no way accurate in time. This dish was nowhere near half an hour in the making. This might be true for you who makes a recipe half a dozen times to perfect it but you must consider that we readers are constantly following the long list of ingredients and instructions. The end results are always great but please be realistic in the prep/cook time for those of us who are making these dishes for the first time! When I have dinner guests I need a realistic time line.

    Reply

    1. Hey Patti,
      So sorry this took you longer than expected, I will go back and look at the times, but cooking times can vary from person to person. xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Patti,
      I have never tried this with cognac, but I think it might work well! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. 5 stars
    This was so delicious!! Made a double batch for my family of 5 (three teenagers) and it was a hit all around! Found that I could use about 6 cutlets (3 good sized breast cut in half) per batch. Served with linguine. Definitely will be making again!

    Reply