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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

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve made this twice in the last two weeks and I’m all honestly- it’s the best meal I’ve ever made. Another HBH win, thank you Tieghan

    Reply

    1. Hey Angie,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  2. 5 stars
    OMG! Made tonight for the hubby and a visiting son for Christmas. . It was a major hit as they went back for seconds and no left overs. This will most definitely be added to a family meal rotation. I served with mashed potatoes and sautéed broccoli.

    Reply

    1. Hey Jill,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. This is very good but I prefer epicurious’ recipe for chicken Marsala. It calls for sage, which I love. I didn’t care for the addition of balsamic vinegar because it made it sweeter than I like.

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    LOVE this recipe! One of the best chicken marsala I have ever had. Just hubs and me so halved the recipe. Will double the sauce next time, it was SO GOOD. Didn’t have marsala in the pantry so subbed with sherry and we honestly couldn’t tell the difference. Served with garlic rosemary bread and salad. Happy holidays!

    Reply

    1. Hey Rachel,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  6. How much ahead can I make this? Could I make it in the afternoon and then just reheat in the evening. My daughter made it and said her family loved loved it I want to have this for tonight for an unconventional Christmas Eve

    Reply

    1. Hey Diana,
      Sure, that would work well here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. Made this tonight and everyone loved it! The sauce is buttery and has lots of flavor. Will definitely make it again!

    Reply

  9. Made this for tonights dinner- however I forgot to defrost the chicken – so ended up making an all vegetarian version- but it was still really, really tasty! Will for sure be making it again – and with chicken?

    Reply

  10. 5 stars
    Mine didn’t look at pretty, but it was so good! Took me longer than 30 min, but all one pot which made it super easy. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hey Maddie,
      I think brandy also works well here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. I made this, but switched a few of the ingredients to fit my restrict diet, and it was amazing!!! I served it over sautéed lacinato kale and sun dried tomatoes. It was a huge hit!

    (I subbed unsweetened coconut milk, chestnut flour, and ghee for some of the ingredients.)

    Reply

    1. Hey Kelly-Jane,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am glad it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. 5 stars
    I made this for dinner and….. WOW. *Insert mind blown emoji* I thought it was out of my reach and it could never happen. That it was too “fancy” for me. But I did it and it was FANTASTIC!! I didn’t do anything different. I followed the recipe and instructions to a t and it turned out so perfectly creamy and delicious. The only problem was that there were no leftovers. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe! xoxo

    Reply

    1. Hey Armida,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  15. This was a stellar recipe. For anyone interested, this can also be made via an Instant Pot (my new favorite friend). I used the “sauté” mode on the Instant Pot instead of using a regular skillet (steps #2-#3). After I poured in the wine and broth (step #4), I put the chicken back in and set the pot to pressure cook for 8 minutes. When done, I released the pressure, took the chicken out with tongs and set aside (covered) to keep warm. I then used the “sauté” mode again to reduce the sauce (5 min) before adding the cream and letting it reduce further (5 min). You could either add the chicken back in the pot to heat it up but I simply poured the hot sauce over the warm chicken and there were no complaints. My toughest critic / two-year old son, when asked if he liked the dish mommy had made, he shook his head vigorously and said, “YES!” So thanks, Tieghan, for helping my mommy status soar today. Cheers and happy holidays!

    Reply