Easy Ina Garten Chicken Marsala – 35-Minute Comfort Classic

Chicken Marsala is a pan sauce built on browned cutlets, sweet Marsala wine, and mushrooms. This version follows Ina Garten's approach: thin chicken breasts, a quick flour dredge, and a sauce finished with butter off the heat.

The work is in the pan, not the clock. You sear at 375°F (190°C), deglaze, and reduce until the sauce coats a spoon. Total time is about 50 minutes, most of it hands-off simmering.

Weigh the flour and the wine. Volume measures drift, and a sauce this simple has no room for drift. Weigh, watch, repeat.

About the Ingredients

680 g (4) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally

Pound to an even 1/4-inch (6 mm) thickness. Buy cutlets already sliced if your butcher offers them.

60 g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour

Use cornstarch for a gluten-free dredge; it browns faster, so lower the heat slightly.

1 tsp (6 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste

Diamond Crystal weighs lighter than Morton; adjust by taste, not by spoon count.

1/2 tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper

Grind to order; pre-ground pepper loses aroma within weeks.

4 tbsp (60 ml) olive oil, divided

Use a neutral oil like canola if your olive oil smokes below 400°F (205°C).

225 g (8 oz) cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick

White button mushrooms substitute well; wipe them with a damp cloth instead of rinsing.

2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, divided

Keep it cold for the final finish; cold butter emulsifies the sauce instead of breaking it.

2 medium shallots, finely minced (about 60 g)

Yellow onion works in a pinch; use 1/3 cup and cook one minute longer.

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 6 g)

Fresh only here; jarred garlic turns bitter under high heat.

180 ml (3/4 cup) dry Marsala wine

Dry sherry or Madeira are the closest swaps; avoid sweet Marsala, which makes the sauce cloying.

180 ml (3/4 cup) low-sodium chicken broth

Homemade stock gives more body; if using salted broth, skip the added salt until the end.

15 g (1/2 cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Stir in at the end off the heat; dried parsley adds color but no flavor.

Tips & Tricks

Dry the chicken before dredging

pat the cutlets with paper towels so the flour adheres and browns instead of steaming.

Do not crowd the pan

sear in two batches at 375°F (190°C) so the oil stays hot and the crust forms.

Scrape the fond

after adding the wine, scrape every brown bit off the skillet bottom; that is where the flavor lives.

Finish off the heat

swirl in cold butter with the burner off so the sauce stays glossy and does not split.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Pound and dry the chicken

Place each breast half between plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch (6 mm). Pat dry with paper towels. [Dry meat browns; wet meat steams.]

2. Season the dredge

Whisk 60 g (1/2 cup) flour with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a shallow dish. [A seasoned dredge flavors the crust.]

3. Dredge the cutlets

Coat each cutlet in flour and shake off the excess. Set on a rack. [Excess flour burns in the pan and turns the sauce bitter.]

4. Sear the chicken

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high until it shimmers at 375°F (190°C). Sear cutlets 4 minutes per side until golden brown and 165°F (74°C) inside. Work in two batches. [Crowding drops the pan temperature and stalls browning.]

5. Sauté the mushrooms

Add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter to the pan. Cook mushrooms 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C) until browned and their liquid has evaporated. [Mushrooms release water first; browning starts only after it cooks off.]

6. Build the aromatics

Add shallots and garlic. Cook 60 seconds until fragrant and translucent. [Garlic burns in 90 seconds at this heat.]

7. Deglaze and reduce

Pour in 180 ml (3/4 cup) Marsala and scrape the pan bottom. Simmer 3 minutes until reduced by half. [The fond dissolves into the wine and becomes the sauce base.]

8. Simmer the sauce

Add 180 ml (3/4 cup) broth and simmer 5 minutes until it coats a spoon. [A spoon dragged across the pan should leave a clean line.]

9. Finish with butter

Return chicken and juices to the pan. Off the heat, swirl in 1 tbsp cold butter and parsley. [Cold butter emulsifies; hot butter splits.]

Delicious Variations

Creamy version

stir 60 ml (1/4 cup) heavy cream into the reduced sauce before the butter finish.

Lemon-caper version

add 1 tbsp capers and 1 tsp lemon zest with the broth for a brighter sauce.

Mushroom-forward version

swap in 225 g (8 oz) mixed wild mushrooms and add 1 tsp soy sauce for depth.

How to Store Ina Garten Chicken Marsala (Easy Recipe)

Frequently Asked Questions

Weigh the flour, watch the pan, and pull the chicken at 165°F (74°C). Make it once and the timing becomes yours. Weigh, watch, repeat.

Ina Garten Chicken Marsala (Easy Recipe)

This Ina Garten Chicken Marsala delivers golden pan-seared chicken in a silky mushroom wine sauce, ready in 50 minutes for an easy weeknight dinner.

★★★★½ 4.8 (214 ratings)

15 minPrep time35 minCook time6Servings285 kcalCalories

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🧂 Ingredients

• 680 g (4) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
• 60 g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (6 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) olive oil, divided
• 225 g (8 oz) cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, divided
• 2 medium shallots, finely minced (about 60 g)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 6 g)
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) dry Marsala wine
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) low-sodium chicken broth
• 15 g (1/2 cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

📋 Instructions

1. 1Pound and dry the chicken — Place each breast half between plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch (6 mm). Pat dry with paper towels. [Dry meat browns; wet meat steams.]
2. 2Season the dredge — Whisk 60 g (1/2 cup) flour with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a shallow dish. [A seasoned dredge flavors the crust.]
3. 3Dredge the cutlets — Coat each cutlet in flour and shake off the excess. Set on a rack. [Excess flour burns in the pan and turns the sauce bitter.]
4. 4Sear the chicken — Heat 2 tbsp oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high until it shimmers at 375°F (190°C). Sear cutlets 4 minutes per side until golden brown and 165°F (74°C) inside. Work in two batches. [Crowding drops the pan temperature and stalls browning.]
5. 5Sauté the mushrooms — Add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter to the pan. Cook mushrooms 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C) until browned and their liquid has evaporated. [Mushrooms release water first; browning starts only after it cooks off.]
6. 6Build the aromatics — Add shallots and garlic. Cook 60 seconds until fragrant and translucent. [Garlic burns in 90 seconds at this heat.]
7. 7Deglaze and reduce — Pour in 180 ml (3/4 cup) Marsala and scrape the pan bottom. Simmer 3 minutes until reduced by half. [The fond dissolves into the wine and becomes the sauce base.]
8. 8Simmer the sauce — Add 180 ml (3/4 cup) broth and simmer 5 minutes until it coats a spoon. [A spoon dragged across the pan should leave a clean line.]
9. 9Finish with butter — Return chicken and juices to the pan. Off the heat, swirl in 1 tbsp cold butter and parsley. [Cold butter emulsifies; hot butter splits.]

👨‍🍳 Chef's Note: The sauce thickens as it stands; loosen it with a tablespoon of broth before serving. Cold butter, off the heat, is the difference between glossy and greasy.

Servings: 6

Cuisine: Italian-American

Course: Main Course

Nutrition (per serving): 285 kcal · 12g protein · 22g carbs · 9g fat

Written by Tomasz Wiśniewski

Tomasz writes precise, method-first recipes for breads, ferments, and slow braises, drawing on Polish and Central European home cooking. He cares about weights, temperatures, and timing, and explains the reason behind each step so cooks can repeat results. His angle is turning fussy techniques into clear, checkable instructions.