Classic Chicken Marsala: pan fried thin sliced chicken breasts, smothered in a delicious gravy of mushroom, shallots and marsala wine. This is a classic chicken marsala recipe, but lightened up. Lightened-up chicken marsala is a recipe sure to please, but on the healthier side.
All about lightened-up chicken Marsala
Classic Chicken Marsala is a staple in Italian restaurants. It’s a dish made with floured thin-sliced chicken breasts that are sautéed, then simmered in a reduction sauce made with Marsala wine. In my opinion, this dish makes the perfect pairing alongside traditional mashed potatoes or polenta. The sauce is so delicious, that it needs something comforting and soft in texture to soak up all that goodness. This recipe tastes authentic, and it didn’t take much to lighten it up. Since I believe in using real ingredients, all it took to lighten this up was using specific portions of ingredients- in other words, instead of using a stick of butter, I used a tablespoon. I stretched the Marsala wine out a bit by using chicken broth, which is low in calories and fat. Otherwise, this dish is authentic and flavorful in preparation and taste. This recipe makes six pieces of chicken, the serving size is really up to you. I have included the calorie count per piece, and the WW points for one or two pieces.
What you’ll need to make lightened-up chicken Marsala
- thin sliced chicken breast
- all-purpose flour
- kosher salt and pepper
- light butter (I use this one; if you use regular butter, it’s totally fine!)
- shallots
- garlic
- mushrooms (I use sliced white mushrooms)
- Marsala wine (see my notes below about Marsala wine)
- chicken broth or stock
- parsley for garnish
A note about Marsala wine
I always recommend using real wine for cooking; in other words, something you would drink. That’s the flavor that will permeate your dish, and I do believe it makes a difference. That being said… I realize life gets in the way, who has time to bounce from the supermarket to the liquor store just to make a recipe for dinner? Or maybe you don’t want an entire bottle of Marsala wine in your fridge that you won’t use for anything else. …and that’s why they sell cooking wine. Right in the supermarket where they sell the oil and vinegar. I used cooking wine for this recipe, and it came out great! Can I omit the wine? In most recipes, you can sub out wine for chicken broth. But not for this one, sorry! The Marsala wine is what makes this chicken Marsala.
How to prepare the chicken
Don’t be intimidated by this recipe! It’s easy to make, and when you’re done, you’ll feel like a chef. First, put your flour in a shallow bowl. Then, season it with kosher salt and pepper. Next, dredge each chicken piece in the flour and set them aside on a plate.
Next, grab a deep frying pan, and melt half of the butter in the pan. Add a spritz of olive oil spray to move the butter along and really grease the pan. Working in batches, sauté three pieces of chicken at a time in the pan. This takes approximately five minutes per side over medium high heat. Before you flip the chicken, spray more olive oil spray on the top of the chicken pieces, so that when they flip, the pan is greased again.
After the first batch is done, repeat this process for the second batch. Remove them from the pan and set them aside on the plate. Note: the chicken will not be fully cooked at this point. It will continue cooking in the sauce later.
How to prepare the Marsala sauce
Next, it’s time to make the sauce. The sauce will be made in the same pan as the chicken was cooked. There’s tons of flavor in there, so don’t wipe it out. First, spray more olive oil spray in the pan (yes, more!). Then, add your sliced shallots and garlic.
Cook the shallots and garlic for just a minute; this is important so that you don’t burn the garlic. Next, add the mushrooms. Toss them around a bit and then place the lid on the pan.
Placing the lid on the pan will allow the mushrooms to steam and cook down. This is a trick I’ve learned over time, and a great way to use less oil and butter but to break down veggies nicely. Let the mushrooms cook for about 5-10 minutes (I find the magic number to be 8 minutes), checking on them every so often and tossing them with tongs. Once the veggies are cooked down, add the wine and broth to deglaze the pan. Make sure to use a spatula and scrape up those flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then add the chicken back to the pan (along with the juices from the dish the chicken was on). Reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pan, and cook for another 10 minutes.
At this point, the liquid will become thick by the flour on the outside of the chicken. If you find the sauce has reduced too much, add a splash more chicken stock. At this point, check the sauce for seasoning; add more salt and pepper, if desired.
Lightened-Up Chicken Marsala
Equipment
- deep frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast, thin sliced, six pieces
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
- fresh cracked pepper
- 1 tablespoon light butter
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced white mushrooms
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl with 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour.
- Heat a large, deep frying pan over medium high heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of the butter and a spray of olive oil.
- Cook half the batch of chicken (3 pieces) for about 5 minutes on one side.
- Spray the tops with olive oil, then flip, and cook for another 5 minutes on the other side.
- Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Repeat this step with the remaining chicken pieces. They will not be fully cooked, but will continue to cook later in the sauce.
- Remove the second batch of chicken from the pan.
- To the same frying pan, add more olive oil spray and the shallots and garlic.
- Cook for a minute and then add the mushrooms.
- Cover the pan and let the vegetables steam and start to cook down.
- After approximately 8 minutes the mushrooms should be softened.
- Add the wine and broth to the pan to deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pan, making sure all the cooked bits are incorporated.
- Let the liquid come to a boil.
- Add the chicken pieces (as well as the juice that collected on the dish) back in and toss to coat.
- Cover with the lid and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken from the flour the chicken was dredged in.
- If too much liquid has evaporated, add a splash more broth.
- Cook until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is to your liking, taste for seasoning. Add salt or pepper to taste.
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- 2 WW points for 1 piece, 3 points for 2 pieces (blue and purple plans)
Michelle says
I’m making this tonight. I’ve made it in the past & my entire family likes this… even my picky one!
Dawn Long says
Definitely trying this soon! Looks fantastic 🤩
trish says
i made this chicken marsala tonight best ever!!
Jenn H says
Best recipe ever!!!
AmyP.eats says
My boyfriend made this for me for dinner last night. The house smelled amazing when I got home. We both said we would double the sauce and mushrooms next time because they were so amazing (and we want to drown our mashed potatoes in them too) This was a date night, restaurant quality dinner. Thank you Steph!
Liz says
This recipe is a gamechanger! It is so good that I don’t miss my favorite restaurant version of this dish. I add in a couple of slices of torn prosciutto on the last simmer but otherwise, this is perfect as is.
Nicole says
I made this dish last night and not only did I thoroughly enjoy it, but my husband and two young children did as well! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Claudia Konopka says
Recipe was a GAME changer! This was so full of flavor I couldn’t get enough of it. Can’t wait to make it again!
Shahna says
This came out so good and it was so easy! Had all the ingredients on hand and served it over some buttermilk mashed cauliflower!
Lisa says
This recipe is nicknamed “clean plate club” chicken……never a bit left. After you make it a couple of times it gets even easier to whip up and looks like you were at a restaurant. Winner winner chicken dinner!
Laura says
A family favorite, this is so so good!
Lynn says
Made this dish tonight. Wonderful! Love trying all these new dishes.
Pat says
This was incredible and so easy to make! It will definitely now be on a regular rotation in this household.
Jen K says
This was amazing! Would definitely make this again!!
Michelle V. says
Delicious! Simple to make and the whole family loved it. Will be making it again and again. ⭐️
Alison Talbert says
Absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it!!
Dawn says
Made this tonight…again! It’s delicious yet easy to make. Served with your Brussels Sprouts recipe. We ate well tonight!
Melissa says
This is the first one of Steph’s recipes that I made. It was delicious and my entire family loved it. I’ve been hooked ever since and make at least two of her recipes a week!
Hannah says
I made this tonight my husband and I loved it!! So delicious and fresh not like the store bought sauces. Will definitely be adding this to the rotation!
Sarah says
Yum!! This was so delicious. My kitchen smelled so good while making this and it was super simple. Definitely will make again.
Rosaria says
Such a simple, quick, delicious dinner option. I serve mine over pasta because the sauce is amazing and there’s plenty of it in this recipe. Pro tip: I’ve used leftovers on a pizza and it’s insane in every good way! Thanks for another great dinner recipe Steph!
Jolie Brown says
This was amazing. I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. It’s very simple to make and only 3 points for 2 pieces. An A for the day.
Caroline says
So incredibly easy to make and tastes just like it came from a restaurant!
Ro says
There is nothing lost in this lower calorie version of Chicken Marsala. One of my family’s absolute favorites and so easy to make.
Kathleen says
SO delicious and so easy. The chicken was so tender! I did have to add more broth at the end to get more liquid as a decent amount ended up evaporating. Not s huge deal and I will definitely make again!
Darlene H says
Made chicken Marsala tonight, super easy and very tasty! Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow night after the flavors marry together! My husband is a picky eater and loves this one!
Carol says
Delicious and easy to make. Definitely a keeper.
Rachel Grace says
We made this for dinner this week and the whole family loved it- so flavorful!
Carrie says
can you use almond flour?
Katie says
This was sooo good! And sooo easy!! I didn’t have light butter but I doubt with one tablespoon it makes a difference. I have a feeling this is going to be a staple.
Jeanine says
Just made this tonight
Absolutely delicious!! Can’t say enough good things about this
1) so easy
2) one pan
3) quick
4)delicious delicious delicious!
Sarah says
This. Was. So. Good!!!!!! By far my favorite recipe I have tried on this site, and that’s saying something bc I love everything I try. So easy to make, so flavorful. 10/10
Sarah says
I am so obsessed with this recipe! So delicious, it seriously tastes like I went out to eat at a legit Italian restaurant, but better.
Traci Smith says
Wish I had taken pictures but it was gone before I could. Absolutely delicious and so easy to make.
Kate S says
Excellent! My Italian husband loved it too! We had the leftovers tonight and it reheated beautifully! We will certainly make this again…maybe even tomorrow!
Lynn says
This dish was delicious. It was very easy too! Definitely a keeper!
Janelle says
This recipe is yummy! It’s light but has an elevated feel to it, perfect when a specia meal is needed.
TC Varnier says
I used your recipe to challenge myself to save even more calories. I used extra thin chicken cutlets (on sale!), only 3/4 tablespoon of flour, 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon evolved. Instead of serving with pasta, I had a small boiled potato with the skin and spinach. I did increase the Marsala wine to 3/4 cup and added chopped celery for freshness flavor. I topped with chopped celery leaves and parsley. Thrilled with the end result. Thanks for your guidance! I subscribed to your newsletter.
Cat says
This was SO SO GOOD!!! I didn’t have any Marsala wine (totally forgot to pick it up), so I used some Crema Chardonnay I had open. I also used portobello mushrooms instead of white buttons. When the chicken was done, I let the mushrooms and the sauce simmer for another 7 or 8 minutes to concentrate the flavors and thicken–oh my lanta, it was delicious. I served it with some roasted broccoli, but mashed potatoes would have been necessary if I wasn’t on a diet!
Kris says
I just want to correct a couple notes in this post regarding Marsala wine. You should never use cooking wine, not any variety, as it is LOADED with sodium. It is the worst thing you could do to this dish. You can get a decent bottle of Marsala wine for under $15 and it does not need to be chilled afterward, as stated in the notes. Just stick it on a shelf out of direct sunlight until you want to make your next Marsala dish. Trust me, you will notice a big difference in flavor using the real thing and it is much better for your sodium intake.
Jeanine says
Made this today for lunch with friends…big hit !
Mary says
Can I use almond or coconut flour?
CR says
Delicious, Great flavor
Lynn says
Very easy, restaurant quality dinner! Will definitely be making again – soon!!
Regina says
I’ve made this a few times. One of my favorites!
Meghan says
Made this recipe tonight & it was absolutely delicious! I halved it but wish I had ALL the sauce it was soooo good! Definitely will make again.
Jeannie Hubing says
I am making this tonight, looks delicious. Thank you for posting a lighter version.
Trudy says
Really love this recipe. Thank you!!
Krystal says
So flavorful! Adding it into our rotation!
Jessica says
This was so good! Chicken was tender and sauce was delicious. The shallots really add something too!
Joyce Stesiak-Troyer says
I made this last night. I think our palates have changed over the years because it seemed like it needed a little oomph of flavor. I’ll add thyme next time – because there will be a next time!
Pat O’Toole says
My sister and I have done this numerous times now, and it is always a winner
Linda BurkhammerLinda Burkhammer says
So easy and so flavorful. Not many ingredients which I love. I Fixed for dinner then the leftovers will be my lunch prep
Carrie says
I gave it 5 stars but I wanted to give it more! I was looking for a healthy marsala recipe and wasn’t sure about this because it was so simple and all the good recipes have 25 ingredients, right? It was absolutely delicious! The only changes I made was that I used onion because I didn’t have shallots. And I used fresh rosemary which we enjoyed. Thank you for this recipe. I will definitely make again and again.
Anne says
I doubled the sauce. Because I did that, I used a little cornstarch to thicken it. My chicken was a bit dry and tough on the inside. Next time, I’ll. Shorten the browning time to 3.5 min on each side, then cook. In the sauce a bit longer.