Olive Garden Chicken Marsala Recipe
This Olive Garden Chicken Marsala recipe features tender chicken breasts coated in a seasoned flour mixture, browned to perfection, and simmered in a rich Marsala wine sauce with mushrooms, onions, garlic, and cream. It’s a classic Italian-American dish that’s perfect for an elegant yet easy weeknight dinner, served best over pasta and garnished with fresh parsley.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- ⅓ Cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 4 Chicken Filets
Sauce and Vegetables
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 8 oz White Mushrooms, Sliced
- 1 Medium Onion, Sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
- ½ Cup Marsala Wine
- ½ Cup Chicken Stock
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 5 Sprigs Fresh Thyme or 1 Tbsp Dried Thyme
Garnish
- Fresh Parsley For Garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Coating: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, and black pepper. Dredge each chicken filet into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, and set them aside for browning.
- Braise the Chicken: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken filets (in batches if necessary) and brown them on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Note that this step is to brown the chicken, not fully cook it. Once browned, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes until they release their moisture and begin to brown. Then add the sliced onion and minced garlic, cooking for another 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Deglaze and Build Sauce: Pour in the Marsala wine and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook off and the liquid to reduce slightly. Then stir in the chicken stock and heavy cream, mixing well.
- Simmer Chicken in Sauce: Return the browned chicken filets along with any juices collected on the plate back to the skillet. Add the fresh thyme sprigs or dried thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer gently for about 20 minutes. During this time, the sauce will thicken and the chicken will cook through.
- Serve: Once the sauce has thickened and chicken is fully cooked, remove the thyme sprigs if using fresh. Serve the chicken marsala hot over cooked pasta, and garnish with fresh parsley for a burst of color and freshness. Enjoy your meal!
Notes
- For an even richer sauce, you can substitute part of the chicken stock with a little white wine.
- To ensure the chicken cooks evenly, pound the chicken filets to an even thickness before dredging.
- If Marsala wine is unavailable, dry sherry or a sweet Madeira wine can be used as substitutes.
- The dish pairs beautifully with fettuccine, linguine, or any pasta of your choice.
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken during the browning step as it will continue cooking in the sauce.
Keywords: Chicken Marsala, Olive Garden style, Marsala wine chicken, creamy mushroom chicken, Italian chicken recipe, stovetop chicken dinner
