
Marsala wine sauce didn’t enter my life until my 20s. I was dating Vic and we often went to one of Schenectady’s (many) Italian restaurants. I’m guessing it was Cornell’s, and my life was forever changed. You mean Italian didn’t have to be RED SAUCE FROM A JAR?!!?
I’ve since grown into someone who loves to cook (obviously), and one pantry staple that can turn whatever you have in the fridge into a culinary delight is a simple bottle of Marsala.

If you’re thinking “Oh, cool – I saw Marsala in the condiments aisle.” NO. NO NO NOOOOOO. Go to the wine store – or, if you’re lucky and have wine in the grocery, go to the wine AISLE and buy a real bottle. Please.
All you have to do is saute some chicken, pork or vegetables, then deglaze the pan with a few glugs of Marsala. Deglaze simply means dump in some wine, stir up all the good browned parts, then let it cook down a bit. If you’re feeling particularly decadent, you can splash in some cream or 1/2 and 1/2 (as I always do, duh!).
Meat, vegetables, wine and cream. That’s it. Delicious.
Here’s my recipe for the Chicken Marsala you see here. One of my all-time favorites.
Chicken Marsala
- 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 pieces each (also great with pork tenderloin medallions!)
- 1 Large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 Large package of cremini (baby bella) mushrooms – or whatever mushrooms you like
- 1 clove of garlic, smashed
- Flour – I like to use a sifted pan-searing flour so it’s not too heavy
- Olive Oil
- 1/2 to 3/4c Marsala Wine
- Heavy Cream or 1/2 and 1/2 (optional)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parsley for garnish
Place chicken inside a ziploc bag and use a mallet to pound the pieces thin and even. Add flour + some salt and pepper to the bag and toss to coat.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan – if you have cast iron, it’s GREAT for this. Add chicken, brown evenly on both sides, then remove from pan and set aside.
Add another swirl of oil along with the onions, mushrooms and garlic, then cook until soft and caramelized – the browner the better (depends on your patience!).
Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Add a splash (maybe 1/4c?) of cream or 1/2 and 1/2 if you’d like.
Arrange chicken pieces back into the pan – pushing them down into the sauce. Let it simmer until the chicken is done and the sauce has thickened. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve as-is or over pasta with some freshly-grated parmesan. We’re trying to limit our carbs, so I served this with a side of roasted cauliflower. Yum.

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