Ina Garten Chicken Marsala Recipe

An exquisite, sweet-flavored chicken dish, featuring juicy chicken breasts and a wine-filled sauce — that’s what Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala recipe is all about.

This is a traditional Italian-American dish, with hints of sweetness and an earthy flavor from the spices the chicken is coated with.

Whether you’re planning a weekday meal or a date night, Chicken Marsala will be the staple dish.

It is a truly gourmet meal you can serve with anything, from pasta to potatoes.

Today you’ll learn how to master the Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala Recipe and impress your guests with complex flavors of a filling meal.

How to Make Ina Garten Chicken Marsala

It might sound complex with all of the spices and wine, but in reality, Chicken Marsala is a very simple and straightforward dish.

It contains a flavorful chicken, gravy, and other delicious ingredients coming together into a restaurant-level meal in under an hour.

Let’s see what you need to cook Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala and what ingredients make it so special.

Ingredients:

(4 servings)

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half and flattened
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 pounds of wild mushrooms
• 5 tbsp softened butter
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 2 cups sweet Marsala wine
• A few sprigs of thyme
• Fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala is a perfect example of a classic dish with tender and juicy chicken seasoned in a rich and flavorful sauce.

Marsala wine is used to deglaze the pan.

Once it gets reduced, the flavors of the plum and raisins really intensify, while the fragrant and nutty sherries add more complexity to the dish.

So, in the end, Chicken Marsala is a perfectly comforting dish that is not too heavy, but it’s still unbearably rich in flavors.

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 325 °F.

Step 2:

Prepare the chicken. Pound out each chicken breast with the flat side of a meat mallet or with the end of the knife.

Add flour to a shallow bowl and season it with a good amount of salt and freshly ground pepper, and mix with the fork.

Step 3:

Sip the chicken in the seasoned flour until it’s well coated.

Alternatively, sprinkle some salt and pepper on each side of the breast and then dip them in the flour.

Step 4:

Brown the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Cook the chicken breasts for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Set the chicken breasts aside once cooked.

Step 5:

Cook the mushrooms. Add the whole garlic cloves, sliced mushrooms, and thyme sprigs to the same pan.

Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the garlic is fragrant.

Step 6:

Add the sherry to deglaze and let it simmer to thicken up.

Scrape the bottom on the pan, add 3 cloves of the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add Marsala wine, chicken stock, salt, and pepper to taste.

Let the sauce simmer until it thickens and all alcohol evaporates, leaving just the delicious flavors behind.

Step 7:

Return the chicken to the pan and cover it with a lid.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

Step 8:

Take the pan out of the oven and remove the chicken and thyme springs.

Add ¼ cup of flour to the butter and mix.

Then add this mixture to the marsala sauce and let it simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Once it thickens return the chicken to the pan and coat with sauce.

Professional Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala is ready!

Garnish with chopped parsley before serving!

Ingredient Substitution

Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala is a classic dish made with chicken, mushrooms, and Marsala wine.

But even though all of them add to the exquisite flavors of the dish, you can use a few replacements.

Here’s what you could consider using as an alternative for the Chicken Marsala recipe ingredients.

White Grape Juice

For an alcohol-free Marsala sauce use white grape juice.

It is an excellent substitute for Marsala wine since it keeps the right flavor profile required for the recipe.

Just use 1 cup of white grape juice, 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, instead of 2 cups of Marsala wine.

Chicken Bouillon Cubes

Chicken stock is one of the base ingredients of Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala.

However, you can still replace it with some chicken bouillon cubes if you don’t have any stock at hand.

Just dissolve a few of them in hot water and you’ll get a very similar flavor.

But keep in mind that these cubes will add extra salt, so taste the sauce before further seasoning.

What to Serve with Ina Garten Chicken Marsala

Ina Garten’s Chicken Marsala is a delightful meal all by itself.

But if you pair it with a delicious side, it will turn into a meal you’ll never forget.

Whatever you’re in the mood for, check out our best suggestions.

Mashed potatoes

When it comes to side dishes, mashed potatoes are the number one.

It is the perfect comfort food, pairing perfectly with the Ina Garten’s sweet-flavored Chicken Marsala.

Flavor potatoes with some garlic or top it off with cheese and serve with the Chicken Marsala.

It will feel like a party in your mouth.

Lime rice

Lime rice is a light classic that yearns for the companionship of Chicken Marsala, pairing wonderfully with the mushrooms in the sauce.

The citrusy flavor of the rice combined with the savory and juicy chicken is a combination to die for.

How to Reheat Ina Garten Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is one of those meals that are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven.

However, if you’ve made too much, there are a few tricks on how to make it taste freshly cooked again.

Here are our suggestions when considering reheating Chicken Marsala.

How to Reheat Ina Garten Chicken Marsala in a Cooking Pan

Since microwaves are a big no-no if you want to keep the chicken juicy and savory, try using a cooking pan instead.

Just add a tablespoon of butter into a cooking pan and put it over medium-low heat.

Add your Chicken Marsala and cover a pan with a lid, just until it’s evenly heated.

How To Reheat Ina Garten Chicken Marsala in the Oven

Since the Chicken Marsala from Ina Garten is originally cooked in the oven, it is natural to use it to reheat the dish.

Just preheat your oven to 350 °F and heat the chicken in an oven-proof casserole or the pan it was cooked in, for about 30 minutes.

How to Store Ina Garten Chicken Marsala

You really shouldn’t leave Chicken Marsala out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, unless you want things to grow on it.

So, you have to store it properly.

Store Ina Garten Chicken Marsala in a Fridge

To store Chicken Marsala in a fridge, just put it in an airtight container.

You can leave it for up to 3 days; more than that and the Marsala sauce starts to lose its flavors.

Store Ina Garten Chicken Marsala in a Freezer

If you want to cook Chicken Marsala beforehand and store it for a busy weekend, you can easily store it in the freezer.

Just put it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4 months.