Chicken Thighs Marsala

Chicken thighs Marsala sounds fancy but is ready in under an hour

Chicken Marsala is one of those dinners that feels a little fancy without asking much of you. Brown the chicken, sauté the mushrooms and shallots, then let Marsala wine and cream turn everything in the pan into a rich, savory sauce. It’s all done in one skillet.

How to make it

Marsala sauce is an Italian-American pan sauce made with Sicily’s fortified Marsala wine, most famously paired with chicken or veal and mushrooms. There’s just one pan and a few easy steps to this chicken thighs Marsala:

1. Brown the chicken thighs (skin side down) over a high heat to kick start the cooking and give them a nice golden color.
2. Sauté the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in the same pan.
3. Add the Marsala, then cream and bring to a simmer.
4. Add back the chicken for a final bit of cooking in the oven.

Ingredient notes

CHICKEN THIGHS: bone in, or boneless?

• If I’m planning to serve my chicken marsala with pasta, I might use boneless thighs so I can slice them and spoon the sauce over the pasta.
• If I’m serving them on their own with mashed potatoes or polenta, I might do bone in.

MUSHROOMS: what type?

• I like cremini, or the small brown button style. Cremini mushrooms are basically the same species as white button mushrooms, just a bit more mature. They have a slightly deeper, earthier, more savory flavor and a firmer texture but the white ones will work too.
• You can use shiitake or portobello as well, just chop them into bite sized pieces.

MARSALA: do I have to use it?

• Gosh yes, pick up a bottle of dry Marsala for this recipe for sure. Marsala is a fortified wine, which just means that it has a higher alcohol content than regular wine. It’s used in chicken dishes like this, and in risottos and even tiramisus. You’ll recognize the flavor instantly.
• Your regular grocery store should carry it, but look for real dry Marsala wine, not “Marsala cooking wine,” which is salted and lower quality.
• Marsala is great to have around for all kinds of cooking. Once opened, I refrigerate my Marsala and try to use it within about 6 months.

THYME: thyme adds a fresh note to the simple but richly flavored Marsala sauce. Use parsley instead.

Marsala sauce adds instant elegance to simple chicken thighs

I’ve said this a lot before, but the combination of shallots, mushrooms, garlic, cream, and Marsala wine gives instant fancy restaurant appeal to so many recipes ~ in this case, inexpensive chicken thighs.

What to serve with chicken thighs Marsala

Choose something to catch all that fabulous mushroom sauce. Serve it over pasta if you’re using boneless thighs, or with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta for bone-in thighs.

I’d add a green vegetable or salad on the side:

• Green Beans Almondine
• Caesar Salad
• Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad
• Tomatoes Provencal

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Chicken Thighs Marsala

3.43 from 182 votes

Chicken Thighs Marsala is an easy one-skillet dinner with golden chicken thighs, mushrooms, and a rich Marsala wine sauce, ready in under an hour.

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Prep Time:15 minutes minutes

Cook Time:30 minutes minutes

Total Time:45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Equipment

• cast iron skillet or other oven ready skillet

Ingredients

 

• 12 ounces small to medium cremini mushrooms
• 4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• olive oil, for brushing
• 3 Tbsp butter, divided
• 2 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or put through a garlic press
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs, divided
• 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste, start with 1/2 teaspoon of each

garnish

• fresh thyme

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375F.
• Wipe the 12 ounces small to medium cremini mushrooms with a damp cloth. Cut off the ends of the stems, and slice them, rather thickly. You can simply cut small mushrooms in half. Set aside.
• Heat your skillet over medium high heat until quite hot. Brush the skin side of the 4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs with a little olive oil and, when the pan is good and hot, but not smoking, brown the thighs, skin down, for about 5-10 minutes or until they have a nice rich golden brown color. Remove them to a plate.
• Add 2 Tbsp of the butter to the pan. Sauté the minced shallots2 large shallots for a few minutes, stirring often, and then add the garlic or a couple more minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring often, until they start to shrink down, release their moisture, and brown.
• Add the 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine to the pan and turn up the heat to let it reduce a bit.
• Add the 1/2 cup heavy cream to the pan and mix well. Add half of the sprigs of thyme and season to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Finish the sauce by stirring in the last bit of butter.
• Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan, but don't spoon any of the sauce over those crisp skins, leave them exposed.
• Bake the thighs for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through to an internal temperature of 175F to 185F at the thickest part (avoiding the bone.) Remove the spent thyme sprigs and replace with fresh thyme.
• Serve right away with mashed potatoes, polenta, or pasta.

Notes

I cook chicken thighs to a higher internal temperature than I do for white meat chicken. They will be more tender at that temperature.

This recipe was first published in 2015, and has been re-tested and re-photographed in 2026.

NOTES ~ Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American/Italian

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: cast iron skillet, chicken, dinner, marsala, mushrooms, romantic

Nutrition

Calories: 572 kcal · Carbohydrates: 12 g · Protein: 27 g · Fat: 43 g · Saturated Fat: 19 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 6 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 15 g · Trans Fat: 0.5 g · Cholesterol: 198 mg · Sodium: 196 mg · Potassium: 786 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 6 g · Vitamin A: 813 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 60 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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