Easy Chicken Marsala with Prosciutto

With its combination of great flavor and richness, Chicken Marsala with Prosciutto is an incredible main-dish that will make you think you are dining in an expensive Italian Ristorante. In this easy recipe, pounded chicken cutlets are lightly sautéed with earthy mushrooms and salty prosciutto and then topped with a sweet and savory pan-sauce made with Marsala wine.

Chicken Marsala is one of my family’s favorite dishes, and I have been making it for years.  But I was looking for a way to jazz it up, and a friend suggested adding prosciutto, which I did, and I’ve never looked back. The sweet and salty prosciutto adds a whole new element to the dish. With chicken, wine, mushrooms, and prosciutto, really, how could it not be good!

Here’s why you will love this recipe:

1. It’s quick and easy to make, and you can have it on the table in less than 25 minutes. 
2. Everything cooks in one pan!
3. It is also one of those dishes that is a great weeknight staple, but it’s also elegant enough to serve guests at a dinner party. 

Here’s what you will need:

• Boneless chicken breasts are the heart of this dish. Pounding them thinly with a meat mallet both tenderizes them and helps them cook evenly. 
• Flour: coats the chicken to help it brown and also helps thicken the creamy pan-sauce. 
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper: enhances the complex flavors of this dish. 
• Olive oil: is used to brown the chicken. 
• Prosciutto: is tasty, Italian pork that is sweet and salty and cured with salt. Prosciutto in Italian means ham. 
• Mushrooms: add an earthiness along with great flavor and texture to the sauce.  
• Marsala wine: if the chicken is the heart of this dish, Marsala wine is the soul.  It’s produced in the region around Marsala, Sicily, and it is what gives the pan-sauce its characteristic flavor. 
• Chicken stock: adds another layer of flavor to the sauce. 
• Butter: is added to the pan-sauce at the end to give it a beautiful sheen and richness. 
• Parsley: adds a pop of color to the otherwise brown food, making it look that much more appetizing. I usually use Italian parsley, but curly works too. 

Here’s how to make it:

1. Place a single breast on a cutting board. Place your hand, palm down on the breast to steady it. With the other hand, take a sharp fillet knife and slide the blade in at the thickest point. Then slice the breast in half horizontally into two even pieces. 
2. After slicing the breast, pound each piece to make it a uniform thickness. To do this, place a single breast in a plastic zip-top bag, then pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet starting at the center and working out to the edges until it is one-quarter of an inch thick. Repeat with the rest of the fillets. 
3. Next, lightly sprinkle kosher salt and pepper on both sides of the breast, put them in a gallon-size plastic storage bag, along with the flour, and shake well.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and once it is hot, add the cutlets. Don’t crowd them; cook them in batches if you need to—cook for about one and one-half to two minutes on each side or until they golden brown. If your cutlets are thicker than one-fourth of an inch, they might need to cook a little longer.
5. Once the cutlets are done, remove them from the pan to keep warm while cooking the mushrooms and the pan-sauce. 
6. Lower the pan heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings. Saute for one minute. Now add the mushrooms and saute for about five minutes, or until their moisture has evaporated and they are a deep golden brown.
7. Add the Marsala to deglaze the pan, and let it come to a boil. Use a spatula and scrape up any pan bits. Add the chicken stock and cook for another minute or so. Stir in the butter and, when it is melted, add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer gently for one minute to reheat the chicken.
8. At this point, taste the sauce and add more kosher salt and pepper, if needed. (Remember, prosciutto is really salty, so be sure to taste your sauce before adding any more salt.)
9. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Frequently asked questions:

What to serve it with?

Chicken Marsala is most often served over pasta or mashed potatoes.  Other options include rice or risotto, polenta, grits, or grains such as farro or quinoa. If you are looking for lower-carb options, mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice will work, or it would also pair nicely with my Broccoli Slaw with Ramin Noodles, Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Sweet Potato, or my Apple Pecan Salad.  

Why pound chicken breasts?

Chicken breasts come in different thicknesses. If you try to cook them as is, they will cook at an uneven rate. The thinner part will cook too fast and will be tough, and the thicker part will most likely be undercooked. Pounding the breast also tenderizes the meat, making it more tender.

These days chicken breasts are getting larger and larger, and you can get two fillets from each breast. Depending on how thick they are, I have even sliced them into thirds. This not only makes your chicken go further, but it also makes it much easier to pound them out.

What is Marsala wine?

Marsala is a wine made in Italy that is often fortified with brandy, which means that it has a higher alcohol content than other wines and a longer shelf life. Dry Marsala is most often used for cooking, but you can also substitute sweet Marsala in a pinch. Madiera wine, which has a similar flavor profile, can also be substituted for Marsala. Once opened, it will stay fresh for about a month. 

Do not substitute cooking wine for the Marsala. As with any other recipes which call for wine, only cook with wine that you would drink. 

Sharon’s Tips:

• If you don’t have a meat mallet, you can also use a rolling pin or small heavy cast-iron skillet to pound the chicken breasts. 
• You can usually find prosciutto in the deli section of your grocery store. Ask them to slice it thinly for you. 
• I usually use button or white mushrooms, portobello or cremini mushrooms in this dish. If you need to clean them, wipe them off with a paper towel. If they are really dirty, give them a brief rinse in cold water, drain on a clean dish towel, and then pat dry with a paper towel. Do not let them soak or stand in water. 
• I usually make my own chicken stock; here is a link to my homemade chicken stock recipe if you are interested. It’s a great way to recycle chicken carcasses and clean out your vegetable drawer.
• If I’m out of homemade stock, I use jarred Better than Boullion. It can be found where the regular boxed stock is in your grocery store. It makes great stock and you can make just as much as you need.  I don’t have any relationship with this company; I just like this product. 
• Leftover Chicken Marsala can be stored in your refrigerator covered for up to four days. To reheat, place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 30-45 seconds. 

Related recipes:

If you like main-dishes like this that can do double duty as a quick weeknight meal or a dish to serve guests, you might also like these top-rated recipes:

• Bacon, Mushroom and Thyme Chicken
• Chicken Crepes with Mushrooms
• Chicken and Cauliflower Skillet
• Blackened Grouper
• Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham
• Quick and Easy Pecan Crusted Fish Fillets
• Amazing Lemon Butter Chicken with Sage
• Filet Mignon with Blue Cheese Crust
• Ultimate Creamy Shrimp Creole

If you need more menu ideas, here is a link to all of my main-dish recipes.

★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

Thank you for visiting Grits and Pinecones!