Stuffed chicken marsala is a delicious Olive Garden copycat dish featuring mozzarella, parmesan, and sun dried tomatoes, smothered in savory marsala mushroom sauce – ready in just 45 minutes!
If you are fan of this Stuffed Chicken Marsala, you’ll love Honey Lime Garlic Chicken, Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Mushrooms, and Three Cheese Balsamic Stuffed Chicken.
There’s a big fat fusion of flavors happening right here right now and I’m SO EXCITED about it. Good ole’ chicken marsala meets Italian stuffed chicken breast and it is so darn good.
If you thought you liked chicken marsala before, you’re going to go nuts for this version. An extra 5-10 minutes is all it takes to transform a classic into the best weeknight meal you’ve had in ages. I feel like from this day forward we should just all agree that chicken marsala should always be stuffed. Everybody on board?? Excellent.
Why This Recipe Works
Stuffing the chicken — This chicken marsala dish comes across elegant and sophisticated, even though it is incredibly easy to make with simple ingredients. If you haven’t stuffed chicken before – don’t fret! – it’s a walk in the park. Simply cut a horizontal slit in one side of the chicken, being sure not to cut quite all the way through the other side, to make a pocket.
Cheese, cheese, cheese — This creamy chicken marsala uses both mozzarella and parmesan cheese and the combo is pure heaven! Don’t be afraid to add extra cheese if that’s your thing — because it’s my thing and I totally get it! I even like to throw some finely grated parmesan cheese on top at the end for that last little punch of YUM.
Sauce — The key here is to not clean that pan after searing the chicken. You want to deglaze (get off from the bottom of) the pan with the marsala cooking wine, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and heavy cream. The browned “bits” leftover from cooking the chicken mix into the sauce and give it extra flavor.
Sun dried tomatoes — Tasty and tart, sun dried tomatoes really elevate this easy chicken marsala into a whole other world. You can find them jarred and are so easy to finely chop and add to just about any recipe.
Here’s How You Make It
Making this fancy-sounding stuffed chicken recipe with marsala sauce couldn’t be easier!
- First, turn the oven on to preheat to 400 degrees. Then, cut a slit horizontally along one side each chicken breast with a sharp knife. Take care to not cut all the way through the chicken so that you have a “pocket” in which to put all the yummy fillings.
- Now fill each chicken pocket with the following: 2 slices of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 of the sun dried tomatoes, and 1/4 of the shredded parmesan cheese.
- Seal the open chicken edges together by pinching and add toothpicks to secure. Drizzle the chicken with oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste as well as Italian seasoning. Rub the spices in with your fingers.
- Add the chicken to a large, oven-safe skillet and brown the chicken on both sides over medium-high heat. This will take about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and put it on a plate while you make the marsala sauce.
- Using the same pan, add the wine, garlic, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and heavy cream. Stir this all together (and scrape up those browned chicken bits too) and bring to a boil, cooking for about 3-4 minutes. Now add the chicken back to the pan and spoon some of the sauce over it.
- Put the skillet into the preheated oven and allow it to bake for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the cheese has melted. Spoon more marsala sauce over the top and top that with grated parmesan and fresh herbs and serve.
Ideas For Serving this Recipe
This Olive Garden copycat chicken marsala is so good all by itself but there are also so many ways to serve this yummy stuffed chicken.
- I love serving this creamy chicken marsala over white or brown rice. Or use riced cauliflower if you want a low-carb option. Place one stuffed chicken breast on a scoop of rice and then cover in more of that delicious marsala sauce.
- This stuffed chicken is also really good over pasta — wide egg noodles are my favorite choice, but any kind of pasta will do.
- This chicken is great with a side of mashed potatoes. Add extra marsala sauce on top of the mashed potatoes, you won’t regret it.
- Serve the chicken in a bowl with lots of sauce, a side salad, and rolls or crusty French bread for dipping up all that yummy sauce.
Expert Tips
- I use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and lightly rinsed. If you can’t find them julienned you can buy sun dried tomato halves and thinly slice them yourself.
- For best results, use chicken that’s all about the same size to ensure even cooking.
- If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, cook as directed, then add the sauce and chicken to a baking dish before baking in the oven.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Greek Avocado Chicken Salad
- Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Best Broccoli Salad (without mayo!)
- Strawberry Pasta Spinach Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing
- Greek Lemon Rice
Did you try this amazingly easy and tasty grilled chicken recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Stuffed Chicken Marsala (Olive Garden Copycat)
Ingredients
- 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese
- 1 12-ounce jar julienned sun dried tomatoes - see note
- ⅔ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Marsala Sauce
- 1 ½ cups marsala cooking wine - (may sub chicken broth)
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper - or to taste
- grated parmesan cheese and parsley or thyme for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit horizontally along one side of the chicken breast, being sure not to cut all the way through the chicken – the goal is to make a “pocket”.
- Fill each pocket with 2 slices of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 of the sun dried tomatoes, and 1/4 of the shredded parmesan cheese.
- Pinch together the open side of the chicken breasts and secure with toothpicks. Drizzle chicken with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and Italian seasoning, rubbing in with your fingers.
- Transfer chicken to a large oven-safe skillet and brown chicken over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. Place chicken on a plate while you prepare the marsala sauce.
- In the same pan (don’t clean it) add marsala cooking wine, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and heavy cream. Stir and bring to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes. Return chicken pan and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken.
- Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through and cheeses are melted. Spoon sauce over the chicken, top with grated parmesan cheese and parsley or thyme if desired, and serve.
Can this be made ahead? Don’t want to be cooking while guests are here.
Yes, you can do all of prep and just pop it in the oven before your guests arrive.
WOWIE… Yum Yum
…. Do you ever the skillet when being baked ??
Cover the skillet
Yummy recipe, loved it
use real marsala. Marsala cooking wine is nasty