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Prosciutto-wrapped stuffed chicken marsala is a flavor-forward take on a classic. It’s prep-ahead friendly and perfect for a dinner party.
Why we love this recipe
As an Italian-American child of the 1980s raised in NJ, Italian restaurant chicken marsala played a near-parental role in my upbringing. Those early food loves are tough to shake. As it turns out, they’re also easy to provolone-stuff and prosciutto-wrap.
This recipe:
- Turns up the flavor with shiitake mushrooms, provolone cheese, and prosciutto
- Has plenty of silky, savory sauce
- Always pleases a crowd — it’s a great option for a small dinner party
- Can be prepped or even fully cooked in advance
I first published this recipe here back in 2017. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and made a couple of tiny tweaks to the recipe itself.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Good old boneless, skinless chicken breasts stay juicy and flavorful in this umami-rich preparation, which elevates them to something special.
- You can use a mellow provolone or a nice sharp one, whichever you like. There’s not a shocking amount in the recipe, so it won’t overwhelm regardless. If you’re not a fan of provolone, you could leave it out entirely or substitute with another flavorful cheese that melts well, such as gruyere or fontina.
- I’m always a fan of good-quality meat, but you do not need the absolute most perfect prosciutto for this recipe. Since you’ll be cooking it, some of the nuances will disappear. A good domestic product is perfectly fine and will save you money.
- I’ve used shiitake mushrooms in this recipe for maximum savoriness. Please note that the weight indicated in the recipe is for pre-sliced mushrooms with stems already removed. If you’re starting with whole mushrooms, you’ll need more. If you prefer, you can use half or even all cremini (baby bella) mushrooms instead.
- Marsala is a Sicilian style of fortified wine. For savory cooking, you’ll want to use a dry variety. You can learn more about how to choose a bottle in the section below.
- All-purpose flour works well in this recipe. To make it gluten-free, substitute your favorite 1:1 GF flour blend.
My favorite sources for meat & pantry staples
For years, I’ve been sourcing our meat from ButcherBox. We love this curated meat delivery service, which provides grass-finished beef, heritage breed pork, organic chicken, and more from small farms direct to the customer. You can learn more in my extensive Butcher Box review and unboxing.
I love Thrive Market for a wide variety of products. Often described as one part Whole Foods, one part Costco, they’re a membership-based online market for healthier products at discounted prices. Plus, they’re mission-driven, engaged in the community, and not currently owned by a giant corporation. You can learn more in my Thrive Market review and unboxing.
How to choose a bottle of Marsala for cooking
When shopping for a bottle of marsala to cook with, you’ll want to pay attention to three parameters.
- Color. Marsala comes in three colors: gold (oro), amber (ambra), and ruby (rubino). You’ll use gold or amber.
- Sweetness. There are also three sweetness levels: dry (secco), semi-sweet (semisecco), and sweet (dolce). For savory cooking, use dry.
- Quality. Cooking wines need to have a taste that you enjoy, but they do not need to be of the highest quality. Marsala comes in five levels of quality. Fino and superiore are the two least-expensive qualities, and either one will serve you well for cooking.
You can learn more about Marsala here.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a beautiful pan of prosciutto-wrapped stuffed chicken marsala. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll cut a slit into each chicken breast and stuff it with provolone. Then wrap each piece in prosciutto.
- Cook the prepared chicken in a little bit of olive oil, then set aside.
- In the same pan, you’ll cook the mushrooms and make the sauce.
- Add the chicken back to the pan to warm through. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
I’ve pictured garlicky sautéed spinach, which makes a lovely accompaniment. You’ll also want a starch to help soak up the gorgeous sauce. Anything from mashed potatoes to rice pilaf to orzo or egg noodles will work beautifully.
Yes — you’ve got a few options. You can stuff and wrap the chicken up to about 24 hours in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, and cook everything shortly before serving. You can cook the mushrooms in advance as well and finish the sauce right before serving. Or, if necessary, you can cook the whole dish in advance and reheat right before serving time.
Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.
More favorite one-pan chicken recipes
- Dutch oven chicken thighs with leeks, mushrooms, and white wine
- Extra-saucy chicken piccata
- Marinated spatchcock chicken in a cast-iron skillet
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Prosciutto-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (2 to 3 pounds total)
- 2 ounces (57 grams) provolone cheese, sliced
- 4 ounces (113 grams) thinly sliced prosciutto
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces (227 grams) sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ cup (118 ml) dry Marsala
- 2 cups (473 ml) chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) flour
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels.
- With a very sharp knife, make each breast into a little pocket by cutting a horizontal slit into one of the thin sides. The slit should be almost but not quite the length of the chicken breast and go almost but not quite all the way through to the opposite side.
- Stuff 1/4 of the provolone into each breast as evenly as possible, and press the chicken lightly to seal around it.
- Wrap each stuffed chicken breast snugly in a couple of slices of prosciutto, covering as much of the surface as you can.
- Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high in a 12-inch nonstick skillet.
- Add wrapped chicken breasts and cook, uncovered, on one side until prosciutto is darkened in color and chicken breast is about halfway cooked through. Flip once and cook until chicken breast is just cooked through. Remove chicken breasts to a plate.
- Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet. Add shiitakes, shallot, garlic, and sage, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are lightly browned and tender.
- Pour Marsala into pan and stir to scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pan. Simmer until liquid has just evaporated.
- Add chicken stock and simmer briskly for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together butter and flour with a fork to form a paste. (This is your beurre manié.)
- Stir beurre manié into pan sauce and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more, until nicely thickened.
- Add chicken back to pan and simmer until warm.
- Off the heat, grind a bit of pepper overtop.
- To serve, place a piece of chicken on each of four plates and top with some mushrooms and sauce. Sautéed spinach makes a great, easy accompaniment.
Notes
- You can use a mellow provolone or a nice sharp one, whichever you like. There’s not a shocking amount in the recipe, so it won’t overwhelm regardless. If you're not a fan of provolone, you could leave it out entirely or substitute with another flavorful cheese that melts well, such as gruyere or fontina.
- I’ve used shiitake mushrooms in this recipe for maximum savoriness. Please note that the weight indicated in the recipe is for pre-sliced mushrooms with stems already removed. If you're starting with whole mushrooms, you'll need more. If you prefer, you can use half or even all cremini (baby bella) mushrooms instead.
- Marsala is a Sicilian style of fortified wine. For savory cooking, you'll want to use a dry variety. You can learn more about how to choose a bottle in the dedicated section of the post above.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute your favorite 1:1 GF flour blend for the all-purpose flour.
- If you’d like to prep this meal in advance, you’ve got a few options. You can stuff and wrap the chicken up to about 24 hours in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, and cook everything shortly before serving. You can cook the mushrooms in advance as well and finish the sauce right before serving. Or, if necessary, you can cook the whole dish in advance and reheat right before serving time.
- Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
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