This chicken Lombardy recipe is a crowd-pleaser wherever you serve it. It’s one of those recipes that tastes like you’ve slaved for hours, when in fact, it’s quick and easy to make. Despite its unclear origins, it checks all the boxes for great chicken recipes.
It’s full of flavor, tastes amazing, and is simple to make! Like all good Italian chicken recipes, this recipe pairs beautifully with pasta and veggies.
I love the Marsala sauce. It’s one of my favorite Mediterranean chicken sauces. The wine brings a brilliant depth of flavor that the mushrooms and chicken are quick to soak in. You’ll love the sophisticated taste of this simple-to-make chicken Lombardy recipe.
If you love Italian-inspired chicken dishes, I hope you’ll try my authentic chicken scarpariello, chicken Vesuvio’s, chicken Francaise, and chicken milanese next! I promise you’ll love them all!
Let’s make this!
What I Love About This Recipe
This chicken Lombardy recipe has many wonderful things about it. Here are my favorite things!
- The Marsala sauce
- Easy to make
- Tons of flavor
- The ooey-gooey cheese layer
Chicken Lombardy Ingredients
- Mushrooms- I like cremini mushrooms because they bring more flavor than other types. If you can’t find cremini, portobello or button mushrooms will work.
- Marsala- Marsala is a fortified wine, which means it has brandy added to it. This brings a fantastic depth of flavor and is why Marsala is so popular in sauces. You don’t have to break the bank for cooking Marsala. A $10-20 bottle is definitely adequate for making sauces.
- I also suggest buying a dry variety. If you cannot find Marsala, you can use Sherry or Madeira as alternatives.
- Nonalcoholic substitution- You can use 1/2 c white grape juice, 1/4 c sherry vinegar, and 1 Tablespoon of vanilla. This combination yields a nice depth of flavor that is similar to Marsala. It might take longer to thicken, but just keep simmering!
Recipe Notes
- Watch the heat- To get a nice crisp coating on the chicken, you’ll want the butter hot when you put the chicken in the pan. However, butter burns easily, so be careful not to overdo the heat.
- Deglazing the pan- Do not skip this step. It’s critical to ensuring full flavor in your sauce. The broth and wine lift the bits of chicken and mushroom off the bottom of the pan. Scrape and stir vigorously as you add the liquid.
- Simmer the sauce- The thickness of the sauce can vary a great deal based on the reduction temperature. If you thicken the sauce too much, add a bit more chicken broth or water for a slightly thinner consistency.
- If you find the sauce too thin after 10 minutes, just cook it a bit longer. You want it to be lightly coating a spoon when it’s all said and done.
How To Make Chicken Lombardy Recipe
- Cook the mushrooms and set aside.
- Brown the flour-coated chicken. Set aside.
- Add marsala and chicken broth to the skillet. Simmer until thickened.
- Drizzle sauce evenly over the chicken.
- Arrange cooked mushrooms over chicken and add cheese.
- Bake and sprinkle with parsley.
***See the full instructions below.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge and up to 2-3 months in the freezer.
- Can You Freeze This? To freeze this, I suggest stopping before you bake it. Freeze at that point, and when you’re ready for it, pop it in the oven. It will probably take about 30-40 minutes from being frozen.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can make this ahead by freezing it, as noted above. You can also make it a couple of days ahead of time, stopping before you bake it. Set it out on the counter 30 minutes before baking.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Recipe Variations
Can I Use Parmesan Instead Of Mozzarella?
I like mozzarella in this dish because of its melty, gooeyness on top of the chicken. Parmesan cheese doesn’t melt as nicely, but you could definitely use a mixture of the two!
You can even put Parmesan in the chicken breading like in parmesan crusted chicken for extra crispy, cheesy yumminess.
Serving Recommendations
This recipe lends itself to Italian flavors. My simple roasted peppers, roasted green beans with mushrooms and shallots, or my amazing Mediterranean salad!
Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks, or herb garlic bread (the best ever!) finish things up perfectly.
More Italian-Inspired Dishes
- Mostaccioli
- Chicken Marbella
- Chicken Murphy
- Italian Sausage and Peppers
- Italian Sunday Gravy
- Baked Ziti with Ricotta
- Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno
- Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Chicken Lombardy
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms trimmed and sliced
- 1/4 cup, plus more if needed unsalted butter, DIVIDED
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup marsala
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large skillet add 2 tablespoons butter and cook the mushrooms (8 ounces) on medium-high heat until tender, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Slice each chicken breast in half, horizontally, with a very sharp knife. Pat slices dry with paper towels to remove any moisture. Dredge each piece in flour (1/2 cup), shaking off excess.
- Brown chicken in batches, so as not to crowd the pan, in 1-2 tablespoons of remaining butter in the skillet, over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer browned chicken to the prepared baking dish, laying in a single layer. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more butter if needed to brown the second batch. Arrange cooked mushrooms over chicken.
- Add marsala (3/4 cup) and chicken broth (3/4 cup) to the skillet. Bring liquid to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Drizzle sauce evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle green onions (1/4 cup) over chicken then top evenly with cheese (2 cups).
- Bake uncovered, in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley (1-2 tablespoons) and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Watch the heat - To get a nice crisp coating on the chicken, you’ll want the butter hot when you put the chicken in the pan. However, butter burns easily, so be careful not to overdo the heat.
- Deglazing the pan - Do not skip this step. It’s critical to ensure full flavor in your sauce. The broth and wine lift the bits of chicken and mushroom off the bottom of the pan. Scrape and stir vigorously as you add the liquid.
- Simmer the sauce - The thickness of the sauce can vary a great deal based on the reduction in temperature. If you thicken the sauce too much, add a bit more chicken broth or water for a slightly thinner consistency.
- If you find the sauce too thin after 10 minutes, just cook it a bit longer. You want it to be lightly coating a spoon when it’s all said and done.
Nutrition
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I really love this recipe but I had to guess butter amounts because the recipe first calls for 2TBLSP of butter for sauteing mushrooms then 1/3 cup for browning chicken but the directions say to add remaining 2TBLSP of butter for browning chicken.
I’m confused
Hi Elaine, I have edited the recipe to be more clear. Thanks so much for the feedback! I appreciate comments like this so my readers don’t get confused!
This was great! I made it gluten free by using GF flour and served it over brown rice pasta. Looking forward to having the leftovers. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you, Deb! This is really perfect with rice 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed
I’m making this tomorrow and thought about adding bacon with the mushrooms. What do u think?
Hi Willo! I haven’t tried adding bacon yet but it sounds delicious.? Let us know how it turns out for you!
I LOVE this recipe! Totally delicious and super easy to whip up without a lot of fuss. I like lots of cheese and always use three different types: Provolone, Mozzarella and Parmesan. They all melt well when grated and mixed together. As far as the sauce is concerned, I just DOUBLE the amount indicated in the recipe and serve the baked chicken over angel hair pasta tossed with butter, some finely grated parmesan and a little bit of garlic salt. Everyone always comments on how flavourful this meal is! We usually have a little side salad so we get our greens and veggies and serve it with warm garlic bread as well. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll get my breadmaker out and make that fresh from scratch too. ENJOY!
That’s so wonderful, Sara! 😀
This may be a dumb question, but did you use thin sliced chicken breasts?
Well, I cut the chicken breasts in half to create thin chicken breast. <3
It was delicious! I had 6 thin-sliced chicken breasts and after they were browned, I placed them over a bed of frozen spinach cooked in microwave with garlic. Then followed the recipe as shown except using a commenter’s tip to use basil instead of parsley. Very good substitution! Thank you.
You’re welcome, Beth! 😀 So happy to hear you liked it!
Can you use anything other than wine?
Hi Dorothy! I haven’t tried looking for alternatives for the wine for this recipe so I can’t advise.
I’m no foodie or chef, so maybe this is a noob question, but step 2 says to cook the mushrooms with the butter (no amount given, so I assume all?), but step 4 references “remaining butter”. What remaining butter? Or is that additional butter?? Or should step 2 not use all of the gobs of butter listed in the ingredients??? 🙂 (I’ve seen this ambiguity on other recipes for this dish…)
Thanks for the clarification. This does sound delish!!
Hi Carl. Not a noob question. My editing mistake! In step 2 you use 2 tablespoons of butter, then in step 4, you use 2 tablespoons for brown the first batch of chicken, then use 1-2 tablespoons, as needed, for the second batch. Thanks so much for your question. I hope you make this dish, it’s really yummy!!
Made this and it was great!
Thank you for posting. I made this years ago from a recipe in Southern Living cookbook. My husband loves this dish. Also thank you for not DEMANDING registration, etc to view and comment. Pinterest? Are you listening?
I’, so glad you found us, Elaine! My hubby loves this dish too!
I cannot wait to try this! As a Wisconsin resident and Green Bay Packers season ticket holder, in homage to our former coach, I have saved the recipe in my file to Chicken Lombardi rather than Lombardy! 🙂 Love your site and your wonderful recipes.Just ordered a jar of Pappadew Peppers for your salad recipe!
Hi Marilynn! I love that you’re going to pay homage to the former coach with this delicious chicken recipe!I hope you love the peppadews as much as I do. They’re wonderful in the salad! <3
Is there anything you could use instead of the Marsala?
Hi, Denise. You can substitute Madeira instead. 🙂
Can you make 5his the night before
Hi Pat, I would make it ahead through step 5, then cool it and store in the fridge. Then when you want to serve, let the dish sit out on the counter for 30 minutes (so it cooks more evenly), then follow step 6 <3
Sounds heavenly, but surely this is not 2264 calories per serving? Please advise thank you.
You’re so right Connie! It was initially miscalculated. All fixed now <3
Hello!! Where do you find Marsala in the grocery store??
The liquor department <3
Its was delicious, right temp on butter is key. I thought plain rice or pasta wasnt going to do it for me. I prepared orzo rissotto and garlic sauteed spinach as sides. Huge hit!
Sounds so yummy, Terri! <3
I recently made this recipe with my sister and it was an enjoyable experience and our dinner was amazing. We had a friend over with their child and both really liked it. The chicken was perfectly cooked and it wasn’t dry like in most recipes I’ve tried, and the cheesy top coating finished off the dish to perfection. I made this with some white rice and am definitely going to continue to make it again!
I have made this dish 4 times. It is a family favorite. However iI use almost all the can of soup and a lot of marsala but i put baking power unit and it thickens up. I pour this over the chicken. I also use basil instead of parsley. When i serve it I make angel hair pasta make a bed on plates put chicken on top and spoon sauce over it! Fantastic!
Hi Barbara, I am so glad this is a family favorite! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and I hope you check out more of our recipes!
When does the Marsala & broth thicken?
I simmered for over 15 mins and it never thickened?
Hi Guera,
Hmmmm. Did you bring it to a boil first? The sauce thickens as some of the liquid evaporates while you simmer it uncovered. It thickens, but as sauces go, its not super thick sauce.
getting it to thicken is always hit or miss – and a lot has to do with how much flour was added to the chicken. i always add a corn starch flurry to the sauce after simmering. MUCH easier!