Juicy chicken and mushrooms in a madeira cream sauce under melty cheese and asparagus… all you need is mashed potatoes to go with it. This creamy Chicken Madeira is one of the most popular menu item at the Cheesecake Factory. It is popular for good reason! We love recreating our favorite restaurant copycat recipes like this one from Olive Garden!
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The madeira cream sauce has incredible flavor. You will want to dip your bread into the pan before the night is over and get every last drop of it. This Chicken Madeira recipe tastes fancy and will impress your family, dinner guests or your special someone for a date night in! This is one of our favorite copycat recipes.
Everyone in our family loved this Chicken Madeira, even the baby! My Mom was particularly impressed (she was trained as a chef so naturally when Mom is impressed, I’m beaming!).
This made for a lovely and fancy dinner and there was nothing overly difficult about it. Now you can also enjoy homemade Chicken Madeira for a fraction of the price!
Watch How to Make Chicken Madeira Recipe:
We went to the Cheesecake Factory on our Anniversary for my husbands’ first (and my second) time ever and ordered their world famous Chicken Madeira. It was love at first bite and we just knew we had to recreate this dish at home.
We made a copycat Chicken Madeira, except I love the homemade version even better! And, when you make it at home, you can feed a family of 4 for the cost of 1 serving at the restaurant. This is why we love copycat recipes so much!
Ingredients for Easy Chicken Madeira Recipe:
These simple ingredients work together to make a memorable one-pan dinner. If the wine section of your grocery store does not have Madeira, check at the liquor and wine store – I purchased this bottle for $6. If you aren’t able to find Madeira wine, you can substitute with Marsala wine which is also a sweet wine although it will taste more like chicken marsala ;).
How to Make Copycat Chicken Madeira:
1. To blanch asparagus: Remove fibrous stems from asparagus by snapping them off (watch video above). To blanch asparagus, fill a medium pot with 6 cups water, bring to a boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Add asparagus and boil uncovered until crisp tender and bright green (2-3 minutes then remove immediately from hot water and set aside).
2. Place a large heavy (oven-safe) pan over medium/high heat and melt in 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. Add thickly sliced mushrooms and cook 5 minutes until soft. Stir in diced onion and cook 3 minutes. Add minced garlic cloves then season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and 2 Tbsp fresh parsley. Cook another 2 minutes then remove mixture to a plate and wipe skillet clean with wet paper towel.
3. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and pound each cutlet between plastic wrap until no more than 1/4″ thick. Season chicken breasts all over with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Place same pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. When butter is finished foaming, add chicken breasts and saute 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan to the same plate as mushrooms.
4. In the same pan, add 1 1/2 cups Madeira and boil until reduced by half (5 minutes of vigorous boiling), scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add 1 1/2 cups beef broth and boil until 2/3 cup liquid remains or about 1/4 of it’s original volume (10 min). Reduce heat to medium, add 1/2 cup cream and simmer until sauce thickens (2 min). Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and turn off heat.
5. Return chicken to the pan, turning it to coat in the sauce. Top with mushrooms, asparagus and sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh parsley.
Are you hungry yet? This dish always gets rave reviews at the dinner table and it’s so good paired with Mashed Potatoes. I hope it becomes a new favorite for your family.
Our Most Popular Chicken Recipes:
- Chicken Avocado Salad – our #1 most popular chicken recipe
- Spatchcock Chicken – the juiciest way to roast a whole chicken
- Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken – you won’t believe what’s inside!
- Stuffed Chicken Parmesan – a classic chicken recipe just got better
Chicken Madeira Recipe (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breasts (2 large)
- 1 lb asparagus, blanched*
- 3/4 tsp sea salt, divided, and black pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 16 oz button mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus to garnish
- 1 1/2 cups Madeira Wine, sweet white wine*
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium beef stock or broth
- 1/2 cup Whipping Cream, heavy or regular
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- To blanch asparagus: Remove fibrous stems from asparagus by snapping them off. Fill a medium pot with 6 cups water, bring to a boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Add asparagus and boil uncovered until crisp tender and bright green (2-3 minutes then remove from hot water and set aside).
- Place a large heavy (oven-safe) pan over medium/high heat and melt in 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. Add sliced mushrooms and cook 5 min until soft. Stir in diced onion and cook 3 min. Add minced garlic cloves then season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and 2 Tbsp parsley. Cook another 2 min then remove mixture to a plate and wipe skillet clean with wet paper towel.
- Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and pound each cutlet between plastic wrap until no more than 1/4" thick. Season chicken all over with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Place same pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. When butter is finished foaming, add chicken breasts and sauté 3 to 4 min per side or until golden and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan to the same plate with mushrooms.
- In the same pan, add 1 1/2 cups Madeira and boil until reduced by half (5 minutes vigorous boiling), scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add 1 1/2 cups beef broth and boil until 2/3 cup liquid remains or about 1/4 of it's original volume (10 min). Reduce heat to medium, add 1/2 cup cream and simmer until sauce thickens (2 min). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return chicken to the pan, turning it to coat in the sauce. Top with mushrooms, asparagus and sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This chicken madeira recipe is easy and so good – just the way it should be. And, it’s so smart to dine in, especially if you are feeding a crowd!
My husband and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary with this dish. 14 years feels just few by and we now have an 8 year old and 2 year old. WOAH!! I am so thankful that we are best friends after all these years and that we not only love, but really like each other – and we work side by side day after day. The longer I am married to my husband, the more I just want to be around him and with him. Our date nights are few and far between but they are a treat!
Q: What is your favorite celebration dish and restaurant? I’d love to hear about it in a comment below!
P.S. If you love one-pan chicken recipes, make sure to check out this reader favorite (EASY) pesto chicken!
THANK YOU for this recipe! It was worth the effort and tasted amazing! Instead of blanching the asparagus, I broke it into 1-1/2 inch sized pieces and sautéed it with the mushrooom and onion mixture for about 2 minutes covered. I also used chicken thighs, did not pound them flat, and cut them into large, bite-sized pieces. It made for easy eating. Again, thank you so much! Yum!
Thank you for sharing your great review! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It was absolutely delicious!😋
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Amy!
When I saw this recipe on facebook I immediately wanted to try it, it looked so delicious! But I CANNOT find this Madeira wine! Is there another type of wine to replace it with?
Hi Carolyn, You may want to try searching in locations besides grocery stores. We found the Madeira wine at the liquor store. It is only available in grocery stores in some states, but not in Idaho. Marsala wine would be a good substitute if you are not able to find it.
Maybe port wine or red vermouth, as well?
If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
The recipe is very good! Is the sauce supposed to be thick?
Hi Charlene, I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you for sharing your great review! It is a light cream sauce. You can thicken it by simmering longer but it is meant to be a light sauce and not thick.
Hi there! Can this be made without using wine?
Hi ERazic, If you are looking to make it wine-free, you could just use more broth but the flavor profile wouldn’t be quite the same. The madeira wine gives it a unique, sweet flavor profile and I haven’t experimented with anything besides wine to provide a specific recommendation.
I have been seeing this recipe on fb for weeks. I finally decided to make it. We had all of the ingredients except for the wine. I substituted cooking sherry wine and crossed my fingers it would work still. It. Was. Fantastic. Even all of my kids LOVED it! Thanks!
That’s so great, Abby! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review.
I would make this in a heartbeat but my son hates mushrooms. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Hi Antoinette, I haven’t tested it without mushrooms so I’m not sure how much it would affect the flavor. You could try omitting them and maybe using some chopped zucchini instead. I hope you love it even without the mushrooms!
AWESOME!!! My husband usually cringes when we have new recipe night!! He loved it!!! My whole family did!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Deana!
Hello I would like to try this, but I can’t find any Madeira wine, could I use white cooking wine instead?
Hi Alexandra, the Madeira wine gives it a unique, sweet flavor profile but some readers reported great results with Marsala wine.
Awesome recipe. I used semi sweet red wine and it was fantastic. THank you Natasha.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
I am on a new medical diet for serious stomach issues so I can no longer have much fiber, if any. What can I use in place of the asparagus?? I can have well cooked spinach, carrots & beets mainly. Nothing raw. 🙁 Not even raw fruits!! Seems to fight with my diabetic diet but have worked it out. I can take a pill for the dairy in the dish but can’t have the asparagus. Any suggestion?
Hi Edna, I’m so sorry to hear that :(. You can substitute the asparagus with cooked spinach or carrots or serve the veggie on the side and it will not affect the flavor of the dish. You might try the sauce and see if you like it without adding the dairy. It still has good flavor even without the cream added. I hope that helps!
I work at Cheesecake and people ask to remove the asparagus all the time. It doesn’t affect the flavor at all, however its good to cut the rich flavors of the dish with something slightly bitter. Try something like squash or zucchini, and try to avoid adding anything that would increase the sweetness of the dish. Hope it helps!
Hi Natasha,
Love the channel, love the recipes, and love your video presence! I have a pet peeve about hair and cooking and your long lovely locks are driving me crazy! Please, you could sport a pony tail and be just as lovely!
I pummel a whole bunch of hairspray in there so the chances are slim :). Since I am baking these things for my family and not in a commercial kitchen, I don’t worry too much about it 🙂Thank you for the great review, Craig. II’m so happy to hear you are enjoying my blog!
I don’t often write reviews, but this recipe was worth taking the time. Simply delicious! I used Marsala cooking wine because I didn’t have Madeira, and it was amazing. Thank you!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Laura! A few readers have also reported great results with Marsala!
Made this tonight for company and it was a hit! Great recipe and its easy but took some time to get ready! It’s worth it! Its a must try and in my books a keeper!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Lorraine!
Am so excited about not wondering what to make for supper anymore! You have opened up a whole new universe of deliciousness for me to serve my family!! Thank you!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Peggi :).
love your recipe there so simple to make and so good keep it up bravo!!
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Cecile!
We don’t drink wine ( I know, crazy huh) anyway is there some other flavor we could use or just eliminate the wine. We could add it, no prob. But why spend the money to just throw the extra away.
If you are looking to make it wine-free, you could just use more broth but the flavor profile wouldn’t be quite the same. The madeira wine gives it a unique, sweet flavor profile and I haven’t experimented with anything besides wine to provide a specific recommendation
You could always make extra sauce with the rest of the wine and freeze it to use for another dish. OR just put the bottle in your cooking cabinet and use it for another sauce another day. Also, some places sell mini bottles of wine, you could always just grab a couple of those!
They do make alcohol-free wines. I don’t drink either but do sometimes cook with these ‘wines’.
This recipe was phenomenal!!! Couldn’t find Madeira wine so had to use Marsala but it was soooooo tasty! 10/10 for sure! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Julie! Marsala wine sounds awesome!
So I just made this and it is wonderful! I did mess up on the Madeira wine though as I didn’t read to know not at the grocery store. So I thought “oh I am sure I have a sweet wine that someone gave me at home”! Well, I did….a strawberry wine and the rest were reds! So I used 1/2 cup of it and 1 cup Chardonnay (a bota box in the fridge)…..still soooo good! I can only imagine how much better if I did it correctly. The only other oh no was at the last and I had bought fat free mozzarella!!!! Yikes! That is terrible on a good day but it’s all I had!
Still smiling everyone!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Joyce. I’m so happy it worked out for you!
If you cant get Maderia, Madera, lol, however you want to pronounce it or spell it, DO NOT use Marsala.
Follow this recipe to the letter. No I left this out or riffed with this that and the other. FOLLOW IT. You won’t be sorry.
I’m so glad you loved our Cheesecake Factory Re-make! 🙂 Thanks for the awesome review!