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!
This was the first recipe I’d tried from your site and it is fantastic. I have made it several times, including for friends recently and they loved it too.
I’d never had it at the Cheesecake Factory, but I can’t imagine it being any better there than the recipe you came up with.
Only tip I’d give people is to call their liquor stores first because madeira wine is not stocked everywhere.
Thank you for that amazing review & Feedback, Stacy!!
Loved this one! Flavorful and heavenly sauce alongside the tender chicken breasts and mushrooms and asparagus!
Beautifully presentation and family loved! Sooo a ‘keeper’!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hey! Where did you purchase your Paul assonance California Madeira wine from ? I checked a few stores and still have not found it. Or is there a alternative?
Hi Sveta, 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. 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.
Hi Natasha. I’m always looking for new recipes for dinner to shake the “same ol, same ol” and BOY this recipe did NOT disappoint!! My family was so happy with your Chicken Madeira recipe. They said it was better than C.F. I can’t wait to peruse your recipe collection for more ideas!
Thank you so much for that amazing feedback, Rachel!!
Let me start with one statement… I really don’t like to cook, but when I do it’s usually something quick and easy… but today I decided to do something else and because I love chicken Madeira from Cheesecake Factory I did this recipe. It was easy and omg so delicious!! I can’t stop eating… my hubby was so excited about this dish and he loves it too! And thank you for the video, it really helped a lot! Can’t wait to do more of your recipes!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂 I’m so happy you discovered our blog!
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts? Looking for a meal to feel some friends who are on the Keto diet and they always prefer thighs. Any alterations to the recipe due to subbing from breast to thighs?
Hi Lee! Several of our readers have tried this with boneless thighs and enjoyed it! I don’t believe anything needs to change besides watching cook time closely. Enjoy!
My husband loved this dish and it was a party favorite!
Thanks Natasha
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Hi, I made this tonight and the sauce did not thicken as I’d like. I didn’t measure the broth or wine (btw I used Cognac and flavor was great), so maybe I had more broth mixture than cream? What should the ratio be?
Hi Beth! 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.
Question about cookware
Hello,
Can you give an advice about a skillet for sautéing? Teflon is toxic and stainless steel has a nickel. What would be a good choice besides a cast iron, so food doesn’t stick?
Hi Yulia, an enamel coated cast iron would probably be your best bet 🙂
How about a regular cast iron skillet?
I cast Iron should work.
I would like to try this but am surprised that this recipe calls for beef broth rather than chicken broth. Is there a reason for that?
Hi Cathy, it has richer flavor and it also helps produce the right color for the sauce.
The reason I found this recipe is kind of funny…
My sister in law got married the other day, and for the reception dinner we had a choice between a quinoa stuffed mushroom or chicken Madeira. My husband and I had no idea what chicken Madeira was, so I googled it and found your recipe. It looked really good, so we chose that for our meal.
It.was.so.disappointing. They served us a dry chicken breast with packet gravy and like 5 mushroom slices, with a side of bland mashed potatoes and boiled cauliflower 😑
So we came home, made a list, went grocery shopping, and made this recipe!
It was not disappointing, to say the least lol.
I’m so happy you found our recipe!! I love that you were able to recreate this and even better on your own! Thank you for sharing that with us Allyssa!
Hi,
Can we don’t use the oven? Pluse, how can we do it al- cohol free?
Hi Ayah! You can skip the broil process if you would like. It just helps the cheese melt quicker. 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.
Hi
I would like to make this for company . What could be made ahead of time?
Also I would like more sauce so I should double that part?
Thanks
Hi Tara! Yes you can definitely double it! It would also work to make the entire dish ahead, let it cool to room temp then refrigerate then before serving, complete that last step of putting it in the oven until hot and the cheese is melted over the top. You might need a few extra minutes in the oven since it is going in chilled from refrigeration.
Made this last night, OMFG so good! I had to buy the madeira from Total Wine. The sauce had sort of a nutty, sweet flavor and was so rich, loved it. Definitely adding this to my recipe arsenal!
Isn’t it so rich and tasty! Thanks Robert!
Hi Natasha,
I’m looking to try this recipe for the first time tomorrow. How should I marinate it the night before for an even juicier/more flavorful result? Or would you say marinating is not necessary? Thank you in advance!
We haven’t had to Olga. Ours was already juicy. Just don’t over cook the chicken and you should be fine. If you choose to marinate it I would love to know how you like it!
Excited to try it! We’re not able to use alcohol, though, anything you recommend to substitute?
Hi Cathryn, 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.
Hello where can I purchase the Madeira wine?
Hi Veronica! We purchased ours at a local liquor store.
Very nice recipe, just one complaint, I nearly set my kitchen on fire when I added the Madeira to the pan. Fire shot straight out of it and burnt all the sides of my cupboards, I had to lift the pan and take it over to the basin when it calmed down. I didn’t know that adding alcohol to a hot pan would created a huge fire, I just followed the recipe. I was lucky I didn’t burn the kitchen down, but I have ruined my kitchen cupboards beside my cooker. Apart from that it was lovely and I would make it again, i’d just take the pan off the heat first for 30 secs or so before I add the Madeira.
Hi Sam! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!! I’m sorry to hear that didn’t work out as planned for you. The pan should not be hot enough to cause a fire after removing the chicken. We posted photos of us adding the wine and there was no fire. just a light simmer. I would recommend keeping the pan warm but not scorching hot as alcohol does burn at high temperatures. I’m happy you’re okay and hope it works for the best next time!
My husband and I made this a few days ago and it was fabulous. The richness of the sauce and layer of flavors was unbelievable. I used better than bullion mixed with water for my beef broth and it was a little richer than I wanted. I just added more cream and that made more sauce all the better! I posted a picture of our creation on my instagram page and tagged you so you can see how beautiful it came out. (jnieman2000)
Hi Judy! That’s so great! Thank you for tagging us! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
This turned out great, awesome recipe. A lot of time chained to stove but we’ll worth it.
Yes this dish is a little time consuming but so worth it! I’m happy you enjoyed that, Scott!