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!
I recently had this dish at The Cheesecake Factory in Dubai, when I asked if they used wine for the recipe they said they used soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and honey!
Would you be able to estimate the quantity of each ingredient above, to use in your recipe, to substitute for the wine? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, with out testing myself I can’t advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like the recipe!
Can’t wait to try this, but could I use a Cab Sav for the wine? I have printed the recipe already, just waiting on the response. Please hurry…it sounds amazing!!!!!
Many have tried Marsala wine and enjoyed it as well. The Madeira wine gives it a unique, sweet flavor profile and I haven’t experimented with anything besides wine to provide a specific recommendation. Here’s what one of our reader wrote. “You can get cheap wines at trader joe’s or even walmart for maybe $3 or $4. They are even good enough for most people to drink and aren’t loaded with salt and additives. For reds, we use cabernet or merlot. For whites, we use sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.”
Cab is a very dry red. Recipe needs a sweet wine, obviously a Madeira. I found Madeira at local mom & pop liquor stores, $10, none at big box stores. Tip from store owner, “while a Marsala may work, it’s not sweet enough. Yes, use in a pinch but I would use a Sweet, Dessert Sherry before Marsala. Definitely do not use Cooking Sherry, too many nitrates.” Recipe is a huge hit in our home!
I’m so glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing that info with us.
Hi Natasha! Love all your recipes. I want to make this recipe for a big crowd and wanted to know if I can use chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts?
Thank you!
Hi Nadrine, I have not tested this with tenders but it should work. If you experiment with that please let me know how you like that recipe!
My husband and I made this last night and it was so delicious!! So glad I found your recipe 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
I had to make this the first time i read about it . It was delicious and I plan on making it again , It was one of the best meals I have ever made, and there was nothing left . My brother and SIster-in-law also loved it . I will make again soon as I get well .
Thanks for sharing this with all of us.
Sounds like you found a new favorite! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Could this be done without mushrooms? My wife and I don’t like musherooms
Hi Ray, 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!
Is there anything I can substitute the wine for? Or will that change the recipe too much? I can’t cook with alcohol.
Hi Kelly, It could be substituted for chicken broth successfully if that is what you have on hand. 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.
What about cooking wine? Would that be OK?
Hi Sara, I would highly recommend using a drinkable red wine and not one marked “cooking wine” since those have additives that would affect the flavor. If you experiment I’d love to know how you like it!
So good! Thank you for the recipe! Do you have any Mediterranean or Indian recipes on your website?
Hi Tanya, I do have several Mediterranean recipes. If you type Mediterranean in the search bar, you will find them easily. I hope you love the recipes!
looking forward to trying this. I never heard of the Cheesecake Factory…. what would you serve as a side with this?
Hi Marc! We love to serve this with Mashed potatoes and asparagus just like they do at the restaurant!
We just went to The Cheesecake Factory for the first time two weeks ago. Nearest ones are 2.5 hours from us. I can’t wait to try this. It sounds so delicious!
Might I challenge you to create a copycat of TCF’s shepherds pie? That was amazing! It was $15 & so much food my hubby ate some with his burger & we still coudln’t finish it. Would def get it again as a treat, but get it as take out to share between us. It was more than enough food for two people. I’ve searched for a copycat & non sounded anywhere near close. I know you could do it justice!
That’s a great suggestion, Jules! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Thank you for this. The nearest Cheesecake Factory is 2.5 hours away and I haven’t had my favorite dish for a long time. Your recipe is fantastic and just as wonderful as the restaurants. I wish it made more of the sauce though, I love extra sauce on to top everything off. Maybe next time I’ll double the wine/broth/cream and see what I get.
I love the sauce also! I’m so happy you enjoyed our recipe and yes you are definitely welcome to make double the sauce.
I have ZERO skills in the kitchen, but I just made this and it was delicious! 10 times better than the one served at the restaurant. I stumbled across the recipe on Facebook and decided to give it a try, and I’m soooo glad I did. The sauce was delicious! Thank you for this recipe, you’ve inspired me to try this cooking thing people do in their kitchens lol. Thankfully I made enough to eat again later haha.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Lita!
I made this last night and it was fantastic!
I did not have the wine that is in the recipe, but I did have another white sweet wine, so I substituted it and it was still awesome! Thanks for another great recipe!!!!!
You’re so welcome, Donna! Thank you for that wonderful feedback!
Definitely a 5 star recipe. I made exactly as written and it was wonderful!
Make sure to read the recipe thoroughly as there are many steps and it takes longer than you think because of the need to reduce the Madeira and beef broth. This did not deter me but will start earlier next time.
That’s so awesome, Carolyn! I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for that amazing feedback and awesome review!
I love trying new recipes and this was one of my families most favorite of all time new recipes!! This never fails to please them. I have made several times now!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Deana! 🙂 I’m so happy you found a favorite on our blog!
I made this tonight, it was delicious and our house smells amazing. Thanks for sharing!!
You’re welcome, Jackie! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Omg. This recipe ruined The Cheesecake Factory for me. The only thing i liked there was their Chicken Madeira, but it’s a little pricey. I’ve made this recipe 3 times, then i tried Cheesecake’s version again. It was awful compared to this. I’ll probably never go there again. This recipe is AMAZING!!!! Making it again tonight with some spaghetti squash. I double the recipe when i cook for a 7-person household. Never any leftovers.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m so happy you all enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha, what side would this pair with? Thank you so much for your reply!
Hi Tanya, The classic way! The Cheese cake factory serves this with mashed potatoes. We highly recommend trying this recipe here. Enjoy
Wow thank you this recipe was really delicious all my family loved it. I did use rose wine as could not get medeira wine I chose a sweet one. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Excellent!! The best chicken I ever made and our company loved it. I also made your caramel cheesecakes and they were a hit as well. I am German so food is very important with us and your recipes are fantastic! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Amazing recipe. I tried a different copy cat version of this and it was so disappointing. This recipe nailed it. It’s a little time consuming but still easyso easy and definitely worth it. You just need a little patience when it comes to reducing the wine and broth. I served over a bed of rice and felt it was the perfect compliment.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi I wanted to try this recipe.Can I substitute something else instead of beef broth and parsley? also any non alcoholic wine that I can use?
It could be substituted for chicken broth successfully if that is what you have on hand. 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. Planning to make this on NYE. Can i use Rosé instead of Madeira? Thanks!
Hi Alyn, I have tried that with Rose and can’t advise if that would work since 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 Madeira wine to provide a specific recommendation.