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!
It was soooooooo gooooooddddd! My 1 and 4 years old loved it
Husband lover it and ask for this receipe to return each week. Did not have madère wine, i used regular red wine with some porto.
Love your video!
From quebec Canada!
I’m so glad that worked out, Alexandra!
My family loved it! Very easy to make with your video. It was a hit!🥰 They requested for me to make it again at least once a month.😊😊
Wow, that is awesome! Thanks for letting me know and I’m glad your family loved it.
Recipe easy to follow and meal was delicious. Will certainly make this again!!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
My favorite meal. Have made several times and never disappoints!
So great to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Olivia.
Tonight was my second time following your recipe and it was a hit for our family yet again. Thank you so much for sharing!
My pleasure, Alex. That makes me so happy, thanks for your great feedback!
Made this tonight for the first time. My family loved it. Definitely a keeper for chicken rotation. Worth the effort! Not a drop leftover. Thank you Natasha!
You’re so welcome, Carmen. I’m happy that you and your family loved this recipe. It’s one of our favorites at home too!
I have looked at this recipe for a long time and finally decided to try it. I found the Madeira Wine at the wine store. I bought Madeira wine but for cooking, not drinking. $8. I have never made a recipe that tasted as good as it looked. Everyone LOVED it, and there is nothing left. I followed the recipe exactly subbing bouillon cubes for the beef broth. I wish I could share a picture. I am eating the leftover remnants before I clean the pan. It is a meal for every night or special occasion. I made with mashed potatoes and could have doubled the sauce. The best meal I have ever cooked. My 25 yr old son was intrigued and ended up helping me cook.
Thank you, Natasha.
I can’t wait to make more of your recipes!
Hello Bonnie, I’m so happy to hear that your experience making this recipe was great! This is one of our favorite recipes too and I’m really proud to share this one.
So we made this last night and I couldn’t find the madeira wine so we substituted the wine for apple juice (martinelli’s apple juice). Needless to say this will be in my to remake recipes for years to come. My family absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe, Mika!
I waited tables at CF and loved this dish. I have tried another recipe and it wasn’t even close. This was absolutely perfect!! I can’t wait to use this sauce recipe to make the Pasta Da Vinci as well. Tastes just like the restaurant for a lot less $$$.
It is popular for good reason! I hope you love this recipe!
Are you permitted to tell me what brand of pan it is that you use? I’d love to gete one.
Hello Valerie, sure. Here’s the pan that I used for this recipe.
I know this will be so good! My kids (13 & 11) are making this with your creamy mashed potatoes for our 16th wedding anniversary tomorrow! We are so thankful for the videos. It makes things so much easier and understandable for the kids!
You are so welcome, Shanna. This recipe is one of our favorites – I hope you and your kids will love it too!
We LOOOOVED this meal! Such a high-end flavor. Our kiddos watched the video and followed the recipe to a T. One of my best anniversary memories. Thank you!
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
I cannot find Madeira wine anywhere anymore. What is a good substitute for it? I live this recipe so much!
Hi Simona, 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. 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.
Can I use Holland House white cooking wine as a substitute for the wine in this recipe?
Hi Glenda, as a rule of thumb, I avoid any wine labeled “cooking wine” since it usually has additives and changes the flavor. I haven’t tested that with this recipe, but I would highly recommend using what is recommended in the recipe.
Hi Natasha,
This dish came out delicious. However, my sauce came out a bit on the watery side. It just wouldn’t thicken. Other than that, the meal was excellent. Any suggestions? I followed your instructions exactly. Should I whisk in a little bit of flour if this happens in the future?
Hi Sarah, 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. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Can this be made in advance?
Hi Cheryl! It sure can! It like most recipes is best fresh but it does reheat well!
I love your recipes I’m not the best cook but as I’m getting older I am quite enjoying learning to cook and to try new recipes to feed my family. I’ve also struggled trying to find some of the ingredients as I live in Australia so have to convert everything and could never find a Hoagie Roll lol Thanks for making cooking a bit more enjoyable for me and the videos and so helpful. There is no way I could cook without the videos.
You’re welcome Victoria! I’m so happy you’re enjoying our recipes!
i love all your Recipes and a love to watch wen you are cooking
You’re so nice! Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Barbara! I’m so happy you’re enjoying our recipes!
OMG – Fabulous! And so easy to make. Thanks Natasha for another great recipe!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Debra!
If you omitted the wine completely, which I’m thinking carries the most carbs in the recipe, we could consider this a low carb recipe? Hoping so.
Hi Callie, you are correct that without the wine this would be a low carb recipe.
Hi, I am lactose intolerant but want to try out the recipe. Any thoughts for substitutions for the heavy whipping cream? Thanks!
Hi Kris, I haven’t tried any substitute for the whipping cream but you can try dairy and lactose-free half-and-half substitutes.