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 love the Louisiana spicy chicken pasta dish from Cheese cake factory. Can you make it?
I love and love your cooking
Thanks for your suggestion, Sherly. I’ll try to add that to the list.
Oh my God!!! First time I tried the recipe and it was a huge hit!! My family loved it. It was soooo good! The madeira wine was indeed the secret ingredient. This will be in the favorites rotation. I am so happy I found your recipe. Thank you! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Mari! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe
Natasha can I make your chicken Madeira in advance?? I looks so delicious!!
Hi Lynn, you can reheat this! It like most recipes is best fresh but it does reheat well!
Wow! This was fabulous! I haven’t had the Cheesecake Factory version but it couldn’t be any better than this recipe. I prepared this with broccoli instead of asparagus to please everyone, other than that, I followed your directions exactly. I’m in my 70’s and was getting pretty tired of cooking the same old same old but someone turned me on to your website and you have turned me on to cooking new and delicious meals again! Thank you for your wonderful, easy, creative and scrumptious recipes!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite! Thank you for that thoughtful comment, Jane.
I really want to make this recipe but my husband really does not like asparagus. What you recommend as a substitute?
Hi Mary, 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. I hope this helps!
I made this last week for me and my husband and it turned out delicious even though I forgot the parsley. 🙄 Family is visiting this week so I made it last night and it impressed the pants of them! Pro-tip: shred your own mozzarella as the pre-shreded usually has a calling agent that prevents it from melting properly!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review.
Hi. Can I substitutes wine with something eles?
I saw a comment that someone shared this “Didn’t have Madeira wine but, I read another reviewer used apple juice, so I used 1-1/4 cups Sauvignon blanc and 1/4 cup apple juice. My family loved it. Thanks for another amazing recipe!”
Dear Natasha,
I have made quite a few if you’re recipe’s now and I love them all.
I’ve made chicken Madeira twice now. My kids and my husband enjoys it. Thanks so much 💕
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
absolutely the best chicken recipe i ever made. I put it over smashed red potatoes. Followed the recipe to the letter. Highly recommend this flavorful and simple dish!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Debra!
I’m so excited to make this recipe.
Delicious! Didn’t have Madeira wine but, I read another reviewer used apple juice, so I used 1-1/4 cups Sauvignon blanc and 1/4 cup apple juice. My family loved it. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
You’re welcoem! I’m glad you enjoeyd this recipe. Thank you for sharing those tips with us!
I made this recipe for dinner today it was absolutely delicous
Thank you for sharing
Best chicken recipe EVER! This dish was outstanding, my entire family loved it. A definite keeper. Thank you!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
HI Natasha this looks fabulous. My husband’s a bit of a picky eater do u think that fresh, blanched green beans could be used instead of asparagus? I’m also having difficulty finding madeira wine absolutely anywhere. Do you recommend a certain sauvignon blanc brand? Thanks so much!
Hi Cortney, you could try broccoli or green beans but green beans will have slightly longer blanching/cooking time.
This recipe was awesome! My family and I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t find Madeira wine, so I used sweet vermouth instead. I wasn’t sure which kind to get, so I went with the sweet, and the recipe turned out great anyway. What wine do you recommend if Madeira wine can’t be found?
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.
Made this dish this evening for the first time. It was absolutely fantastic! However, it is important to note that Madeira is a fortified wine that has a higher alcohol content. I used a Madeira with an alcohol content of 19%. Poured it into a hot skillet just after cooking the chicken and SURPRISE! FLAMBÉ! I didn’t panic though and the flames subsided in about 30 seconds. The dish turned out great and I didn’t burn the house down. Just be mindful when you add the Madeira and keep flammable materials away from the stove and you too will look like a professional chef!
Why use beef broth can you use chicken broth
Hi Debbie, It could be substituted for chicken broth successfully if you have it on hand. If you are looking to make it wine-free, you could 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 hope this helps.
Just had the Chicken Maniera at Cheesecake Factory and it was fantastic. Cooked your version, it was better.
Wow, thank you for your compliment, Dennis. That is so inspiring!
I made this the other day and my liquor store didn’t carry Madeira so I ended up getting Marsala wine so I guess I made Chicken Marsala, but boy was it delicious! I’ve also never been so excited to eat leftovers the next day. 10/10!
I’m so happy you enjoeyd that Jane!
Absolutely Fabulous!!! Thank you so much!!
This recipe is awesome!!
As we are in Australia and obviously can’t travel ATM, we really miss the Cheesecake Factory.
Your recipe is perfect and easily as good as (if not better than) the Cheesecake Factory one.
Will be a regular on our menu from now on.
Big thanks again!
Hi Jase, I love that you enjoyed this recipe! That makes me so happy too as you can now make this at home anytime you’re craving for it. Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback.
Could I leave out the mushrooms? I truly HATE them. I soooo want to make this recipe.
Thanks, Jan
Hi Janet, 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!
Made this for Thanksgiving last night and it was a hit!
Thank you, Natasha! Your recipe was superb!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Cresta!