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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 recipe is amazing. I can never get the sauce to thicken bt it goes great with the cubed, seasoned potatoes I bake with the dish.
Hi Elizabeth, It is a light 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!
This was a great recipe! We are making it again. We could not find Madeira so we used brandy, cut in half, delish!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nancy!
Ask for it at your liquor store; they will definitely carry it. You will be very happy you sought it out. a flavor like no other in a dish like this.
Maderia Wine is impossible to find near me, is there another wine substitute that would work?
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.
Thank you, great recipe. I appreciate the simple step by step instruction. I normally look up a few recipes and create my own blend of what I like and what I have. But this time you were going toward processes that I was not familiar with, so I followed it as close as I could. Good work! Mmmmmmmm. Finding inexpensive Medeira Wine in this area was a challenge, but worth it.
Hello Bob, good to know that you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing your experience making this.
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while now but haven’t because I don’t cook with wine. What is a substitute for the wine in this recipe? Or can I omit it altogether? I understand the taste will be different but I’m fine with that.
Hi Lily, Most of the alcohol is cooked out in the pan, so you get the added flavor, and the sauce ends up with an insignificant amount of alcohol, which isn’t really a concern. My children loved this. We haven’t tried another substitution since the Madeira wine is what makes the flavor. If you are looking to make it completely wine-free, you could just use more broth, but the flavor profile wouldn’t be quite the same.
I simply added a bit more broth and the end result was so tasty! We’ll definitely be remaking and recommending this recipe. Also, we used more chicken (1.5 pounds) than the recipe called for but next time we’ll add even more so we can have leftovers. Thanks Natasha
OMG…made this for dinner tonight. Hubby said to rate it 5 stars times 2 🤣. I’ve never had Cheesecake Factory’s Chicken Madeira but I can’t imagine it’s better than this recipe. This is our new favorite chicken dish. Thank you for the recipe.
Sounds like this was a major hit, Christine! I’m glad you found a new family favorite!
Hi Natasha,
Planning to make this tomorrow for friends coming over. Do you think I can make it ahead of time and then warm up in the oven or do you think it will make the chicken taste dry?
Hi Shelly, to make the entire dish ahead, let it cool to room temp then refrigerate. 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. I suggest checking the chicken temperature with an instant-read thermometer to make sure it reaches the correct internal temperature of 165˚F.
Your recipes always look amazing, but how about some whole food plant based?
Thank you, Beth. Have you checked out my Vegetarian recipes? If not, definitely give them a look and see if there is anything here that would interest you. Click HERE for Vegetarian Recipes.
While I’ve never had the original from The Cheesecake Factory, I have made your version of this recipe at least a half-dozen times, and it’s been delicious and enjoyed by everyone in our family. Yesterday, I doubled the recipe and had our 7-year-old son assist as my sous-chef when he got home from school. I had him thick-slice the mushrooms in the food processor, snap the ends off of 2 lbs of asparagus, and use the Kitchenaid spiralizer attachment to peel and “cut” the potatoes for quicker and more uniform boiling for the mashed potato side dish. Using some of the kitchen gadgets gets him more excited about helping to prepare meals with daddy in the kitchen. This time I also cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, as I did with the asparagus (which I steamed instead of par-boiling), which allows for coating everything more easily in the delicious sauce, and consumption using only a fork, lol. We had a nice dinner, and have enough leftovers for at least another meal this week. I would attach a pic, but there doesn’t appear to be a way to do that here in the comments. You and your husband do a great job together, and of the literally dozens of your recipes I have made (many made countless times over), every one has turned out great. Thank you!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your excellent review, Scott! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you- I was curious if I could cut to bite size after cooking for a group as well! Did you double sauce recipe?
Omg this exceeded my expectations! I am so excited for the leftovers. Will definitely be making this again soon!!!
Hello Julie, that’s lovely feedback! Thank you for sharing that with us, the leftovers should be good too.
I love this recipe! It’s my go-to recipe when I want to treat myself or have company!!
This is the perfect treat for company 🙂 I’m so glad you loved it!
Thank you for this amazing recipe Natasha! Made it last night. Had RAVE reviews from family, claiming it was the best chicken dish I’ve ever made! And I like to think I’m a good cook. Will make again and again!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Doing Keto and this recipe looks great except the sugar in the wine. What would be a no sugar / low sugar alterative for the wine?
Hi there, you could just use more broth but the flavor profile wouldn’t be quite the same.
How can this dish be prepped to freeze and make later to shorten dinner prep time? After 4-5 years, my daughter & I want to quit “Dream Dinners”. Because of Covid, we can’t go to the local shop to assemble the meals ourselves. They now assemble them, and we just pick them up, so it’s become quite expensive. Maybe you could add prep and freeze instructions to your recipe offerings?? Thank you!
Hi Sandy, I haven’t tried freezing this so I am not sure how the sauce would hold up once it is thawed. If you experiment, let me know how it goes 🙂
chicken madeira, Made this tonight and it came out perfect!! thank you !!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Donna!
One of our favorite family meals. My kids request thos at least once a week.
Lovely to hear that, Kristia!
This looks delicious and I plan on trying it tonight! Any reason for beef broth instead of chicken?
Hi Shelly, we prefer it with the beef broth, it pairs nicely with this dish, but chicken broth can also be substituted. I hope you love this recipe!
I am having trouble finding white Madeira wine. Could I sub it with red Madeira?
Hi Shana, Madeira wine is usually an amber color and isn’t a true “white” wine. It can be made with red or white grapes.
A port wine or a sherry.
Hi Natasha. I made this dish following the recipe and it was wonderful. Would like to serve it at a dinner party where one guest is dairy free and gluten free. How could I modify? Thanks!
Hi Beverly, thanks for your good feedback. I haven’t tried making a gluten-free or dairy-free version yet but you can check the comments section or may others here can share some tips?
Hi Natasha, I love the variety of recipes you share. Can I substitute the wine with chicken broth. ❤
Hi Susan, Most of the alcohol is cooked out in the pan, so you get the added flavor, and the sauce ends up with an insignificant amount of alcohol, which isn’t really a concern. My children loved this. We haven’t tried another substitution since the Madeira wine is what makes the flavor. If you are looking to make it completely wine-free, you could just use more broth, but the flavor profile wouldn’t be quite the same.
Hi Natasha! Another question since I’m having difficulty find madeira wine, would Moscato wine be a too sweet wine with the apple juice?
Thanks so much!
Hi Cortney, that may work. It won’t have the traditional Madeira wine flavor, but here’s what one of our readers wrote: “I made this last night and it was incredible!! Thank you for the recipe. Only found Madeira at one store and they wanted $20 for it so I sub. It for moscato since that’s sweet and really reduced it a little more then the 1/4 cup you called for before putting the beef broth in… it was perfect. When my husband goes back for seconds I know the meal is good!” I hope that helps!
I’d rather just make chicken Marsala. It’s very similar, however, the wine is too sweet for. Which is why I waited years to try it, I know what I like and had a hunch. $80 dollar bottle of wine down the drain.
The moderator won’t allow this review because it’s negative… which isn’t helpful to people. Thanks for that.
I’m sorry you spent so much on the wine and did not enjoy the recipe, not sure where it went wrong. Hopefully, you’ll give our awesome Chicken Marsala a shot.
80 dollars for a bottle of Madeira ?
I got mine for 4 bucks
I made this tonight with Moscato and the sauce turned out amazing!