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!
Hi 🙂
is there a sub for the wine??i need a non-alcoholic sub;)
Hi Raghda, there really isn’t anything besides other varieties of wine that would provide the same depth of flavor. It would probably still taste good with just the broth and some extra seasonings – maybe a splash of lemon juice, but it would no longer be Chicken Madeira.
This recipe was amazing!!!! I made it tonight and wanted to go back for seconds. I also had to sub the Madeira for sweet Marsala. Only negative was the sauce didn’t thicken right and I had to take some out to put the chicken in the pan. But I will definitely make it again.
Hi Charli, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I suggest cooking the sauce a little longer before adding the chicken which will help it thicken up.
I cannot find Madeira wine anywhere… can I sub Marsala?
Hi Carla, yes it will still work with Marsala 🙂
I am making this for dinner tomorrow, but I am confused. You say to use Madeira win, (sweet white wine, but Madeira is a red wine. So which is correct?
Hi Beth, the bottle I buy is more of a light amber colored wine – looks like a white wine. Just from some quick reading online, it seems there can be redder varieties depending on the types of grapes used. Maybe someone else has some insight into this? I definitely don’t claim to be a wine connoisseur 🙂
This looks so delish and easy enough even though it has a few steps for prep. I don’t like shrooms but I’d make it with them anyway for the flavor. Wow!
This dish is amazing Denise! I hope you love it just as much as I do!
OMG!! THIS IS DELISH!!! NOT HARD TO MAKE OR TO LONG STAETD AT 4:15 SAT DOWN TO EAT @ 6 :00!!!
I’m glad you love it Grace! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi! I made this tonight and followed the recipe exactly (except had to sub Marsala for Madeira) and it was SO YUMMY!!! Me and my hubs found some bread to wipe the plate clean 😀 So glad we have leftovers! I’m looking forward to pouring it all over rice noodles tomorrow for lunch! <3
Hello Betsy! I’m glad you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
I made this and it was delicious!
I’m glad you like it Sonia! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Natasha, my husband hated chicken (especially rotisserie chicken) until I started using your recipes. He loved the Chicken Midiera very much. Thank you for bringing back the beloved chicken!
Lol, you’re welcome Karen! I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I made the Chicken Mederia for Sunday lunch today and served it with mashed potatoes as you suggested! It was a huge hit! I will definitely be making it again. The video was so helpful! Thanks for dishing up great recipes.
Kathy
My pleasure Kathy! I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes so much! Thanks for following and sharing your excellent review!
What is the carb & fiber count on this ?
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Irene!
Found your recipe from a share on my Facebook feed. Decided to try it right away. I must say it’s a let’s make this again recipe. I did not find Madeira so I used Marsala wine. Glad I had leftovers for my lunch’.
I’m glad you like the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I would like to make part of this ahead of time so I’m not in the kitchen when our company is here. Is there a point you can make it ahead and put it in the oven?
Hi Martha, with this dish, you could actually make the entire dish ahead and put it in the oven until hot and the cheese is melted over the top.
I made this for dinner today, me and my husband really enjoyed our meal! thank you for the recipe!
– we don’t cook with wine, so i didn’t add any here either and it was still really good
You’re welcome Natasha! I’m glad you both love it! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers! 😀
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!
You’re welcome Danielle! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your helpful review with other readers!
Thanks for your post, Danielle. I am making this for the first time today and couldn’t find Madeira wine. Thanks to your post, I decided to try Moscato and I think it’s going to be amazing!
Very good. I put a little fresh rosemary. Also, grocery didn’t have any good asparagus left, so did fresh green beans. Will totally do again!
Great alternatives! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Angelique! 😀
Why would you use beef stock with that great chicken recipe? Chicken stock would have been a lot tastier
Hi, beef stock is used for flavor and the deeper color for the sauce. It actually works really well in Chicken Madeira. Chicken broth can be substituted if you prefer and will still work great.
This recipe is amazing!!! Easy to make, especially if you have many hands in the kitchen. We were able to do the asparagus while cooking the mushrooms and onions 🙂 I will totally make this again.
I’m happy to hear how much you love this recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review Amy!
I made the chicken madarea and the sauce is really runny….I followed the recipe ?
Hi Shantel, you can simmer the sauce a little longer to thicken it – also, if you don’t cook down the wine long enough before adding the cream, it can take longer to simmer the cream to a thicker consistency since you would have more liquid in the pan. It is not supposed to be a very thick sauce, but also not watery. I hope that helps for next time!
This is amazing! And so easy….thanks for the video. I’m so glad this came in an email because I wouldn’t have searched for it on your site, though a lot of my family’s favorites are yours! Really wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome Traci! I’m glad to hear how much you and your family are enjoying the recipes! Thanks for following and sharing your wonderful review!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used Marsala since I did not have Madeira wine. It’s a keeper and will become a regular in my home.
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing Lulu! 🙂