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 made this last nite and Hubby said this is good ! You can make this again. That’s your compliment!
Thanks so much Andy! I’m glad you both enjoy the recipe, thanks for sharing!
Hi Natasha, I have made this twice in my home and after making it the first time my husband said I should work as a chef in a restaurant. My family was super impressed. Thank you for this award winning recipe.
My pleasure Olivia, sounds like you did a great job yourself! Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Made this as per the recipe and it was delicious.
It’s certainly a fan favorite, I’m glad you love it as well! Thanks for sharing your excellent review Joy!
How would this be with vermouth?
Hi Paula, I honestly have not experimented with vermouth so I’m not sure. Maybe someone else has tried and can chime in? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Natasha , I have a Madeira wine and it looks almost red . It cost 30.00 Canadian
do you know what a portion (serving) size would be
HI Becky, a serving size would be 1 piece of chicken and then 1/4 of everything else. This recipe has 4 servings (the serving size can usually be found towards the top part of the print-friendly portion of the recipe)
Made this last night…FANTASTIC! I have a big family, so I doubled the recipe, and had both chicken breasts and boneless/skinless chicken thighs, and it was wonderful!
I’m happy to hear the recipe is a hit! Thanks for sharing your excellent review Jill!
Tried this out tonight. Wonderful flavor, and it’s the first time my kids voluntarily ate asparagus AND mushrooms.
Oh wow! I’m glad to hear the whole family enjoys the recipe. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review Dawn!
Can freeze leftovers?
Hi, 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 🙂
Made this last night and it was
delicious . Couldn’t find madeira wine so substituted with a pinot gris.
Next up is your fish tacos!!
I’m glad to hear the recipe was a success! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review Terri!
I am planning to make this recipe for my daughters birthday dinner but just found out we have a funeral on the same day so wondering if you have ever prepped any of it ahead or all of it ahead and baked it later.
Hi Anita, you could make the entire dish ahead and then 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.
Absolutely DELICIOUS! I too love the Cheesecake Factory version but this one is better in my opinion! My husband asks for this a few times a month. I have made it with Marsala wine instead and it is still amazing. Such a wonderful copycat recipe.
I’m happy to hear how much you love this recipe Katie! Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Hi Natasha! which starch can be served with madeira chicken? Thanks for the recipe
HI, I personally love it with creamy mashed potatoes.
Being in a house with a recovering alcoholic, wine is a no-no. Is there anything to replace the wine that would still make the dish delicious?
Hi Kris, 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.
When you cook with wine, the cooking process “cooks out” all of the alcohol, so a recovering alcoholic won’t be getting any alcohol when you use it in cooking. Now,,,, a cake with Rum sprinkled on it THAT would be a NO NO!
Actually, that’s a myth. All the alcohol does NOT cook out. I would never presume to tell an alcoholic to make this dish as is.
Why do you say it is a myth? I have heard it cooks off the alcohol for many years & I have made my wine sauce recipes with a recovering alcoholic guest who had zero problem with it. I didn’t tell him about the wine but he had no reaction or problem with it.
My husband and I are both recovering alcoholics and I am going to try this, because I am sure the alcohol in the wine evaporates during the cooking process. I have been told that it does.
Hi Toni, It does evaporate mostly, but it might be safer to still avoid it. Maybe try using chicken broth and add lemon juice for flavor?
I made this last night and it was decadent. My boyfriend and I were both licking our plates! Thanks very much!
I found out halfway through cooking it that my boyfriend is slightly allergic to mushrooms. He said he gets a little hot and itchy. Nothing drastic, so he chose to eat it anyway.
I know it’s a full pound of mushrooms, so taking them out will definitely change the flavor, but I’d like to pick your brain on what I might sub for mushrooms. Any ideas?
Either way I’ll beer making this again. Omg so good!
Hi Christy! Thank you for the wonderful review! 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!
My husband shared this recipe with me, proving once again that the true way to mans heart is through his stomach and its been true for 30 years. lol. Will be making this dish this week.
I’m happy to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Margit!
Wow! Wow! Wow!! My whole family was impressed. Thanks for another great recipe. I always have good success with your recipes.
-Dean
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing that with me 🙂
While the flavor of this was really good, the sauce was very soupy. Do you know what I might have done wrong or a way to remedy this? Thank you.
Hi Jessica, I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavor! Chicken Madeira is normally supposed to have a thinner sauce. It isn’t creamy like an alfredo sauce, but if you wanted it to be thicker, I suggest simmering the sauce a little longer after adding the cream 🙂
Any idea what the weight watchers freestyle points are for this? The nutritional value was missing the saturated fat component, but i can probably guesstimate it… just wondered if anyone knew it. This recipe is OMG DELICIOUS… I was drinking the sauce it was so good, and I had already bought stuff to make it AGAIN before I started WW!
Hi Lucy, Thank you for the amazing review! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 I am not familiar with calculating weight watchers points. Sorry I can’t be much help with that.
Holy smokes….this was delicious!
I’m glad you love it Lynne, thanks for sharing!
Hi NATASHA, First of all I would like to thank you for sharing your delicious recipes online, I really appreciate it. I would like to know, where can I buy Madeira wine. I would like to try your recipe “chicken Madeira”.
Hi Blessie, I bought my at the liquor store since in ID Madeira wine is only carried there. Other states might have them in the grocery stores. You might have to call few stores and check.
Hi Natasha , I had the Madeira chicken to night and we really enjoyed it . What other wine would be comparable to Madeira wine . In British Columbia Canada , it is 30 Dollars a bottle . Thank you for sharing Linda