Chicken Lombardy features marsala wine and mozzarella cheese on top of a buttery pan seared chicken and mushroom dish. It sounds fancy with its rich combination of wine and cheese, but you’ll soon discover it’s shockingly simple!
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Despite the fact that I regularly share Italian family recipes passed on from my husband’s grandma, I can’t claim this decadent (but shockingly easy) dish as a family recipe.
In fact, no one really can although there is a rumor this dish was once on Olive Garden’s menu.
That said, I can’t find anything to back up this claim other though they do sometimes name dishes after regions in Italy and Lombardy is, in fact, a region in Italy.
Other rumors claim this recipe is not in fact Italian at all but came from Wisconsin and was named for famed Vince Lombardi.
No one seems to know where it came from, but I can say it’s honestly one of the best Italian American recipes to come out of my kitchen in the past decade.
We’re talking dredged, seared chicken in a rich, luscious wine sauce.
It makes an appearance on our table at least once a month.
What’s the difference between chicken Lombardy and chicken marsala?
Chicken Lombardy and chicken marsala are both very similar.
They both have pan seared chicken and mushrooms in a buttery wine sauce.
But chicken Lombardy invites mozzarella and Parmesan to the party before it bakes, creating a cheesy chicken dish that’s to die for.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Mushrooms– Baby bella mushroooms. Save yourself some time and buy a pre-sliced package. If you can’t find these, you can sub sliced white button mushrooms.
- Butter– Divided
- Chicken– Boneless, skinless chicken breasts with the excess fat removed.
- Flour– All purpose to dredge the chicken in
- Chicken broth– You could use stock if you prefer. You can also use store bought or homemade chicken broth.
- Wine– Marsala wine. If you can, buy a bottle of wine that you would drink and skip the cooking Marsala wine. The cooking wine has a lot of added salt, etc. that make it taste not as good as the drinking wine.
- Salt and pepper
- Cornstarch and water– This combination combine to form what’s called a ‘slurry’ that is used to thicken the sauce.
- Cheese– Shredded mozzarella and shredded Parmesan
- Green onions– Thinly sliced
How to Make
Making chicken Lombardy is definitely beginner friendly!
To do it, start by cutting each chicken breast evenly in half, lengthwise.
Then, place one piece of chicken in between two sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap and pound it gently with a meat mallet until it reaches 1/4″ thickness.
Repeat for all the pieces of chicken.
Once the chicken is pounded, melt the two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Sauté the mushrooms in the melted butter for 3-5 minutes, or until tender.
Once they are tender, transfer the mushrooms to a waiting plate and set them aside.
Add the flour to a flat plate or large shallow dish.
Dredge each piece of chicken in it, making sure it’s evenly coated.
In the same skillet you cooked the mushrooms in, melt two tablespoons of the remaining butter.
When the butter has melted, add two pieces of chicken to the skillet and turn up the heat to medium high.
Cook the chicken until nicely browned on one side, flip and repeat.
Transfer the browned breasts to a waiting plate.
Repeat this until you’ve browned all the chicken.
Stir the broth and wine into the drippings in the skillet, using a sturdy spoon to get up all those yummy browned bits and deglaze the pan.
Season with salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until it thickens slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and water to make a slurry.
Whisk this into the skillet sauce, and let it simmer another 1-2 minutes- until nicely thickened.
Remove the skillet from heat, and set aside.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish, overlapping a bit if necessary to fit them all.
Spread the sauteed mushrooms evenly out over top.
Pour the sauce evenly out over top of the chicken and sprinkle the cheeses evenly out over top, followed by the sliced green onions.
Bake the prepared chicken at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown.
Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Chicken Lombardy
Like chicken marsala, chicken Lombardy pairs amazingly with pasta.
It’s also so good with Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, a salad, and garlic bread.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes!
To do it, prepare the chicken as directed but store the chicken and sauce separately in air tight containers in the fridge until you are ready to bake the dish.
Once you are ready to bake the dish, you will need to reheat the sauce and possibly thin it with a bit more chicken broth.
Then, assemble the casserole dish as directed above.
When ready bake at 450 until warmed through and the cheese melts and turns slightly golden brown.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in an oven safe dish in a hot oven until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip pounding the chicken. This tenderizes it and ensures it will cook properly. Plus it makes sure that you get the best chicken to sauce to cheese ratio in each bite!
- You could add a clove of pressed garlic into the pan with the mushrooms for a little extra flavor.
- If you serve this with pasta, I recommend using linguine, fettucine, or penne noodles. You want to avoid thinner pasta for this dish.
Other Delicious Italian Chicken Recipes
Chicken Lombardy is a favorite take on chicken marsala with its cheesy upgrade.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other Italian chicken recipes?
Try these:
- Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken
- Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan
- Creamy Chicken Florentine And Farfalle
- One Pot Chicken Marsala Pasta
- Chicken & Tomato Pesto Gnocchi
If you’ve tried this CHICKEN LOMBARDY, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Chicken Lombardy
Ingredients
- 8 oz pkg sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup Marsala wine
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch + 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast evenly in half, lengthwise. One at a time, place a piece of chicken in between two sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, flatten the breast out to a 1/4" thickness. Repeat for all the pieces of chicken.
- Melt the two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until tender. Remove the cooked mushrooms to a waiting plate or bowl, and set aside.
- Add the flour to a flat plate. Dredge each piece of chicken in it, making sure there's an even coat.
- In the same skillet you cooked the mushrooms in, melt two tablespoons of the remaining butter. Add two pieces of chicken, and up the heat to medium high. Let the chicken cook until nicely browned on one side, flip and repeat. Transfer the browned breasts to a waiting plate.
- Add another tablespoon of butter to the skillet, and brown another two breasts. Repeat the steps until all the chicken is browned, and all transferred to the waiting plate.
- Stir the broth and wine into the drippings in the skillet, whisking to deglaze the pan and get up all those yummy browned bits. Season with salt & pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and water to make a slurry. Whisk this into the skillet sauce, and let it simmer another 1-2 minutes- until nicely thickened. Remove the skillet from heat, and set aside.
- Transfer the chicken breasts to a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish, overlapping a bit if necessary to fit them all. Spread the sauteed mushrooms evenly out over top.
- Pour the sauce evenly out over top of the chicken. Then sprinkle the cheeses evenly out over top, followed by the sliced green onions.
- Bake the prepared chicken at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. Remove the dish from the oven, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Don't skip pounding the chicken. This tenderizes it and ensures it will cook properly. Plus it makes sure that you get the best chicken to sauce to cheese ratio in each bite!
- You could add a clove of pressed garlic into the pan with the mushrooms for a little extra flavor.
- If you serve this with pasta, I recommend using linguine, fettucine, or penne noodles. You want to avoid thinner pasta for this dish.
Nutrition
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Valerie says
I followed the recipe exactly as written. This was super easy to make and it tasted delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
Kellie Gorham says
I too doubled the sauce. I chose to lightly brown the chicken and then bake the rest of the way. It was delicious and simple. I served with mashed and veg
David says
Used emu sherry instead of Marsala and pre shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese with the Parmesan cheese. Added the garlic as suggested. Great taste and easy to make!
4sonsrus says
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jacque says
I made this last night it was fabulous! I added garlic as suggested to the mushrooms and after poring the sauce over the mushrooms I added fresh spinach than the cheese !!! So so good !
David says
OH MY GOSH!! This was sooooo good! This might be the best use of mushrooms I’ve had. The chicken was so succulent. It was beautiful. 15 minutes bake time was just right. Thank you for this!
Kimberly says
Loved it. I doubled up on the recipe. It was delicious . I’ll definitely be making this dish again 😋
emily says
really enjoyed this recipe!! added spinach, grape tomatoes, and onion to the mushrooms. topped with shredded gruyère cheese because it’s what i had on hand. will definitely be making this again!
Linda League says
Chicken Lombardy was absolutely delicious! I would have liked a little more sauce though.
Alexandra K says
This recipe is now one of my favourite ‘go-to’ recipes when having visitors over. So quick, so tasty…. I’ve made this a few time now and it’s perfect every time.
Sara says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit!!! I doubled the sauce and added a little fresh minced garlic. So delicious. Like a cross between chicken Marsala and French onion soup. Thanks for the great recipe. I will be adding this to my regular dinner rotation!