Marsala wine and mozzarella cheese got together and decided to skip the traditional chicken marsala on the menu, instead upping the ante with a buttery pan seared chicken & mushroom dish called Chicken Lombardy. It sounds fancy, but you’ll soon discover it’s shockingly simple. It’s the best use of both wine & cheese in a single recipe!
I can honestly say this chicken lombardy isn’t a native dish, or even a family heirloom. Surprising, right? Since it’s Italian sounding?
This is one of those much loved recipes that nobody is quite sure where it originated. We all seemed to find the ingredients & the instructions on Facebook though. Nothing wrong with that since there doesn’t seem to be an original source to give credit where credit is due. Disappointing though for the very same reason.
Since then though, there’ve been a good many theories on where this recipe actually originated from. It’s automatically the best, classic Italian American thing to come out of my kitchen in the last 5 years. It really is that good.
I’d heard a story that it was once on Olive Garden’s menu, but I haven’t found anything to back that account up. I mean, they do have a habit of naming their main chicken dishes after regions in Italy. Lombardy is a region in Northwest Italy too. So on that front, it’s a good guess.
Still there’s another school of thought (and fans) that claim it originates from Wisconsin. The home of the late, great Vince Lombardi- infamous player and coach.
Whichever version, whether true or not, they’re both great origin stories. Sometimes that’s all we can hope for. And this Chicken Lombardy is just about everything I could’ve hoped for and more.
First off, this dish gives me an excuse to cook with wine. Wine is great for relaxing & enjoying, but it’s even better when used to cook with a meaty dish. I’m a sucker for a good recipe that includes wine. I offer no apologies either- wine makes virtually any dish’s flavor factor exponentially better.
This dish is braised in it. Making it a natural to be at the top of my list. It also helps that it tastes amazing!
You add in the bonus of sauteed mushrooms, green onions, and a heaping helping of cheese? Sign me up. Sign me up on all the rosters!
Not only did I immediately have to make this Chicken Lombardy, but I had to shout it’s praises from the roof tops. It is that good. Not a single bite disappointed. In fact, each bite left me aching for more!
SO much more, that for the first month- it was a regular star on our weekly menu. I kid you not, every single week. Not once did it lose it’s luster either.
Around the two month mark though, we tucked it into the trusted family recipe box- and decided we’d wait awhile to enjoy it again. It still makes an appearance at least once a month though. I’ll be darned too if it isn’t one of those meals that every single son manages to show up for. I’m always pleased, and they still haven’t figured out they’re secretly encouraging me.
Plump chicken breasts are sliced in half, length wise, and dredged in flour. They’re then browned in a hot skillet with melted butter, and set aside to wait on a plate.
The butter and browned bits are whisked together with a mixture of broth & marsala wine to deglaze the pan. This mixture’s left to simmer, thickening slightly. A cornstarch slurry’s stirred in to really let it thicken into a hearty sauce.
The browned chicken breasts are piled into a lightly greased 9×13″ baking dish. Overlap the edges a bit, if necessary, so they all fit. Careful not to actually pile them on top of one another. A layer of sauteed baby bella mushrooms is spread evenly out over top of the chicken, then the sauce is poured on. Topped with both shredded mozzarella & Parmesan cheeses, and a sprinkle of thinly sliced green onions- it’s already shaping up to be one heck of a dish.
The Chicken Lombardy is then baked at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, just until the cheese is melted, bubbly, & beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. The dish is removed from the oven, with the chicken being served immediately. This entree pairs perfectly with a side salad, and your favorite pasta.
An explosion of flavor in every bite, this Chicken Lombardy is a gourmet dinner made on a budget in a fraction of the time you’d imagine.
Other Delicious Chicken Recipes To Savor:
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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.
Nutrition
Sounds delicious. What can I use instead of Marsala wine? Thank you.
Are you not wanting to use alcohol at all? If so, I’ve seen this used as a substitute.
1/4 cup of white grape juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
This was so delicious! I added garlic, and tripled the sauce, perfect for 6 servings. It was the perfect amount! Will definitely make this one again, so yummy with egg noodles and green beans.
I’m just curious if you have a preference on what type of marsala wine you used? I like cooking with sweet wines but if this recipe is better with a dry wine, I’d like to stick to it.
Mmmm! I am going to make this for dinner tonight! I just happen to have all of the ingredients right now! What a fabulous dinner! Thanks so much for bringing this beautiful dish over to Fiesta Friday this week!
This recipe was so good, I used chicken broth , no wine , it was full of flavor, I double the gravy, next time I’ll quadruple it. The gravy took the meal over the top
Excellent!!!!! I used chicken tenders! I also make extra sauce !!!! Highly recommend!
I will have to try it with tenders next time, I’ve always got those on hand. And yes, I almost always double (or even triple) the sauce.
I was surprised to see this recipe as I used to wow my company with it about 35 years ago! I got it from Southern Living; in fact, my recipe has a note that says “Southern Living All-Time Favorites.” The immediate difference I see is they had us pounding those halves between waxed paper to thin them down, and that was the step I didn’t like! I think I’ll try chicken tenderloins as I believe was suggested above. The only other difference was that they used 3/4 cup marsala, and in the wine and broth reduction they simmered 10 minutes.(A copy of my original cut out from the magazine shows SL credited Joe Broussard of Lafayette, Louisiana. And they note that the recipe originally appeared in their Nov. 1978 issue.)
You started with sautéing the mushrooms and then removing them, and setting aside. You mention to add more butter to the pan that had the onions, and begin browning the chicken pieces. I think you meant mushrooms, not onions, but how do you use the onions, sautéed at some point, or raw? This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
I fixed it, the skillet you cooked the ‘onions’ in was supposed to say mushrooms. I’ve edited the recipe card to reflect that now, thanks for catching it! The onions are sprinkled on after the cheese. It’s in the instructions. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
this was delicious!
All the crap you have to scroll thru to get to the recipe makes me NOT WANT TO WASTE MY TIME!
Personally, I’ve never found scrolling to be that hard. Sorry you feel that way. Either way, recipe testing/creation isn’t free. Neither is running a stable healthy website. The ads your scrolling past keep this site up and running. Blame Google for the length of content they require for a site to he taken seriously for them. Often there are helpful tid bits in the content. And if not, again, most people just scroll past it in a few swipes to get to the good stuff. Glad you had enough time to leave this insightful comment 🙂
I personally am not bothered by scrolling. And usually, the post leading to the recipe is what actually makes me want to try it. It gives me a feel for the blogger’s personality. What can be bothersome are pop-ups that take up the whole screen, have small “x” buttons, or any other thing that visually interrupts or distracts from reading (which this site does not have). Anyhow, I do appreciate your explanation as to the “why” behind post length. Maybe it would be a good blog post to dedicate an explanation to as more and more people seem to bothered by scrolling. I bet it would make a popular post on Pinterest 😉
wow..next time go pay for a cooking magazine..do you “get” that it costs you nothing to ..OH MY GOD spend the two MINUTES it takes to scroll through the ads .. you you GET that this takes time to put this together .. so the when you “scroll past the ads so these people can get paid something…..sigh …you should be embarrassed at that comment
Great recipe. Did a couple of steps a little differently, i.e. cooked the chicken first, sauteed the mushrooms in the same pan and after they were soft and tender added the Marsala wine and reduced it. Also, used the Marsala wine instead water for the Corn starch slury.
Absolutely a beautiful dish!
Thanks for the great feedback, Michael! Love your idea of swapping the water for wine in the slurry 🙂 Hope you find many more of our dishes to love and enjoy.
I’m getting ready to make this this weekend. I imagine it can be made ahead and then put in the oven the next day. Anyone tried that?
I would worry the coating on the chicken would get soggy or come apart.
Ok, I answered my own question. I made it this past Saturday , refrigerated it and after leaving out for 40 minutes or so, put it in the oven as directed on Sunday. It turned out fine! Delicious recipe!!
Well yum, yum, and yum! Thank you! I will be making this on Sunday! I have only had it from our local carryout pizza shop’s dinner menu and I have to tell you that it is $18.75 for a container with 1 piece of chicken…so dinner for two is nearly $40! I can make it several times for that money. I might try assembling it in the morning and see how it fares baking it at dinner time since it does not have much flour on it.
This was very tasty. Pretty much a quick fix. The only changes I made was to triple the sauce, double the mushrooms and used tenderloins! Delish!
Wondered if this dish can be prepared up to step 9 several hours in advance? Looks amazing!
Thank you.
Jan
I made this the day before and it was great!
This recipe was easy and delicious! I’m still thinking about it a week later! Thank you!
Wonderful and flavorful recipe. Only change I made was to use white cooking wine instead of marsala as that is what I had. My husband loved it and I’ve added it to my favorites. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing Bonnie, and so happy you were able to adapt it to what you had on hand. It’s definitely one of our family’s all time favorite chicken recipes!
I appreciate the comments and enjoy reading all the tips and suggestions prior to the recipe. C’mon people, if you can’t take a minute to scroll down, go buy a cookbook. I can’t wait to try this tomorrow. If I triple the sauce, would it be good as a sauce for the pasta as well?
Instead of pasta, I think I might like some Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes and nice Fresh Steamed Broccoli! It would make a pretty and appetizing dish! yummy, can’t wait to try it!
Steamed broccoli & this recipe go together alllll day long. Perfect pairing! Those potatoes sound divine, too. My only advice would be to have a slice or two of crusty bread on hand to sop up and of the leftover juices. You won’t want to waste a drop!
Has anyone tried another wine in place of the Marsala?
I made this recently and loved it! Added more Marsala wine and it’s now my favorite chicken dish! Will make this quite often. I’m making your Shimp Salad tonight!
Thanks for some great recipes!
Is this better with dry or sweet Marsala?
The fam says I can keep this in the rotation!
Lol, glad they approve Joanne!
This was delicious! Just made it a few days ago. I also doubled the sauce but left everything else the same. My whole family loved it!
Making again. This is hubby’s new favorite dish.
Can’t wait to try this! By the way, Lombardy is a brand of Marsala wine. Maybe that is where the recipe name comes from.
I didn’t know that Darlene, but that’s another great theory to add into the mix!
This looks delish!
I’m going to try it tonight and use almond flour instead to reduce the carbs 🙂
Great idea, Lori. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
This was amazing! Definitely a do again in our house!
The Lombardy chicken was a success!
One of my three sons is coming to visit next week, so I will be making it for one of my meals..My husband doesn’t like chicken, so I will make his with pork madelions.
The only problem I see is 3 chicken breast boneless.
How much should it weight. I can get very small ones or medium ones at my butcher. I need weight range.
Must I use mushrooms? My hubby is allergic to them. I do love them myself, but they are for him banned, and yes he’s worth it. Two of my favorites strawberries and mushrooms, gone!
I cook with chicken all of the time. Thanks for the wine substitution.
You could make it without the mushrooms 🙂 Although the flavor will be a little different, it will still be good.
Going to try this recipe tomorrow can’t wait mmm sounds great, I will let you know how it turns out and I will also double the sauce. Thank you for sharing everyone.
Finally made this tonight and it was marvelous! Hubs approved we should add this to our starting line-up. Made it with egg noodles and a side salad and it was perfect.
Made this for the first time and is delicious! Had it with angel hair pasta, spaghetti sauce, slices of avocado. I used 6 green onions because we love onions! I sprinkled some seasonings as well.
Sounds like a delicious meal to me, Rebecca! The perfect way to show case this chicken as the star of the show.
It’s awesome! It’s also a pain in the backside, and messy to make. BUT IT’S WORTH IT!
I’ve never found it to be too messy or too much of a pain, although it is a little more labor intensive than my normal meals. Could just be that it tastes so good, it wipes all that away in a single bite 🙂
Amazing dish, the flavors are delicious. I made it the first time for myself and hubby. Made it again for my son and his family.
Absolutely delicious! Enjoyed this dish to the max. The sauce does need to be tripled or it is too dry. Thank you for an amazing dish!
Very very nice chicken meal My wife who loves chicken really liked it so it will definitely become part of our meal rotation so thank you for sharing.