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Chicken Lombardy

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!

a piece of chicken lombardy next to steamed broccoli on a white plate

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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.

pieces of chicken lombardy in a glass baking dish

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:

an overhead image showing the measured ingredients needed to make a batch of classic chicken lombardy

  • 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.

pounded out chicken cutlets on a white cutting board

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.

sauteed sliced baby bella mushrooms in a black skillet

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.

floured chicken cutlets in a black skillet with oil

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.

fried chicken cutlets in a black skillet

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.

chicken lombardy sauce in a black skillet

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.

pan fried chicken breasts arranged in a glass baking dish

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.

chicken cutlets covered with sauteed mushrooms in a glass baking dish

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.

cheesy chicken lombardy topped with thinly sliced gteen onions arranged in a glass dish

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.

cheese covered baked chicken lombardy in a glass baking dish

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!

a wooden spoon holding a piece of chicken lombardy in a glass baking dish

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.

a piece of chicken lombardy next to steamed broccoli on a white plate

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.

a piece of chicken lombardy next to steamed broccoli on a white plate

 

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:

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 PINTERESTFACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

a piece of chicken lombardy next to steamed broccoli on a white plate

Chicken Lombardy

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!
3.83 from 832 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 381kcal

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

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 511mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 634IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 1mg
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This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details.

 

3.83 from 832 votes (764 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




157 Comments

  1. Since the chicken was pounded thin then browned on each side, I couldn’t imagine cooking an additional 15-20 min in the oven. I added the cheeses then broiled at 450 just a few min until cheese was melted and slightly browned. Any longer would have over cooked the chicken.. it was fabulous!

  2. 5 stars
    One of my favorites discovered only months ago. The family loves it served with a side of spaghetti . So easy to prepare too.

  3. I’m so excited to find this recipe. It does sound very similar to what Olive Garden’s “Chicken Marsala” used to be. It was a lightly breaded breast with mushrooms and Marsala sauce served over Angel hair pasta. It was my favorite but has come and gone and been through several revisions since then. I can’t wait to try it!

  4. Easy to make and so delicious. We have shared this recipe with others to enjoy as we did. Looking forward to making other recipes of yours.

  5. This was excellent. Served it with angel hair pasta and green beans. I made less chicken since there was just 2 of us but made all the sauce and actually increased it a little. This had a nice deep flavor with the marsala. It would be perfect for company. We will have this again.

    1. There isn’t really a good substitute for it in this recipe that I can think of. If you’re really opposed to including it, then I’d just omit it.

  6. 5 stars
    This recipe is EXCELLENT!!! I have been making it for a couple years and each time it gets RAVE reviews, with everyone wanting the recipe! Thank you for sharing! Terry

  7. Made this recipe , doubled up sauce and placed it on top of angel hair pasta sprinkled a dash of fresh rosemary and thyme … mmmmmmm

    1. Was wondering same thing, gonna try to make ahead and stop when time to bake…anyone else try it this way? Want to just pop it in the oven before company arrives.

  8. I’m so excited to try this! I love chicken lombardy! I used to work at Olive Garden and it was featured in the “northern tour of Italy.” I don’t know if it was ever it’s own dish, but yes! It was at Olive Garden!

  9. A friend served it for our dinner. He gave me the recipe. I use chicken tenders which is best for small appetites. This recipe is SO delicious. I want to lick the plate. I let the dog lick it instead.:>)

  10. 5 stars
    Yummy! I made this last night (I did double the sauce recipe and used chicken strips). We both loved the flavor. I’ll be making it again. Depending on how much you cook your chicken in the pan, you may not want to bake it for that long. We also used the broiler for a couple minutes to brown it a bit.

  11. 5 stars
    Made this last night! It was wonderful and full of flavor. I did add minced garlic with the mushrooms and I did not transfer to a casserole….I did it all in a cast iron skillet and stuck it in the oven! PERFECT! One pan meal😉