This Chicken Madeira recipe is a better-than take on Cheesecake Factory’s most popular chicken dish. It’s easy make at home and explosion of flavor. It’s healthy, delish, and will quickly become a family favorite.
As fresh-out-of-college yuppie, Cheesecake Factory was the it place to go for me and my friends. The portions were huge, the menu had something for everyone, and all my friends were gaga over the New York style cheesecakes.
My ultimate favorite dish on that menu was Chicken Madeira. The rich flavors of Madeira sauce, mushrooms, both savory and sweet, are what makes that dish such a popular one.
Fast forward to seemingly countless years later…
Since those long ago days, we’ve moved on.
Now we’ve got our own better-than versions of thick, dreamy New York style cheesecakes. If you can have an entire New York Pumpkin Cheesecake any time of year you want, you’d never need to go spend $8 on a teensy slice again.
And if you can easily create platefuls of this golden brown Chicken Madeira, it matters not that the closest Cheesecake Factory is an hour away.
This Chicken Madeira is easy enough for weeknights yet delicious enough for serving to friends on the weekend.
The low down: Brown the chicken breasts to a gorgeous golden brown. We could just stop right there, but it gets better.
Combine the other ingredients to form the stunning Madeira sauce. Both the browning and sauce are done in the same skillet, keeping things nice and simple.
The Madeira sauce wears the crown for this dish. It’s both savory and slightly sweet, with a complex and rich flavor that takes only some easy prep to pull off. This dish is surprisingly healthy, considering the depth of flavor it boasts.
Last up: just a quick broil to get that a bit of mozzarella cheese on top all nommy ‘n melty.
Cheesecake Factory traditionally serves this dish with a couple of asparagus spears. I couldn’t find asparagus in great condition despite several shopping trips, which is a dead giveaway regarding my produce pickiness.
I used crispy fresh green beans instead.
Serve this Chicken Madeira with plenty of yummy sauce, next to mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta, or fluffy rice.
Any way you choose it, it’s bound to disappear quickly. Enjoy!
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This Chicken Madeira recipe is easy, scrumptious, and such a people-pleaser! It’s simple enough for busy weeknights, yet delicious enough for weekend guests. (Note: The Madeira wine’s alcohol content evaporates during the cooking/reducing process, so it’s a kid-friendly dish.)
Ingredients
- For the Chicken:
- 4 skinless chicken breast fillets
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 TB olive oil, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- For the Sauce:
- 2 TB olive oil
- 8 oz fresh white mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups madeira wine (almost a full bottle)
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 TB cornstarch dissolved in 2 TB of the beef broth
- 1 TB salted butter
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Flatten chicken breasts to an even 1/4-inch thickness throughout. Lightly sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast with kosher salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat 3 TB olive oil over medium heat until hot. Place chicken breasts in skillet, without overcrowding (if needed, cook them in two separate batches.) Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned on both sides and no longer pink in center. Transfer cooked chicken to a baking pan and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet (don’t wash out the skillet) add 2 TB olive oil over medium heat until oil is hot. Add mushrooms and stir 1-2 min. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir and bring sauce to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes or until sauce is reduced by one-fourth of its original volume. Finished sauce will be dark brown and thickened. Transfer sauce to a container and keep warm.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly on top of chicken breasts on baking pan. Broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is golden and melted.
- Serve chicken immediately, generously drizzled with Madeira sauce. Extra sauce is delicious over mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta, or fluffy rice.
Source: Chew Out Loud, adapted from Top Secret Recipes
Here are a other favorite chicken dishes for you:
1. Chicken Marsala. This is one of my all time faves for chicken. It’s always good, anytime. It was one of my earliest recipes on COL and still one of the best.
2. Parmesan Bruschetta Chicken Bake. If you crave a crunch but want to keep it healthy, try this baked Parmesan Bruschetta Chicken. It’s tender and mouthwatering.
3. Slow Cooker Roast Chicken. This recipe is simply amazing. Like, it’s both simple and amazing. I’ve never had a whole chicken more tender than this one, with huge flavor to boot.
4. Honey Soy Baked Chicken. Nobody doesn’t like this one. It’s my Dad’s specialty, and it looks like we’re handing it down to our own kiddos.
I have never had the pleasure of eating Chicken Madeira at Cheesecake Factory, but this looks fantastic! Your photos are stunning!
Thanks for such nice thoughts, Thao! Hope you get a chance to try it 🙂 Thanks so much for being here today!
Where do you buy the wine??
Hi, Heather! I buy mine at Trader Joe’s or any major grocery store. You can likely find it at most major grocery stores these days. Hope you love it, and thanks for coming over today 🙂
I must help by giving you the answer you are looking for as to where the wine is.
If you go to Ralphs /Safeway, it’s by the wines and alcohol but close by the Margarita mix. You may notice the cheaper wines as you get closer to the Madeira wines. I would imagine it’s most likely located in that same area for the other grocery stores as well…
I had the urgency to let you know the actual answer to your question because I didn’t want you to try to look for it for almost 2 hour like I did…
I know I could’ve asked where it was but the grocery store is my get away from work aka home
Do you use dry or sweet marsala wine? I’ve seen both and I want to make sure.
Hi, Maria! It’s the sweet marsala wine. Thanks for being here today and hope you love this dish! Enjoy! 🙂
We don’t have a cheesecake factory franchise here in Australia so I can’t compare what their chicken madeira is like to yours.. but this looks so delicious!
YUM! Chicken Madeira is one of my favs and now I can make it at home! This looks absolutely amazing.
Yay, Erin! Thanks for coming over today 🙂
I’m buying the ingredients and trying this tonight. Thanks for the recipe.
Yay! Hope you guys love it. Thank you fr being here today, Krystal 🙂
madeira wine? is that like marsala?
It’s similar, but Madeira is a different varietal than Marsala. If you’re looking to use up some Marsala wine, this Chicken Marsala is awesome 🙂
How long does it take to reduce, it’s been over twenty minutes and nothing yet.
It takes a long time. I think close to an hour, really. I’d say to start, you don’t need to add extra olive oil before the mushrooms and you can cook out some of the liquid from the mushrooms before adding the rest of the broth ingredients to help it reduce faster.
Sounds great, Adam! So glad you tried the dish and put your own spins on it 🙂
This is our favorite dish at cheesecake factory. We tried this tonight and after 20 minutes it had not thickened. we took a spoonful of the sauce and spoonful of cornstarch, stirred those and added it back in to simmer. Still nothing. We just decided to eat, flavor was good, very wine tasting, but just very thin, too thin to stay on chicken. We know it is a very thick sauce because we ask for an extra side of it at CF to pour on the potatoes. May try to simmer for an hour and add more cornstarch to beef next time.
Hi, Megan! So glad you enjoyed the flavors! Yes, this sauce is not super thick; if you want a thick/more starchy sauce, you can double the cornstarch. You probably won’t need to increase simmer time; just increasing the dissolved corn starch will do the trick! Thanks for coming over and trying the dish…it’s one of my faves at CF, too 🙂
Can you find that type of wine at a everyday grocery store? Can you substitute it with Merlot?
Yes, you can find it at most major grocery stores. If you absolutely can’t find it, you can sub with Marsala. I wouldn’t sub with Merlot, as it’s completely different in flavor and “texture.” Hope you love it, Corina 🙂
This looks delicious, but a problem I seem to always have when I try a new recipe is, I always wish I had more sauce. Does this make a lot of sauce so there is enough to also dribble over the potatoes or should I maybe double the sauce?
I usually have enough sauce for the chicken and also rice I serve mine with, but if you love to smother on the sauce, you can absolutely double it. It tastes wonderful over potatoes, rice, pasta! 🙂 Enjoy, Dawn, and thanks for coming over 🙂
Do you know how to make the Cheesecake Chicken Scapolini or Scalopini. I can’t remember how to spell or say? It was on their menue years ago. It is with tomatoes instead of mushrooms but similar. 🙂
Wendy, that’s one of my faves from back in college; I’ve always liked that dish! I don’t have that recipe here, but now that you mentioned it, I’m thinking I gotta re-create this at home 🙂
Forgive me if this is a dumb question (I don’t cook with alcohol) – is the alcohol content cooked out of the wine with simmering? Just wondering if it’s okay to serve to my kids.
Yes, alcohol content is cooked out with baking or stovetop or most methods of cooking. It evaporates, but leaves the flavors more complex 🙂
I made this tonight after having it for the first time at the Cheesecake Factory the other night. Great copycat recipe! My whole family loved it without the heavy price tag.
Yay, so glad to hear it, Angela! Way to go 🙂 Thanks for coming over to let us know 🙂
WOW!! Make this dish, I thought it was AMAZING!! Never cooked with Madiera wine before and I loved it! I did keep the sauce on the stove more than 20 minutes to reduce, probably more like forty. Worth. Every. Minute. Thank you for the recipe!
Yippee! So glad you guys loved it. Thanks for coming over and letting us know, Jayme! 🙂
Could I use Sherry cooking wine? Thank you ahead of time for response!
Isabella, if you are able to get a hold of Madeira, I’d suggest that for sure. Mostly because it’s a significant part of the sauce in this recipe. However, if you cannot find Madeira, you can safely try to sub with Marsala. But Madeira is going to give you the best results for this particular dish 🙂 Thanks for being here today, Isabella! 🙂
Pics look amazing! Can you substitute anything non-alcoholic with close the same results?
Hi, Cindy! If you cannot use the Madeira (or Marsala possibly) then you can try using beef broth or chicken broth in an equal amount to sub. However, since there is sodium in broths, adjust the amount of salt you use for the recipe. Hope you enjoy it with your substitutions! Thanks for coming over today, we’re happy to hear from you!
What is the herb sprinkled on top of this dish?
Hi, Sarah! It’s some freshly chopped parsley, which I often do for vanity’s sake 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Thanks for being here today; we’re so glad you came over 🙂
Do you a Sweet or Dry Maderia wine?? Any suggestions on the brand?
Thanks Sherri
This was AMAZING and just like CF’S. I do agree that I had to let the sauce simmer a bit longer, about 30-35 mins. But the wait was well worth it! I also turned the heat up a little to speed up the reduction process (but not much).
GREAT recipe! Can’t wait to check out more of yours!
Yay, sooo happy to hear it, Michelle! Glad you guys really liked this 🙂 Hope you love all the recipes you find here at COL! Thanks for coming over today!
Loved it! Will make it again. Thx
So glad you enjoyed this, Lynele 🙂
I made this recipe today and it turned out great. Tip on where to find the Madeira wine is in the cooking wines. There is usually only one type. If you can find Marsala, Madeira should be right next to it. Anyhow, recipe was very good. I did not need to simmer more than 20 minutes. When I brought it to a boil, I turned it only down to medium to simmer (my medium runs hot) and 20 minutes was enough time. I turned the heat off and it thickened even more between that time and when we were ready to serve it. Served with mashed potatoes and it was excellent.
So glad you liked it, Jamie! Thanks for your buying tips 🙂
Enjoyed! thank you for sharing! was not quite like cheesecake factory…. close 🙂 , still way…. good!! thank you!!!!
Do you have recipe for Cheesecake Factory skinny licious burger
Made the Chicken Madeira for dinner tonight. We loved it ! Can’t wait to invite friends,I will be serving this!
Yay, Mary! So happy to hear it! 🙂
This was just so delicious. I couldn’t find madeira wine anywhere and used a port instead and it was fantastic. Even my kids ate it (2 and 4)!
Are you supposed to cover the pan while the sauce is cooking?
Hi, Gail! You’ll want to leave pan uncovered as the sauce simmers so that it can reduce properly. Enjoy and happy cooking!