The Ultimate Comfort Food– Pork Chop Marsala Smothered in Creamy Marsala Sauce!
To me, nothing says comfort like a smothered pork chops dinner. 🥰
It instantly takes me back to my Mom’s cooking on a chilly fall or winter nights – pork chops, mushrooms, gravy, potatoes, basically all the cozy things! (No wonder they were always my Dad’s favorite!)
Today, we’re giving those nostalgic flavors a little Italian twist with this Pork Chop Marsala!
Tender, juicy pork chops are pounded thin, dredged in seasoned flour, and pan-fried to golden-brown perfection. Mushrooms cook in the pork drippings until deeply caramelized. The whole thing comes together in a rich, creamy Marsala pan sauce, topped with crispy bits of prosciutto.
It’s an impressive, restaurant-quality dish, that’s surprisingly so easy to make at home – comfort food at its finest!
Love Marsala? ⇢ Be sure to try my Creamy Marsala Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage next. It’s rich and flavorful and another 35 minute dinner just like this one!
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Key Ingredients
The best pork marsala starts with pork chops. Pork chops come from the pork loin, which runs from the pig’s shoulder to its hip. There are several different types of pork chops; you can use whatever pork chops you love most in this pork marsala with mushrooms recipe! I like using boneless pork chops for ease, but you can certainly opt for bone-in if you’re after dramatic presentation.
The next most important ingredient is dry marsala wine. Marsala is a fortified wine, meaning it is a wine that is “fortified” with a distilled spirit. It’s made with grapes indigenous to Sicily and is most often fortified with brandy. It has amazing notes of rich caramel and vanilla. While often used in cooking here in the U.S., marsala can also be enjoyed as a sipping wine before or after a meal, similar to how you’d enjoy a nice port, sherry, or vermouth.
Where to buy marsala wine? ⇢ Here’s the deal. Please don’t buy “cooking marsala” from the grocery store! They’re typically not of great quality, and in a dish like pork chop marsala, the flavor in the wine is what provides the signature flavor of the marsala sauce. Instead, look in the fortified wine section at your favorite wine or liquor shop. Marsala labeled “Fine” (fino) or “Superior” is great for cooking.
A few other ingredients…
- Prosciutto – While it’s not traditionally found in authentic marsala recipes, a little crispy prosciutto adds extra savory, salty, porky goodness that cannot be beat!
- Cremini mushrooms – Also known as “baby bellas,” cremini are my favorite mushrooms for everyday cooking; you can also use button mushrooms if that’s what you have on hand!
- All-purpose flour – For a quick and simple dredge, which helps both brown the pork and create a rich base of flavor (i.e. fond) for the marsala sauce.
- Shallot and garlic – To add plenty of aromatic goodness to the creamy marsala sauce.
- Thyme – Its earthy, floral flavor is a classic pairing for both pork and mushrooms. Fresh is always best!
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You will not believe how seriously easy it is to make this pork chop marsala recipe, which is really fun since it’s the type of restaurant-worthy, makes-you-feel-so-fancy dish that’s great to have in your arsenal.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make marsala sauce or struggled with dried, tough pork chops, this recipe is for you!
I love using a meat mallet to pound the pork chops into thin cutlets—this tenderizes the meat and helps them cook faster. Pound the pork until they’re about ½-inch thick, then lightly dredge them in seasoned flour. This helps them brown beautifully.
Add the pork chops to a hot skillet and cook for 3 minutes per side, until beautifully browned. That crispy crust isn’t just for looks—it locks in tons of flavor and creates a rich base (fond) for the Marsala sauce. This step goes quickly, so be careful not to overcook the pork. The pork chops should reach an internal temperature of 120-130°F, and the temperature will continue to rise as they rest.
Add a little butter to the same skillet used to sear the pork chops, then add in mushrooms and shallot. Cook for a good 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the mushrooms are deeply browned. Toss a little garlic and thyme into the skillet…your kitchen will begin to smell like heaven!
Deglaze the skillet with marsala, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that formed on the bottom of the pan as you seared the pork chops and caramelized the mushrooms. Add some cooking stock, then let the sauce reduce and bubble until thickened slightly. For an extra creamy marsala sauce, pour in a little bit of heavy cream.
As the sauce reduces, nestle the browned pork chops back into the skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes more, using a spoon to bathe the pork chops in mushrooms and marsala sauce. The pork chops will come up to their final temperature of 145 degrees F, and the sauce and mushrooms will cling to them beautifully.
Serving Suggestions
You can enjoy the pork chops with creamy marsala sauce all on its own, but if you ask me, this dish begs for a starchy carb to soak up all of the goodness like buttermilk mashed potatoes, gnocchi or marsala pasta with a few fresh and hearty veggies on the side.
I can’t wait for you to try this Pork Chop Marsala recipe. It’s pure cozy and comforting goodness, and I know you’ll love it!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! Happy cooking! ♡
Print Saucy and Creamy Pork Marsala with Mushrooms
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Description
Pan-fried pork chops and deeply caramelized mushrooms served smothered in a creamy marsala sauce. Enjoy this Creamy Pork Marsala with Mushrooms on its own, or pile it atop pasta, polenta, or mashed potatoes for the ultimate Italian-inspired comfort food meal.
Ingredients
- 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 boneless pork chops (about 1 ½ pounds), pounded to ½-inch thickness
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- 2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 16 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, quartered
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 8–10 sprigs fresh thyme (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 cup dry marsala wine (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Prep the pork chops: Working one at a time, place the pork chops between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the pork chops to 1/2-inch thickness. Add the flour to a shallow dish or large plate for dredging, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Dredge both sides of the pork cutlets in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. Set aside.
- Sear the pork chops: Add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmery and hot, carefully add the dredged pork cutlets to the skillet. Work in batches, as needed, to avoid over-crowding the pan. Sear the pork 3-4 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Crisp the prosciutto: Add the prosciutto to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes, until crisp. Transfer the prosciutto to a plate and set aside.
- Brown the mushrooms: Add the butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the mushrooms and shallot. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms soften and deeply brown around the edges. Stir the garlic and thyme into the skillet, cooking 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Build the marsala sauce: Deglaze with the marsala wine and chicken stock, slowly pouring it into the skillet while using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the skillet. Increase heat to medium-high, bringing the mixture to a boil for 2-3 minutes, until reduced slightly. Add the heavy cream to the skillet, stirring to combine. Add the pork chops back into the skillet, nestling them into the sauce. Cook 2-3 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
- Serve the pork chops topped with mushrooms, crispy prosciutto and creamy marsala sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or pasta as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Marsala is a fortified wine, meaning it is a wine that is “fortified” with a distilled spirit, most often fortified with brandy. It has amazing rich caramelly and vanilla notes and is wonderful to cook with. You should be able to find marsala in the fortified wine section at your favorite wine or liquor shop. Marsala labeled “Fine” (fino) or “Superior” is great for cooking. If you cannot find marsala, the closest substitute for this recipe is Madiera, a Portuguese fortified wine with similar flavor profiles to marsala.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Most of the prep work involved in this pork marsala recipe is chopping veggies. Chop them in advance, storing in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to make dinner, all you have to do is pound out the pork chops and get cooking – seriously so easy!:
- Finely dice 1 small shallot
- Quarter 16 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
I served this to my family as my son wanted something with pork chops that had an amazing sauce.. so here is where I landed! And it was frickin right on the money! Then he asked for risotto to go with it so then I found Gordon Ramsay’s creamy mushroom parmesan Risotto and WOW! .. a beautiful combination. Broccoli on the side with French bread and balsamic dippage.. Mmmm!
That meal sounds INCREDIBLE, Julie!! So glad you enjoyed the Marsala!!
My husband and I teamed up and made this dish tonight! We kept it on the lighter and served it with spaghetti squash. Take it from someone who loves ordering and cooking chicken Marsala….this pork recipe was outstanding and just as good, if not better, than chicken. Thank you for the awesome tip about using prosciutto!
Thanks so much for the kind review, Susan! Happy to hear you and your husband loved the Pork Marsala just as much as chicken!!
DELICIOUS!! I dbld the recipe and have leftovers for dinner tomorrow. The mushroom “gravy was sooo good! I’ll try the recipe with chicken thighs next time.
I’ve never been disappointed when I try your recipes. Thank you.
Hi Dru, thank you so much for the review!! So happy to hear you loved the recipe, and thank you for coming back to PWWB! 🙂
This was truly delicious and I didn’t add any cream.
Thanks Dee! So glad you loved it!
Easy, quick, comfort meal for a weeknight or weekend. I’ve made with pork chops, and I’ve also made with pork cube steak. Anything with wine + prosciutto + mushrooms is a must for our family!
Love this recipe! Easy to make and comforting.
Hi Meghan! We are SO glad you enjoyed, thank you for sharing!!
Just found you and the site searching for pork chop recipes and took a chance on this. Dang, this is awesome! Easy, flavorful and great chops. This was a redemption recipe against an awful result with sauerkraut recently. Thank you!
Karen, I’m so, so glad you enjoyed this dish!! Glad to help redeem pork chops for ya! =)
This was super easy, low-prep, and delicious! I’m not super familiar cooking a marsala sauce, but this was such a great new way to serve pork chops and the recipe truly couldn’t have been simpler (especially since I used pre-sliced mushrooms). This will be entering our weeknight rotation as something that seems a little special but doesn’t take hours.
My husband said it felt like he was eating at a restaurant! This recipe is a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed & thank you for sharing!!! It is such an easy but impressive dish!
This turned out very well! Highly recommend if your looking for something a little fancier! But I was just wondering now I have all this extra Marsala wine, do you have any other suggestion on ways to use it?
Hi Amy! So glad to hear you enjoyed! Definitely try our Creamy Marsala Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage – we recently updated this recipe & it is a PWWB fave!