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Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira has everything you need. Chicken, asparagus, cheese, mushrooms, not to mention the incredible sauce that tops it all!
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If you have ever been to Cheesecake Factory, you know that their menu is HUGE! I can never decide on what to get because everything looks so good. When I am completely indecisive, my fall-back menu item of choice is the Chicken Madeira. When I had this recipe for the first time, my thought was “I can duplicate this!” So a few days later I went home and tried. When I opened my cupboard I didn’t have any Madeira cooking wine on hand and I didn’t feel like going to the store to get some, so I improvised. The second time I made this recipe I did it with the Madeira wine and to be honest, I liked it better with my balsamic/beef broth creation better! Of course you can do it “right” and use wine instead of beef broth. It is completely up to you.
What is Madeira?
Madeira wine is a wine whose taste comes from the repeated reheating of the wine, creating a unique taste. It’s a fortified wine available in a variety of sweet styles. However, when it comes to this popular copycat Madeira Chicken recipe, there are options if you don’t happen to have any Madeira wine on hand. In the case of this recipe, the substitution is a beef broth and balsamic vinegar combination.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
Marinade:
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Brown sugar
- Pepper
Sauce:
- Butter
- Fresh mushrooms – sliced
- Balsamic vinegar
- Beef broth
- Brown sugar
- Pepper
Topping:
- Asparagus spears
- Provolone cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
A chicken with any other name… still tastes great!
When I posted this recipe before (back in 2008) I actually named this dish “Balsamic Asparagus Chicken” but I decided to re-name it “Chicken Madeira” because that was the taste I was going for and what I was trying to duplicate (even though technically it doesn’t have any Madeira in it). You are going to love this recipe. It is so fancy looking, but actually REALLY easy to make! Guests will definitely be impressed!
Frequently Asked Questions
They are fairly similar dishes, featuring juicy chicken and mushrooms, but made with different wines. They taste very different. Both flavors are dry, however Marsala wine isn’t as sweet as Madeira.
Read More: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love
More delicious chicken recipes
If you are craving even more amazing chicken dinners, check out this roundup list. Check out some of our favorites like Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole, Chicken Fried Chicken, Chicken Parmesan. Looking for even more? Try our list of The BEST Chicken Breast Recipes for ANY Night of the Week.
How to Make Chicken Madeira
Chicken Madeira
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
Marinade:
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- pepper to taste
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups fresh mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- pepper to taste
Topping:
- 12 asparagus spears
- 4 slices provolone cheese*
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese*
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of Saran Wrap or wax paper and pound until about ½ inch thick.
- Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag. Place bag in a bowl big enough to hold the chicken. Combine marinade ingredients and pour in the bag. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
- About 20 minutes before chicken is done marinating, heat oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté for a couple minutes.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces to about 1/2-¼ of it’s original volume. When it is done, the sauce should be dark brown in color.
- While the sauce is simmering, place chicken in a lightly greased glass dish or pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). You can also grill the chicken at this point which tastes awesome too!
- While chicken is baking, sauté the asparagus spears in some butter or oil until crisp-tender.
- Remove chicken from the oven (or grill) and layer on one slice of provolone cheese, a few asparagus spears, then one slice mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken.
- Set the oven to broil and broil to melt for about 3 minutes or until it turns to melty cheese and browns a little.
- Right before serving, spoon some of the sauce over each piece of chicken. Serve with mashed potatoes.
This is everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Worthy of a restaurant, indeed!
Awesome! I love copycat recipes. I will definitely give this a try sometime.
This is such a spot on copycat recipe. We love TCF but this is much easier on a budget for a family of 5. Thank you!
I always love chicken maderia at cheesecake factory. This recipe looks great and I’ll give it a try! Thanks for sharing.
I’m making this for the weekend, I bet everyone is going to devour it!