Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira with chicken breasts, mushrooms and asparagus in a buttery wine sauce is a copycat of the most popular chicken dish.
Plus it is the most popular chicken item on the Cheesecake Factory menu, which I learned as I got a bunch of requests from you guys for this recipe. I bet you wouldn’t have guessed the short list of ingredients.
What can I use instead of Madeira wine?
This recipe calls for Madeira wine which can be difficult to find/expensive. Some substitutes are a dry port wine, Marsala, or a dry sherry wine. As a last resort I’d use stock with additional base mixed in.
How to lighten this Chicken Madeira recipe:
- Use half the butter, I was liberal with it for the purposes of the copycat.
- Use half the Mozzarella cheese or use the Trader Joe’s shredded lite Mozzarella (I LOVE this product).
- Double the asparagus in your serving and double the mushrooms. Adding vegetable bulk to your plate is an easy swap.
- Skip the mashed potatoes you normally get with this recipe at the restaurant and serve with some steamed/roasted potatoes and cauliflower.
Looking for more Cheesecake Factory recipes?
- Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Luau Salad (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Spicy Cashew Chicken (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Corn Cakes (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta (Copycat)
Tools used in the making of this Cheesecake Factory Madeira Chicken:
Skillet with Lid: I used my All-Clad pan for this recipe but I also own this exact pan which I use for clients and it is great quality at 1/4th the price. I cook for us with All-Clad pans I hope to pass down to my kids (I’m sappy, I know).
Vegetable Steamer: I steam vegetables in this when I am not using the microwave for a smaller amount. Also available for much less and works well too.
Madeira Wine: Some substitutes are a dry port wine, Marsala, or a dry sherry wine. As a last resort I’d use stock with additional base mixed in.
Better Than Bouillon: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.
Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed (5 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 cups white mushrooms sliced thinly
- 2 cups madeira wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 pound asparagus trimmed
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese shaved for garnish
Instructions
- Put the chicken between two pieces of saran wrap and lightly flatten using a rolling pin or heavy pot or flat mallet (don't use a spiked side).
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat two tablespoons of butter in your skillet (that has a lid) on medium-high heat.
Cook the chicken on medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, until slightly browned and just cooked through.
- Remove the chicken, add in 2 more tablespoons of butter and add the mushrooms.
Cook on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes before stirring, cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the mushrooms and put with the chicken on another plate.
- Add in the Madeira wine and beef broth.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.
While sauce is reducing boil your asparagus for 3-5 minutes in another pot or microwave on a plate in a single layer with a wet paper towel on top for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken back into the pan, top with mushrooms and asparagus.
Cook an additional 1-2 minutes, cover the chicken with Mozzarella cheese and mushrooms.
Cover the pan and let cook for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Just made this recipe this weekend and it was AWESOME, the sauce was perfect with a little sweetness that made it addictive. I just made a couple of adjustment that made this recipe absolutely perfect: doubled the quantity of Bella mushrooms (16 oz total), dredged the chicken in flour before cooking it for a nice delicious crust, and finally, after adding the chicken back to the pan I made a slurry with one tsp of corn starch using the sauce of the pan, otherwise the sauce was way too liquid 😉
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
You’re welcome, Alex.
This was easy and delicious! I wish I would’ve followed the exact recipe for the gravy, but after reading other reviews, I halved it and then didn’t have enough for my mashed potatoes. I mixed 2 Tbsp of corn starch with 1/4 c of the beef broth and it thickened up nicely. I’ll definitely be making this again as written. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Kathie. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This is delicious. When I’m short on time, I cheat and use Costco rotisserie chicken breasts sliced into thick medallions. Make everything else as directed and slide the medallions into the sauce at the end to warm them through and soak up the sauce. A few sautéed onions with the mushrooms kicks it up another notch. Thank you Sabrina!
Costco rotisserie chicken breasts are such a great kitchen hack!
Are you saying that each breast should weigh 5 oz. or the total amount of chicken is 5 oz.?
Each should be about 5 ounces.
I was born in Madeira Island and we use this wine in many ways. This is a very delicious recipe. What made you use Madeira wine? Are you Portuguese?
Congratulations!
How awesome! I used it because it’s a copycat recipe from that restaurant and that’s the wine they used. I wanted to get it as close to the original as possible.
Fantástico
Finally a recipe that has enough sauce for this sauce loving family!!!
Do not use four cups of liquid. I wish that I had read the reviews first. One person said simmer 45 min. or another said add some thickener. People were trying to find out what to do with all of that liquid. I used a half a bottle of expensive Madeira. I didn’t have 45 minutes. It wasn’t even cooking down. Simmer it said. I finally put it on boil, but that didn’t help much. I think everybody else was really polite here.
Crazy thing is I knew better. I’m thinking that usually recipes like this call for a half of cup of the wine, but stupidly I just kept following the recipe.
Also, I’m sure that they plate it at the restaurant. So you have all of this food in the pan, but now you have to put it on the plates. The cheese drips off of the spoon. Try to find enough mushrooms for everybody, and I doubled the amount of mushrooms assuming we would have leftovers. Now my leftovers have cheese mixed in, but not exactly on the top. Do I now add more cheese? How about plating it? Put the cheese on last and put it in the microwave for twenty-five seconds. This is the first review that I have ever written for a recipe. I just felt that other people who read the reviews need to know.
I enjoyed making and could not stop eating it. I did use the wine, the flavor, and the smell of the atmosphere made it.
So instead of the wine I would use 4 cups of broth?
Yes 🙂
This so easy and delicious. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Thank you so much Julie! So glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to register on the site so you can save recipes to a recipe box for later too. 🙂