Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira (Copycat)

4 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira with chicken breasts, mushrooms and asparagus in a buttery wine sauce is a copycat of the most popular chicken dish.

Cheesecake Factory Chicken MadeiraCheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira is the more classic representation of my favorite pasta dish at the Cheesecake Factory, Pasta Da Vinci. I’ve made that recipe enough times that we’ve gotten to be huge fans of chicken with madeira wine sauce. Plus the mushrooms and the cheese, this is the more grown up version of Pasta da Vinci.

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.

Cheesecake Factory's most popular chicken dish! Chicken, mushrooms, asparagus, cheese and a buttery madeira wine sauce. Perfect copycat!

Looking for more Cheesecake Factory recipes?

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.

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Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira (Copycat)

Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira with chicken breasts, mushrooms and asparagus in a rich, buttery, madeira wine sauce is a copycat of the most popular chicken dish on the menu.
Yield 4 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Spanish
Author Sabrina Snyder

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1155mg | Potassium: 856mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1005IU | Vitamin C: 5.5mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 2.5mg
Keyword: Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira (copycat)
Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira
Cheesecake Factory's most popular chicken dish! Chicken, mushrooms, asparagus, cheese and a buttery madeira wine sauce. Perfect copycat!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. These recipes are so close good job. However, the chicken Maderia is the same exact sauce as the pasta divinci. I will tell you one thing that will change your flavor profile. Its not mozzerella, its a pizza blend. Mozz is one and provolne. I can’t tell you the rest since I loved working there lol. Also, not sure if it was for marketing, but the pasta divinci was not the highest selling dish. Not even close. BUT, it was hands down my favorite. Love the sweet finish of the cream sauce and I would add Steak medallions to mine which gave it the charred grill taste. Believe it or not, the Louisiana chicken was up there, and the 4 cheese pasta. Louisiana was gross to me.
    Last, I will say, you were pretty close. having to learn all the recipes and being able to cook them even as a front of the house manager, some of their items will have 10-15 ingredients. One of the best things about the place, is the love that goes into the food. Would love to see some recipes you have created as you seem to share the same type of love. Thanks

  2. I wish I had read the reviews first, as I used 2 cups of Casa Dos Vinhos Madeira wine with 2 cups of Beef Broth and it never thickened. Would Sherry wine thicken as simmering and look like your picture?
    Thanks Gabby

  3. this was my first time cooking with wine. this was amazing, never tried the original but this turned out great. I also cooked the asparagus in the reduction.

  4. This recipe could definitely work just needs some improvements. I would flour and season the chicken with more than just salt and pepper. It needs that extra little kick to take it to the next level. Other than that, I’d say this tastes pretty close to what you’d get at Cheesecake Factory.

    1. It sounds like the heat wasn’t up high enough during it’s boil to allow it to reduce once adjusted to a simmer. I’m so sorry you had to toss half of it.

  5. Love this recipe!!! Made tonight Family devoured it. I did flour the chicken before frying. And I steamed the asparagus in the wine/broth while it was cooking down. I figured, why not. Served with couscous. Delicious. The flavor is amazing! Will definitely make again!

  6. I have to say, I have extensive background in cooking and also ordering this meal quite a few times from the Cheesecake Factory and this tasted nothing like the original recipe. Regardless if the sauce doesn’t thicken it’s not anywhere close to it. It’s not a bad meal, but don’t expect it to be like the Cheesecake Factory lol.

    1. You can use chicken stock as a substitute though it may lose some of its flavor. You can always make a reduction of balsamic vinegar and mix it with the stock before adding it to the dish. That will help give it a bit more flavor. Good luck!

  7. 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!

    1. Definitely not enough flavor as is. I added garlic powder and paprika to the chicken and minced garlic with the mushrooms. 4 cups of liquid is way to much. You could honestly add just 1 cup of each(or 2 cups of either one) and it would still taste good with out all the extra time needed to reduce it. I ended up making a corn starch slurry to thicken it up a bit faster(I had already had it boiling/simmering for about 20 mins. I also recommend roasting the asparagus in the oven with a bit of salt and olive oil. Boiling just makes it mushy and bland.

  8. 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!

  9. 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!

  10. 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!

    1. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. I enjoyed making and could not stop eating it. I did use the wine, the flavor, and the smell of the atmosphere made it.

    1. 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. 🙂

  13. Super good and easy, too! I substitutes Marsala and also used cornstarch to thicken the sauce and it turned out GREAT1

  14. This was wonderful but I also had to thicken the sauce with cornstarch and water. I had a lot of extra sauce as well. Next time I’d use 1.5 C of the wine and broth. Otherwise it was delish, thank you!!

  15. Love this recipe and have made many times with no tweaks. Small issue I hope you can help or guide me. I’m making triple batches for a dinner party and I’m wondering if I can make this the day before or maybe 6 hours before the dinner? I’m thinking it naught work if leaving the cheese off and reheating in a large fry pan or oven reheating? Thanks for advice!!

    1. I haven’t prepped it ahead of time personally, but it sounds like you have the right idea. I would do the 6 hours ahead if that’s possible, I’m not sure the sauce will be as wonderful after a night in the fridge. I would reheat in the oven on low so it doesn’t dry out. Let me know how it turns out!

    2. My answer is too late for your dinner party but maybe someone else having the same question will see it. I have a similar recipe and I have made it a day or two before and heated the night of a dinner party many times the key is browning the chicken but not cooking it totally through. I assemble everything in my casserole dish and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I remove from frig and let it sit 30 min then bake until heated through. Add any cheese to the top the evening you’re baking it. The extra baking will complete the cooking of the chicken without making it chewy.

  16. That looks so yummy but the original doesnt have mushrooms and is in a lemon cream sauce. 🙂 I wanted to know how to make the lemon cream sauce . 🙁

  17. I made this last night for my wife and we both loved it. One thing that took MUCH longer than expected was the reducing of the broth and Madeira, which took over 45+ minutes and even then didn’t get as thick as I was hoping. I wonder if I did something incorrectly or if I was supposed to add a thickener. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

    1. I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! It sounds like maybe the heat wasn’t high enough or your pan was really thick to not allow the heat to come through.

    2. You’re right on this one. According to the recipe, there is nothing in the pan except beef broth and wine, so it isn’t really a sauce that can reduce. I would just add some corn starch mixed with a little flour – up to 2 T – a little at a time until it gets to the right thickness.

  18. This recipe tastes exactly like it!! I used boneless skinless thighs instead and flattened them pretty thin because I prefer that cut. I used two packs of chicken, so I doubled the mushrooms. It makes a lot of sauce, so I only did 1.5 of the amount for the wine and broth (even though I doubled everything else). Even then, I thickened it and it was excellent when thickened with equal parts of cornstarch and water I did about 5 tbsp. Had plenty of sauce for the chicken, made mashed potatoes and used the extra sauce as gravy. Everyone loved it! Will 100% sure make it again!!!

    1. Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it Laura! I appreciate the 5 star rating!

    1. I used the dessert wine but you can substitute with a dry port wine, Marsala, or a dry sherry wine.

  19. Made the Chicken Maderia, delicious! I would advise to use 1cup of broth and 1cup of wine as it seemed to be swimming in the sauce.

  20. Delicious! Although the recipe calls for 6 TBS of butter and directions only use 4 TBS.
    I used 4 per directions and it came out great.

  21. Hi, Sabrina! John was being humorous! In the directions it states to “flatter the chicken” instead of to “flatten the chicken”.  ? I can’t wait to make your recipe!

    1. Haha, oh my gosh! I didn’t even catch that!! Thank you. Although everyone loves a little flattery now and then….even a chicken 😉

    1. I’m sorry but I’m not quite sure I understand your question. To flatten the chicken, put it 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). Hope this helps answer your question.

  22. I might add in a diced shallot to the mushrooms as there were some beautiful ones on sale today…can’t wait to try it! No Cheesecake Factory where I live, so this’ll be new.

  23. This looks like such a comforting dish. And since our temperature dropped overnight, I’m gonna need some of this goodness soon!

  24. Sometimes the most delicious meals have relatively simple ingredients… and it’s a beautiful thing 🙂 Love this copycat!!