30 Minute Paleo Chicken Marsala recipe made with chicken, mushrooms, marsala wine, chicken broth and garnished with parsley. Thickened with arrowroot (or use cornstarch if you are not paleo) and you can serve it over mashed potatoes or zoodles.
What is Chicken Marsala?
Chicken Marsala is an Italian American recipe made with thinly sliced chicken and sauce containing marsala wine and mushrooms.
Most of the Chicken Marsala recipes I’ve read include chicken, marsala wine, and mushrooms but the seasonings vary depending on the recipe author so I couldn’t honestly tell you what’s authentic or not in that regard. I can promise it’s better than the Olive Garden version of Chicken Marsala!
Marsala wine comes from Italy and is one of the country’s most famous wines. Its flavor can range from sweet to dry, and it is used as a dessert wine or aperitif.
For this recipe, I sometimes buy the chicken breasts that are already cut into small thin pieces for convenience. It’s easy (and cheaper) to buy them and cut them in half yourself, but the ready cut pieces are handy to have.
In the traditional recipe the chicken cutlets are coated with flour but for my paleo version we are skipping that step and simply thickening the sauce instead as the paleo flours can be sticky and don’t coat the meat in the same way.
If you buy the type of chicken breast that is skin on and attached to the bone it works out even cheaper per lb, it’s a little more fiddly to remove the bone but totally do-able if you have enough time.
How to Make Paleo Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian-American dish that has graced many tables in my adopted homeland, but not my own until recently!
So the first thing you need to do is make sure you have a suitable Marsala Wine (or dry sherry) for this recipe. Your sauce will only be as good as the wine that you choose, so please, never ever use cooking wines! They are heavily salted, taste nasty, and are full of preservatives which rules it out for those following the paleo diet.
Using a salted cooking wine will alter the flavor of this recipe, so I would avoid it at all costs.
A good rule of thumb is, if it’s not palatable to drink then it’s not going to taste any better cooked into a sauce or gravy.
You can get relatively cheap dry sherry or real marsala wine at the liquor store and it will last a long time, the sherry is also great to use in gluten free Chinese recipes in place of Shaoxing Rice Wine, which usually contains added wheat.
The first step is to cut the chicken breasts in half lengthways to make thin fillets, they will cook much quicker this way.
Then, you need to season the chicken fillets on each side with salt and pepper and add them in batches to a medium/high cast iron skillet or non stick pan. They will take about 4 minutes per side, you don’t need to cook them through as they cook a little longer in the marsala sauce.
I use arrowroot to thicken the chicken broth before I add it to the pan with the chicken. For Paleo you can also substitute tapioca starch or potato starch to thicken the sauce instead. However the texture of the sauce can sometimes be a little gloopy, but that’s usually avoided as long as you don’t use too much.
If you are not Paleo you can substitute with cornstarch to thicken it.
Now you need to add the paleo chicken broth, marsala wine, and mushrooms to a pan with a lid and give it a good stir before you add the chicken fillets.
Then, the chicken is cooked (cover the pot) on for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened up. If the sauce is not thick enough for you, you can easily thicken is some more by adding a tablespoon of your starch of choice to a tablespoon of cold water and then adding it to the pan. Don’t add the starch directly to the hot sauce in the pan without dissolving it in cold water or it will be lumpy.
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MORE OF MY FAVORITE PALEO RECIPES!
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- Paleo Cilantro Lime Chicken
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- Lemon Pepper Chicken
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- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
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- Paleo Italian Meatballs
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- Carrot Raisin Pineapple Salad
Paleo Chicken Marsala
you'll LOVE this Paleo Chicken Marsala, it's easy to make with chicken, mushrooms, marsala wine and thickened with arrowroot to keep it paleo compliant. (you can use cornstarch if you're not following paleo)
Ingredients
- 4 in boneless skinless chicken breasts cut half crosswise
- 1/4 cup arrowroot or cornstarch if you are not paleo
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb white mushrooms, halved 453g
- 1/2 cup marsala wine, or dry sherry 125mls, DO NOT use cooking sherry or wine!
- 1 cup paleo chicken broth 250mls
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
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Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthways to make them thinner and flatter.
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Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
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Heat the olive oil in a non stick or cast iron skillet on a medium high heat.
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Cook chicken pieces in the skillet for about 4-5 mins each side, you may have to cook the chicken in batches. It does not need to be fully cooked, it will finish cooking in the sauce.
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While the chicken is cooking cut the mushrooms in half.
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Add about two tablespoons of arrowroot to the cold chicken broth and mix well to combine.
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Add the chicken broth mixed with arrowroot, marsala wine or sherry, and mushrooms into the pan along with the chicken pieces. DO NOT use cooking wine or sherry, it's heavily salted, has added preservatives, and is not suitable for this recipe.
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Add the lid to the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes. If the sauce isn't thickened the way you like it you can add some more arrowroot (about 1 tbsp to a 1 tbsp cold water) and thicken the sauce, you probably won't need to use a whole 1/4 cup.
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Garnish with parsley and serve over mashed potatoes or zoodles.
Recipe Notes
MARSALA WINE - I have used sherry in place of Marsala wine, but I don't ever use 'cooking wine' of any kind. If you are Paleo it's not suitable because of the added preservatives, but even if you are not it will alter the taste of the sauce and not for the better.
You can get relatively cheap dry sherry or real marsala wine at the liquor store and it will last a long time, the sherry is also great to use in gluten free Chinese recipes in place of Shaoxing Rice Wine, which usually contains added wheat.
ARROWROOT - For paleo you can also substitute tapioca or potato starch to thicken the sauce instead. However the texture of the sauce can sometimes be a little gloopy, but that's usually avoided as long as you don't use too much.
If you are not Paleo you can substitute with cornstarch to thicken.
Chandra@ The Plaid & Paisley Kitchen says
I love Chicken Marsala! Making gluten free and a paleo option is great
Megan Keno says
I’m always looking for ways to make chicken dishes more flavorful! I love this idea, I am going to have to try this one out!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
Wow – this is beautiful Sheena! Hope the weather is getting better and that you live on a hill. Lots of rain down your way. I adore this dish – always a favorite. Have a very happy and prosperous New Year!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
This needs to happen soon! We love chicken marsala!
Kimberly Ann @ Bake Love Give says
This looks incredible – I can’t believe it’s gluten free! Can’t wait to try.
Katerina @ Diethood says
Looks lovely, and I’m a huge fan of anything lightened-up and easy!!
Cookin Canuck says
This looks absolutely amazing, and I’ll bet would be just as good with sherry as with Marsala.
Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie says
Beautiful! Perfect comfort food 🙂
Claire Strebeck says
We are cooking this tonight. It looks so good! 🙂 I can’t wait!
Sheena says
Hi Claire! I’m so glad you’re trying it, I hope it turns out nicely for you! 🙂
Claire Strebeck says
It was delicious!!! We will definitely be making it again! 🙂
Sheena says
Oh yay!! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Christine says
Well, there is a theme here – I love your recipes! Chicken Marsala has always been a favorite of mine, which I have not had since going gluten free (2 years). I am so excited to give this a go. Thank you!
Sheena says
Thanks so much Christine, I hope you get to try it! It’s one of those recipes that’s super quick to make so it’s easy for during the week, but it would double as a ‘fancier’ dinner if you had guests.
Katy Creath says
This was my family’s favorite meal of the week! This was so flavorful and looked so pretty in the cast iron skillet. And it came together easily. Served with green beans on the side. I didn’t feel like we needed anything else with it. Thank you.
Katy Creath says
And I agree it could be doubled for a nice dinner for guests.
Sheena says
Hi Katy! Thank you SO much for coming and commenting here, I really appreciate it!! So glad you all enjoyed the recipe, it’s one of my favorites.
Katy Creath says
Having it again
tonight!!!! Reviewing the weeknight friendly recipe. My 16 year-old daughter is sooooo excited. Win/win!
Sheena says
Hooray! I need to make it again soon but we’ve been on a bit a ‘pasta bake’ thing here lately but I need something a bit lighter, lol! 🙂
Emily says
Can you make this without the alcohol? This looks wonderful so if I can substitute that I would love to try it!
Sheena says
Hi Emily! Well yes, and no 🙂 The marsala is what gives the sauce the unique flavor (though the actual alcohol cooks out, just leaving the nice flavor) so you could just try it with chicken broth/stock instead, but it won’t really be the same though it should taste nice especially if your broth is homemade.
Erica says
Why can’t a cooking Marsala wine be used such as Holland House?
Sheena Strain says
Hi Erica, I don’t recommend it as it simply doesn’t taste the same and has added salt and preservatives. That said, if you want to try it go ahead, but the dish may not taste the same and you would need to adjust the salt content of the recipe.
Jennie says
Do you cook the mushrooms in the wine and chicken broth and then add the chicken?
Sheena Strain says
Hi Jennie, I’m sorry that wasn’t clearly written, I’ve updated it. You add back the chicken with the mushroom, broth and wine and then simmer it.
Amber says
Can I serve this with rice?
Sheena Strain says
Hi Amber, yes it should go well with rice, mashed potatoes are nice too!
Debra says
There are 2 different Marsala wines one is Dry and the other Sweet. Which one is the best one to use?
Sheena Strain says
Hi Debra! You can use either, I tend to prefer dry over sweet but that’s just my taste buds!