Dairy-Free Chicken Marsala (Print Page)

Tender chicken in a rich Marsala wine and mushroom sauce, made in one pan without butter or cream.

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)

→ For Dredging

02 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (substitute gluten-free flour if needed)
03 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Vegetables

05 - 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
08 - 3/4 cup chicken broth (verify dairy-free on label)

→ Fats

09 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

→ Garnish

10 - 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Place each chicken breast between two sheets of parchment paper and gently pound with a meat mallet to an even 1/2-inch thickness throughout.
02 - In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and black pepper. Dredge each pounded chicken breast in the seasoned flour, coating both sides evenly, and shake off any excess.
03 - Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the dredged chicken breasts and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
04 - Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Sauté the sliced mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes until deeply browned. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
05 - Pour the Marsala wine into the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the liquid to reduce slightly.
07 - Return the seared chicken breasts to the skillet, spooning the mushroom sauce over the top. Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes until the chicken is heated through and the sauce has thickened to a glossy consistency.
08 - Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • You get all the velvetiness of classic Marsala without a single drop of cream or butter which feels like a wonderful kitchen trick.
  • Everything happens in one skillet meaning you spend less time washing dishes and more time actually enjoying your evening.
  • The sauce reduces into something so deeply savory that nobody will believe it only took forty minutes from start to finish.
02 -
  • Do not wash the pan between searing chicken and cooking mushrooms because those stuck brown bits are the foundation of your entire sauce.
  • Dry Marsala and sweet Marsala are completely different products and using sweet will make your dish taste like dessert which is a mistake I have made more than once.
03 -
  • Let the mushrooms sit undisturbed in the pan for the first three minutes because moving them too early steams instead of browns and you lose that deep caramelized flavor.
  • Adding an extra splash of Marsala right at the end of cooking gives the sauce a brighter more complex finish that guests always notice.

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