This Skinny, Easy Chicken Marsala Skillet is a delicious, creamy mushroom chicken recipe, made healthier with less cream and Marsala wine. It's a one-pan dinner that's freezer-friendly!
How to make skillet chicken marsala
- In a hot skillet, add olive oil, chicken cutlets and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side.
- Without wiping the skillet, saute mushroom and then stir in onions and garlic, until onions are translucent.
- Add in wine and let reduce for 1 minute. Stir in flour.
- Add chicken broth and chicken back to skillet. Bring to a boil and wait for mixture to thicken slightly. Stir in cream and cook.
- Plate chicken mixture. Add zucchini and red pepper to skillet, sauteeing until veggies are tender.
- Plate veggies with chicken mixture and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – use any neutral oil in place of olive oil. An oil like grapeseed oil, canola oil or avocado oil will work well.
- Chicken breast – cut the chicken breasts thinly into cutlets or use chicken cutlets for ease.
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- Cremini mushrooms – white mushrooms, button mushrooms or brown mushrooms can all be used in place of cremini mushrooms.
- Yellow onion – white onion, shallots or red onions can be used in place of yellow onion.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic. Garlic powder can work in a pinch.
- Dry marsala wine – use a dry wine in place of marsala wine or a dry grape juice for a non-alcoholic option.
- Flour – use cornstarch or rice flour to thicken the sauce.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is a great alternative to chicken broth for this recipe.
- Heavy cream – milk and butter is a great alternative to heavy cream. For a nondairy option, use a nut milk or another nondairy milk of choice.
- Parsley (to garnish)
- Zucchini – choose any vegetable of choice as an alternative to zucchini.
- Red pepper – choose any vegetable of choice as an alternative to red pepper or pick any other bell pepper colour that you prefer.
Which Marsala wine is best for Chicken Marsala?
Marsala is an Italian fortified wine Basically, it is a dry wine fortified with brandy. When you’re making recipes with Marsala wine, there are two options: dry Marsala and sweet Marsala
- Dry Marsala has a nutty flavor, so it’s best in savory dishes with beef, pork, chicken, and veal. It also helps to caramelize vegetables like onions and mushrooms.
- Sweet Marsala is best in dessert recipes or dishes with sticky, sweet sauces.
So, for this easy chicken marsala recipe, you’ll want to choose a dry Marsala wine. For the best flavor, don’t get the Marsala cooking wine from the grocery store. Instead, select a good quality dry Marsala from the liquor store.
What can I use instead of Marsala wine?
If you don’t have any dry Marsala on hand for the easy chicken marsala, here are several good substitutions:
- Dry red wine – Substitute 1/4 cup dry red wine plus 1 teaspoon of brandy for every 1/4 cup of Marsala in the recipe.
- Dry white wine – Use the same substitutions as listed in the red wine substitute, listed above.
- White grape juice – Substitute 1/4 cup white grape juice plus 1 teaspoon of brandy for 1/4 cup of dry Marsala.
Non-Alcoholic Substitute for Dry Marsala
When you cook with alcohol, most of it evaporates during cooking. Still, some people prefer not to use alcohol at all. For a non-alcoholic Marsala substitute, combine 1/4 cup white grape juice with 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
How to make a lighter chicken marsala recipe?
To make this recipe into a skinny version of chicken marsala, the dish use way less cream than the traditional version. This recipe calls for just two tablespoons of heavy cream and if you prefer, you can even sub in half & half, milk or non-dairy milk. An alternative to heavy cream may impact the colouring of the recipe, you'll still get all the flavour from the mushrooms, onions and garlic.
Typically you wouldn't add garlic or onions to a chicken marsala recipe but in the interests of controlling the calories and using less of the rich ingredients like the marsala wine and cream, it's better to add other flavoring agents that still result in a whole lot of deliciousness!
What’s a good side dish to serve with Chicken Marsala?
For a quick and easy skillet meal like this one, you have a lot of side dish options. Chicken Marsala is delicious with rice, mashed or baked potatoes, or buttered noodles. Serving this dish with quinoa is also a great low-carb option to rice.
To keep the chicken Marsala dinner healthier, choose sides like cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, or even just a side of veggies like the zucchini and red pepper I have served up in these meal prep servings work well!
Storing and reheating
This chicken marsala will last up to 4 or 5 days in the fridge. Keep chicken in individual servings in airtight containers and store in the fridge once cooled to room temperature. When ready to enjoy, reheat each serving on the stove or in the microwave if you're in a rush. Reheating on the stove may take a few minutes while reheating in the microwave will only take 1-2 minutes.
When reheating in the microwave, sprinkle some water overtop to keep the chicken from drying out or having a leftover chicken taste.
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Can you freeze chicken Marsala?
Like many of my other skillet meals, this easy chicken Marsala freezes very well. That makes it a great choice for a make-ahead meal and for meal prep lunches.
To freeze chicken Marsala, transfer the contents of the skillet into a freezer-safe storage container. A disposable aluminum pan with a lid works well, too. Keep the lid off, allowing the chicken to cool to room temperature. Once it is cool, cover the pan and place it into the freezer.
Once frozen, it should keep well for at least 2 or 3 months. If you don’t plan to freeze it, keep the dish in the refrigerator and use within 4 to 5 days.
More Chicken Skillet Recipes
If you love easy, one-pan chicken dinners, I know you'll love the easy chicken Marsala recipe. Here are some other chicken skillet recipes I love:
- French Onion Chicken Skillet
- 30-Minute One-Pan Italian Chicken Skillet
- Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Skillet
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this Chicken Marsala into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Skinny Easy Chicken Marsala Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken breast cutlets (or 2 chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 (16oz) package cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup dry marsala wine (or dry white wine)
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken cutlets and season with salt and pepper, then cook for 4-5 minutes each side until you get a good sear. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
- Without wiping skillet clean, add mushrooms, sauteeing 4-5 minutes until juices start to release, then stir in onions and garlic, sauteeing another 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add in wine and let reduce for 1 minute, then stir in flour.
- Add chicken broth and chicken back to skillet. Bring to a boil and wait for mixture to thicken slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in cream and cook another minute before removing from skillet.
- Plate chicken mixture and then add zucchini and red pepper to skillet, sauteeing for 4-5 minutes until veggies are tender. Add to plate or meal prep bowls with chicken then serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
John K says
I just finished this and we loved it! It’s a lot lighter than the other methods I’ve tried, and at the same time absolutely packed with flavor! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe..
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Cosette says
I just made this for dinner and it’s wonderful! It is flavor-packed and guilt free. The only change I made was to add a full cup of broth because I like extra sauce. Thanks for the great recipe!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Cosette! Thanks for leaving your review 🙂
Jana says
Will almond flour work as a substitute for regular flour in this recipe?
Taylor Stinson says
I haven’t tried it myself but it’s worth a try 🙂