Dairy Free Chicken Marsala (Print)
Italian-style chicken and mushrooms in a rich dairy-free Marsala wine sauce, cooked in one pan.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Poultry
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
→ Dredging Mixture
02 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
03 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Vegetables and Aromatics
05 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
06 - 1 tablespoon dairy-free butter (olive oil spread or coconut oil)
07 - 8 oz cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
08 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
→ Marsala Sauce
10 - 3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
11 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
12 - 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
13 - 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish
# How To Make:
01 - Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the dairy-free butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the dredged chicken and cook for 4–5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil to keep warm.
03 - Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Sauté the mushrooms for 3–4 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Stir in the shallot and garlic, cooking for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant and softened.
04 - Pour in the Marsala wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine simmer for 2–3 minutes to reduce slightly and cook off the alcohol.
05 - Add the chicken broth to the pan and return the seared chicken breasts. Simmer gently for 7–8 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and the flavors to meld together.
06 - Stir the arrowroot or cornstarch slurry into the simmering sauce. Continue cooking for 1–2 minutes until the sauce becomes glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
07 - Sprinkle generously with chopped fresh parsley. Serve warm over mashed potatoes, steamed rice, or dairy-free pasta.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Everything cooks in one pan which means you get all the savory depth of a restaurant dish without a sink full of dishes afterward.
- The dairy free butter melts right into the Marsala reduction so nobody will ever guess there is no cream in this sauce.
02 -
- If you add the slurry before the sauce has reduced enough it will stay thin and watery no matter how long you keep cooking it.
- Dry Marsala is not the same as sweet Marsala and using the sweet version will make the entire dish taste like dessert.
03 -
- Let the mushrooms sit undisturbed in the hot pan for a full three minutes before stirring because movement is the enemy of browning.
- Chicken thighs swap in beautifully if you prefer darker meat and they actually stay more forgiving if you accidentally overcook them by a minute or two.