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This Crock Pot Chicken Marsala recipe is a creamy, delicious, mushroom studded chicken dinner! You’ll be amazed by how easy it is to make a restaurant-quality meal right at home with this simple recipe. Put your slow cooker to work with this flavorful chicken marsala.
Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala
I always thought Chicken Marsala was a fancy Italian recipe you could only enjoy at restaurants, but guess what? It’s actually super simple to prepare at home, especially if you let your slow cooker do most of the work. When you use a crock pot, you don’t have to pound the chicken breasts down, and you don’t have to stand at the stove flipping chicken breasts – score! I love making this Chicken Marsala recipe on busy weeknights, but it’s also perfect for a fancy date night or Sunday supper. When you really want to wow everyone at the table but aren’t feeling like putting too much effort in, this is the recipe to make.
What is Chicken Marsala?
Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish of tender chicken breasts in creamy Marsala wine sauce loaded with mushrooms. It’s a variation of the traditional Italian scaloppine, which is thinly sliced meat dredged in flour and then sautéed and cooked in a sauce reduction. Chicken Marsala probably comes from western Sicily, where Marsala wine is made. In this recipe, you have golden, lightly pan-fried chicken breasts topped with mushrooms and smothered in a thick Marsala wine reduction that has a nice amount of garlic for additional flavor. It’s so good!
How To Make Chicken Marsala in the Slow Cooker
This recipe only takes about 10 minutes to prep and packs a ton of flavor.
- We start with browning chicken breasts in a skillet; they’ll need about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the seared chicken breasts to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add garlic and sliced mushrooms over the chicken.
- Deglaze the skillet with Marsala Wine and pour it over the chicken breasts and mushrooms. Also, please note to use dry Marsala Wine. Sweet Marsala Wine is for desserts. If wine is not your thing, you can use chicken broth instead.
- Cover with a lid and set your slow cooker on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. You can also cook it on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts from the slow cooker and set aside on a plate.
- Whisk water and cornstarch together, then add to the sauce inside the slow cooker. Whisk in heavy cream and return chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
- Cover with a lid and continue to cook on HIGH for 20 more minutes, or until sauce thickens.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Tips For The Best Chicken Marsala
- Searing the Chicken: Skipping the step of browning the chicken breasts is okay if you’re short on time, though doing so does enhance the flavor and helps to seal in the juices. But hey, if you want to see what I mean, just try my baked chicken pieces—your taste buds will thank you!
- Don’t rush: Making chicken marsala in the crock pot adds a depth of flavor that only comes from cooking food low and slow, much like this slow cooker coq au vin. Both dishes benefit from the slow-cooking process, allowing the rich flavors to meld together nicely.
- Check for doneness: Use an Instant Read Thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
What Marsala Wine To Use & Substitution Options
Marsala wine is a fortified wine from Sicily that can be sweet or dry. You want to use a dry Marsala wine for savory recipes like Chicken Marsala. If you can’t find some, use a darker Sherry, a dry white wine, a dry Madeira, or a Port. Remember that using anything other than dry Marsala wine will alter the classic flavor.
Side Dishes for Chicken Marsala
Now that you have a creamy, incredible chicken ready to go, what do you serve with it? I like Chicken Marsala on its own, but you can serve it over penne pasta, egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice. It would also go great with cauliflower rice or creamy mashed cauliflower.
For a classic Italian side, try my Vesuvio potatoes—they’re a delicious match! And to round out the meal, my chickpea salad adds a bit of freshness, while my baked homemade cannolis make for the sweetest dessert!
How To Store Leftovers
- To Store: Store Chicken Marsala leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- To Freeze: Place chicken and sauce in a large Ziploc bag, seal it well, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, thaw the chicken in the refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 350˚F and heat chicken marsala until warmed through.
More Italian Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Breasts
- Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken Breasts
- Chicken Milanese
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Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 6 (1.5 to 2 pounds, total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms,, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry marsala wine
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and set aside.
- Season chicken breasts all around with garlic powder, dried basil, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the seasoned chicken breasts to the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes per side or until just browned.
- Transfer chicken to slow cooker and top with mushrooms and garlic.
- Return skillet over medium-high heat and add the marsala wine; cook for 1 minute, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Pour the wine over the chicken and mushrooms.
- Close with a lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. Chicken is done when internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
- Remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and set aside on a plate.
- Combine water and cornstarch in a mug or a small mixing bowl and whisk until incorporated; then, whisk the slurry into the wine sauce.
- Add heavy cream to the wine sauce and whisk until combined. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly.
- Return chicken to the slow cooker; cover with a lid and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes or until sauce has thickened. For a creamier texture, add more heavy cream.
- Transfer chicken from slow cooker to plates; top with mushroom sauce and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have time to brown the chicken breasts, you don’t have to, but it does help with the overall flavor.
- Try to use Dry Marsala Wine. Sweet Marsala Wine is for desserts. If you don’t want to use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead. I would also recommend chicken broth for those that are watching their calories, carbs, and/or are on a Keto diet.
- If you don’t have Marsala Wine, you can use Sherry, Madeira, Dry White Wine, or Port. Please keep in mind that using anything other than Dry Marsala Wine will alter the overall classic flavor.
- Check for doneness: For perfectly cooked chicken breasts, use an Instant Read Thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken is cooked through when internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
- Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This was amazing! Substituted the heavy cream for chicken stock. My family loved it! Definitely going to be making this again.
Turned out really yummy! Couldnโt get the sauce to thicken up so I had to transfer it to a pot and boil on the stove. Still really enjoy the recipe!
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
While I did not try this recipie I do make chicken Marsala and I use 2-3 cups chicken broth to every 3/4-1cup of wine. The chicken broth really adds a lot of flavor. I don’t use crock pot and don’t see the added benefit because chicken can be made up to 3 days in advance. So this is how I make it… I cut large chicken breasts in 1/2 (can pound if you want to but not necessary, I usually buy a pack of 6 breasts and it yields 12breasts, we are a family of 5 with three teenage boys, however, we also love leftovers so I dont have to cook on weekends) then I soak the chicken breasts one at a time in 2-3 large eggs beaten, and then drop it into a ziplock back with a mixture of flower salt and pepper and then fry in a generous amount of olive or canola oil. May take more than one batch. I then remove it from the pan and set aside placing the chicken on a paper towel to drain. I clean the pan out with a paper towel (some grease may remain thats ok). Then I add olive oil combined with 3tbsp of butter to coat the bottom of the pan. I sautee one large onion diced and 4-6cloved of garlic chopped (or 2 heaping tbsp of jarred minced garlic) until onions are translucent. Then I add 2 packages of fresh mushrooms and sautee some more. Then add 1 cup of Marsala wine and let it cook off for around 3-4min, Then add 2-3 cups of chicken broth (if I dont have home made I use water mixed with a product called OSEM Consomme which is a mild chicken stock powder – 1 tbsp for every 1 cup hot water ). Then add 1 cup of cream, 1/4tsp rosemary, 1 tbsp basil, 1 tbsp salt (can add more to taste or just add grated Parmesean or my favorite Locatelli Peccorino Romano cheese at the table) and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Allow to bubble and heat for 5 min stirring often then in a small dish take 1 tbsp of butter and 3-4tbsp cornstarch and mix by hand to form a rue, then stir it in allowing it to thicken. Place chicken back in pan and coat with sauce. Cover and continue to sautee on low flame, as you boil your pasta al dente (we like Gemelli in this dish) drain pasta and serve with some nice crusty italian bread and salad. YUMMM…
Lol I think most of us are here for crick pot recipes because they are easy, Elizabeth.
Iโm on the Keto lifestyle. Can I substitute something else for the cornstarch? Thanks. This looks so good! I canโt wait to try it.
Hi!
You can try using xanthan gum. All you need to do is whisk a very small amount into the liquid. Whisk it in very well or your sauce will end up lumpy.
I agree with you Amanda. ALSO, people that rewrite a Pinned recipe should post in their own account!
Really easy and delicious.
Thank YOU! I’m glad you enjoyed it! ๐
My son has a very acute palate! He LOVED this recipe. Served over homemade pasta for a great celebratory dinner!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. โค๏ธ
That’s great to hear! I’m very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! ๐
Make sure Wine is dry. Mine was semi sweet because that was all I could find. Not a good taste
I don’t know why so many people said tasteless. Mine was wonderful. Clearly she said to salt and pepper to your liking. I will use this recipe a lot.
Thank YOU! I’m very happy you loved it! ๐
Blandโฆ literally no taste. I wish I had read reviews before I made this. It will be coming off of my Pinterest boardโฆ. Sorry
If it’s bland, it just needs a little more salt, in which you can add at anytime. I instruct to use “salt, to taste” because everyone’s level/tolerance of salty is different.
My family loved this recipe its so easy to make. I did add 1 tsp. of salt to the spice blend that I made ahead of time to sprinkle over the chicken before I browned it and made the chicken into bite size piece for convenience. I also use Jared minced garlic as that is what I had on hand and more then the recipe recommended as my family likes garlic and I also add 4 wedges of laughing cow cheese in garlic and herb on top of the mushrooms for extra flavor. I would make this again over traditional Chicken Marcela any day it was delicious, I always try to take a good recipe and make it my own with extra touches that I know my family will like.
I’m very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Hi Sandy. I tasted this and it didnโt have enough taste so I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of โBetter than Bullionโ chicken flavor right before adding the cornstarch slurry and the cream. That was the ingredient that pulled it all together for me.
Chicken was moist but the flavor was bland. Don’t think I’ll make it again.
Add a little more salt and see if that takes care of the bland flavor.
What can I replace the heavy cream with? I need dairy free and coconut free!
Hi, this looks amazing and would like to make it for Sunday dinner but only have raw tenders. Do you think it would be ok? If so how long to you think I should cut the cooking time by? Can’t wait to try this. Thank you for sharing!!
Hi!
You can definitely use chicken tenders, but those will need less time to cook through. If cooking on LOW, start checking for doneness around the 2 to 2.5-hour mark. If cooking on HIGH, you’ll want to start checking about 1 to 1.5 hours into the cooking process. Use an instant read meat thermometer to check for doneness – chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature registers at 165หF. I hope this helps. Have a great Sunday dinner! ๐
I can’t have dairy. Do you think dairy free cream would work ok ?
Hi. This looks like a amazing and I would like to make it for Sunday dinner but all I have is chicken tenders ( raw) can I use those instead of the breast? If so how long should I cut the cooking time?