This easy and light gluten-free chicken marsala recipe uses only fresh, whole ingredients and no heavy cream. The sauce is light and savory, and the mushrooms add delicious umami flavor, enabling you to enjoy this classic Italian-American dish without worry of gluten or excess calories. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
I’m always up for a warm and savory chicken dinner. While I rotate between plant-based meals and meat meals, everyone is happy when it’s chicken night. And such happiness turns to elation when it’s chicken marsala night.
Traditional chicken marsala can often feel heavy and caloric, but if you follow my recipe, you’ll end up with a flavorful yet light dish. No empty calories here. Just chicken marsala that tastes good and is good for you.
Gluten-free chicken marsala is surprisingly easy to make at home, too. All you need is a few chicken breasts along with a few other pantry staples, and you’re set. The only potentially “odd” item is the marsala wine, which you can find in the cooking aisle of most grocery stores. More on that in a bit.
Ingredients for Chicken Marsala
To make this healthier version of chicken marsala at home, you’ll need a few key ingredients, most of which I bet you already have on hand:
Chicken Breasts: You’ll need two large chicken breasts or four small chicken cutlets for this recipe. You can also use chicken tenderloins.
Mushrooms: I think Portobello mushrooms are superior and give this dish its signature umami flavor. I use a lot of mushrooms to add more vegetables to the final dish. Sometimes I think my chicken marsala should be called marsala mushrooms! You can adjust the amount of mushrooms to your liking, of course.
Gluten-Free Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour instead of wheat flour. You could also use cornstarch, which will give the chicken a slightly crispier coating, or potato starch, tapioca flour, or arrowroot starch, all of which are gluten-free. Each type of flour or starch will give the chicken a slightly different flavor and texture, so experiment with what you like.
Fresh Minced Garlic: The more garlic, the better, if you ask me. You can also use jarred garlic as an alternative or garlic powder as a last resort. Fresh garlic will give the final dish a bolder taste.
Marsala Cooking Wine: Marsala cooking wine is typically found near the oil and vinegar section in the grocery store. I use Holland House Marsala Wine. You could also use a fancy dry marsala wine from the liquor store. Marsala wine is gluten-free. It’s made from a blend of white grapes. I find it has a dry, nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness. Alternatively, you could use white wine or dry sherry.
Chicken Broth: You’ll need chicken broth to boost the flavor of this recipe. It will also help create enough sauce to coat the chicken.
Salt and Pepper: Of course, you’ll need salt and pepper to add flavor. Adjust to taste.
What you’ll notice missing from my chicken marsala that you might find in other chicken marsala recipes is heavy cream or butter. I don’t use it and prefer my lighter rendition of this classic Italian dish.
My version of chicken marsala is light and doesn’t taste heavy nor weigh you down. It’s just bursting with savory, guilt-free flavors reminicient of Italian-restaurant-style chicken marsala.
How to Make Chicken Marsala
Chicken marsala tastes best when the chicken is thin and flattened, so if you have thick chicken breasts, slice them in half width-wise and then pound them flat with a meat tendorizer or mallet until they’re thin and evenly sized. You want the breasts to be about 1/2 inch thick. Again, the thinner, the better.
You’ll then generously coat the chicken in a mixture of gluten-free flour (or cornstarch) and salt and pepper, and then place each breast in the hot avocado oil inside your pan. Be sure to use a high-heat oil like avocado oil.
Cook each piece of chicken over medium-high heat in a large skillet pan for about 4-5 minutes on each side until it’s mostly cooked through. Flip once. Add each chicken breast to a paper towel-lined plate for later.
If you’re cooking more chicken than what fits in your pan, cook the chicken in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Next, sauté your sliced portabello mushrooms in the leftover oil and chicken fat left behind in the pan. Add more oil if needed. Cook until your mushrooms are soft and the excess water and moisture cook off. They should be golden brown, too.
Add the garlic and sauté for another minute before adding your marsala wine and chicken stock. Scrape the surface of the pan with your spatula to get the crispy bits left behind from the chicken so it is incorporated into your sauce.
If the sauce doesn’t thicken, add a little flour or cornstarch slurry. To make a slurry, add 1 teaspoon of flour or cornstarch to a bowl and combine it with 1 tablespoon of chicken broth. Mix well, then add to the sauce. Stir the sauce at a medium heat until it thickens. Add more slurry, if needed, until the sauce is thickened to your desired consistency.
Once the sauce is slightly thickened, add the chicken breasts to the pan and use a spoon to coat each breast with the warm sauce and mushrooms. Cook the chicken in the sauce for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Top the chicken with chopped fresh parsley or enjoy as-is. Serve it with mashed or roasted potatoes, rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or homemade gluten-free pasta. It also tastes great with steamed broccoli and oven-roasted asparagus.
How Does It Taste?
I think you’ll find that my lighter version of gluten-free chicken marsala is outstanding, and trust me; you won’t miss the gluten, heavy cream, or butter!
The chicken is tender and juicy. The sauce is light, savory, and flavorful even without the heavy creamy sauce. The marsala sauce has a smoky and slightly sweet taste.
This easy weeknight meal will be a home run at your house, as it is in mine!
How to Make Roasted Potatoes
I personally think chicken marsala is best served with a side of roasted potatoes.
To make roasted potatoes, cut Russet potatoes into bite-sized cubes, then coat the potato chunks with a drizzle of avocado oil (or other high-heat oil) and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
Place the potatoes on a large foil-lined, well-greased (use Pam cooking spray) baking sheet. Do not overcrowd potatoes. Bake in 400º F preheated oven for about one hour, gently tossing after 30 minutes and every 10 minutes thereafter until crispy and cooked to your desired texture. Enjoy!
More Chicken Recipes
Looking for more easy weeknight dinner recipes?
My light lemon chicken piccata recipe is savory and tangy.
If you love Asian food, try my easy gluten-free orange chicken or my gluten-free sesame chicken, both of which taste better than Chinese takeout!
Easy & Light Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala (No Cream)
Equipment
- 1 large pan
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp avocodo oil or other high heat oil, more if needed
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded into 1/2 inch thick slices (about 4 pieces) – see notes
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour or cornstarch
- 1 tsp Kosher salt more to taste
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 24 ounces portobello mushrooms stems removed and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves chopped into small bits (more if desired)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup marsala cooking wine I use Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch or GF flour + 1 Tbsp water for cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce, if needed
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Combine the flour (or cornstarch), salt and pepper in a bowl, then dredge each pounded, thin slice of chicken breast into the flour mixture and then place into the hot oil.
- Cook on one side for about 4-5 minutes, turning once to cook the other side. Chicken should be cooked through but not overcooked. Set chicken on a paper towel-lined plate for later.
- Add sliced mushrooms to the hot pan and cook until the mushrooms soften and the water cooks off, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth and marsala wine to the hot pan and stir. Scrape up any leftover brown bits of chicken from the pan to add flavor to the sauce.
- If the sauce needs thickening, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water or chicken broth (cornstarch slurry) and add it to the sauce. Whisk until the sauce thickens. Add more cornstarch slurry if needed, until the sauce reaches desired consistency,
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add cooked chicken breasts back into the pan. Use a spoon to coat the chicken with the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes before serving.
- Top with chopped parsley (optional) and serve with roasted potatoes, rice, pasta, steamed brocoli, and/or roasted asparaus.
Please don’t use Marsala cooking wine! Use some decent real Marsala wine. The cooking wine has salt added to it, so by using regular Marsala, the sodium count should be considerably less.