Gluten-free and dairy-free chicken marsala is everything you want in a chicken dish! It’s perfectly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, involves a creamy garlicky mushroom sauce and is big and bold on flavor. Make it for a special occasion or any night of the week!
When I was a teenager, one of my favorite meals that I’d order whenever we would go to an Italian restaurant was Chicken Marsala. What’s not to love about crispy on the outside, tender on the inside chicken engulfed in a rich cream sauce that’s just bursting with rustic flavors?
While I still love the classic Italian dish, I invented this gluten-free dairy-free version so that I could enjoy it without any tummy troubles.
Since sharing this recipe, hundreds, if not thousands, of people have made it and turned it into a family staple.
Truthfully, I’m usually a salmon lover and beef lover to my core, but I’m IN LOVE with this chicken marsala recipe!
It satisfies that craving for crispy, tender chicken doused in a rich, creamy sauce with the delectable touch of onion, garlic, and mushroom flavors.
PLUS, it is gluten-free, dairy-free, and super easy to throw together at a moment’s notice.
All you need is one skillet and eight million point seven ingredients. Just kidding, you need 12. Most of which you already have on hand.
What is Chicken Marsala?:
Chicken Marsala is the American adaptation of the Italian Scaloppina – there are many varieties of this dish throughout Italy.
Not to be confused with Chicken Tikka Masala, which I find many often do, Chicken Marsala is a saucy creamy breaded chicken dish of mushrooms and marsala wine. It is often served with noodles at Italian restaurants in the U.S.
Is chicken Marsala Gluten-Free?
Chicken Marsala is not gluten-free unless you use gluten-free flour to prepare it. Traditional chicken marsala uses regular all-purpose flour and often breadcrumbs to bread the chicken.
As long as you swap these out for gluten-free flour (and breadcrumbs if using), you can make a gluten-free version of chicken marsala.
For those of you who don’t cook with alcohol, you can check out my 30-Minute Creamy Mushroom Chicken recipe. The concept is very similar to this one, minus the marsala wine.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for gluten-free chicken marsala. You can find them at any grocery store!
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala:
Boneless Chicken Breasts: The main ingredient here, we need boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can either buy chicken tenders or thin cut chicken filets, cut the chicken breasts into thinner filles, or pound them with a meat mallet between layers of parchment paper to tenderize them.
I buy thin chicken cutlets that are pre-sliced into thin filets.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: Used as the breading for the chicken, we need a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
I use Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but most brands of GF flour should work. Just be sure it is meant to be a 1:1 replacement for regular flour.
If you aren’t gluten-free, you can use regular all-purpose flour.
Garlic Powder: Used to season the breading, a little garlic powder goes a long way in bumping up the flavor.
Avocado Oil: We need a high-temperature cooking oil to cook the breaded chicken. I like using avocado oil because it contains healthy fats and a high smoke point. I don’t recommend using olive oil because it will likely burn.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: Taking the place of heavy cream, we use full-fat canned coconut milk. This keeps the recipe dairy-free and you can’t taste the coconut.
If you aren’t dairy-free, feel free to replace the canned coconut milk with 1 cup of heavy cream.
Fresh Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic goes into the creamy marsala sauce to bump up the flavor.
Marsala Wine: The classic ingredient used in the classic Italian-American dish, we need marsala cooking wine.
Dry marsala wine can be found at most grocery stores of a liquor store if your local grocery stores don’t carry alcohol. You can also use dry sherry.
Chicken Broth: In addition to wine, we need a little chicken broth for the sauce.
Mushrooms: Fresh mushrooms bring that earthy flavor we all love in traditional chicken marsala.
Tapioca Flour: Used to thicken the creamy mushroom sauce, we need a little tapioca flour. If you don’t typically keep tapioca flour on hand, you can replace it with more gluten-free all-purpose flour or arrowroot flour.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season the dish with sea salt and pepper to your personal taste.
Recipe Tips:
Use thin sliced chicken breasts: Be sure the chicken breasts you use are nice and thin, rather than trying to use full breasts.
You can either slice breasts in half lengthwise (hamburger bun style) to create two thin fillets per breast, or you can buy pre-sliced thin cutlets or chicken tenders.
The thinness ensures the chicken stays nice and tender, cooks evenly, and does not become dry or tough. If you have a meat tenderizer, you can also pound the chicken breasts to desired thickness.
Use pre-chopped mushrooms: To minimize some of the prep time, you can buy pre-chopped mushrooms rather than having to chop them yourself.
I take this route because it is more efficient and the mushrooms are generally chopped to the same size, which ensures they cook evenly.
Be sure to use marsala wine for the most authentic approach to chicken marsala. If you have white wine and brandy on hand, you can use a combination of â…” cup white wine and a few tablespoons of brandy.
Let’s make it!
How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala:
In a measuring cup, stir together the gluten-free flour, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper. Pour this mixture on a plate.
Dip both sides of each chicken fillet into the flour mixture, making sure each side is well-coated.
Heat the avocado oil (and ghee if using) in a large skillet over medium-high
Place the chicken breasts onto the hot surface and cook 3 minutes per side, or until both sides have a golden-brown sear.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside while you prepare the marsala sauce.
If needed, add more ghee and/or avocado oil to the skillet and return to medium heat.
Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to turn golden brown and start to stick to the skillet, about 3 minutes. Pour in half of the chicken broth to deglaze the skillet and cook another 2 minutes.
Add in the remaining broth, marsala wine and coconut milk and bring to a full boil. Allow the sauce to boil until it begins to thicken and reduce, about 8 to 10 minutes. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour to thicken the sauce.
Transfer the chicken back into the skillet with the marsala sauce and cover the skillet. Cook 10 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook an additional 2 to 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Serve chicken marsala with choice of gluten-free noodles or steamed rice.
Note: if you can tolerate ghee, use 2 tablespoons of ghee and 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to cook the chicken. It will add further creamy flavor. A little pat of butter also works.
What to Serve with Chicken Marsala:
Serve this creamy chicken marsala recipe with gluten-free pasta noodles, white rice, brown rice, or mashed potatoes. I also like serving the dish with roasted vegetables or oven-roasted asparagus or a side salad.
For a low-carb option, serve this healthy chicken marsala with cauliflower rice.
I enjoy my chicken marsala with Lemon Garlic Rosemary Rice. The two dishes pair so nicely and the result is a very rich and flavorful meal!
Also consider serving with Kale Pesto Pasta Salad and/or Crowd-Pleasing Roasted Vegetables.
And that’s it!
An easy weeknight meal for those times you’re craving a delicious Italian dish.
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken cut into thin fillets
- 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil**
For the Sauce:
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup Marsala wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- sea salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp tapioca flour optional***
Instructions
- In a measuring cup, stir together the gluten-free flour, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper. Pour this mixture on a plate.
- Dip both sides of each chicken fillet into the flour mixture, making sure each side is well-coated.
- Heat the avocado oil and the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high.
- Place the chicken breasts onto the hot surface and cook 3 minutes per side, or until both sides have a golden-brown sear.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside while you prepare the marsala sauce.
- If needed, add more ghee and/or avocado oil to the skillet and return to medium heat.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to turn golden brown and start to stick to the skillet, about 3 minutes. Pour in half of the chicken broth to de-glaze the skillet and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining broth, marsala wine and coconut milk and bring to a full boil. Allow the sauce to boil until it begins to thicken and reduce, about 8 to 10 minutes. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour to thicken the sauce.
- Transfer the chicken back into the skillet with the marsala sauce and cover the skillet. Cook 10 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook an additional 2 to 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve chicken marsala with choice of gluten-free noodles or steamed rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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The recipe says dairy-free, the ingredients call for ghee and butter….
Ah jeez, I should have caught that. Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I don’t consume cream, but I do eat ghee since it is lactose-free. I adjusted the recipe to use only avocado oil for completely dairy-free, but ghee or butter is an option for those in my same boat. Thanks again!! xoxox
@J.R. Estabro, the recipe calls for avacado oil or ghee. Ghee being butter that the lactose has been removed leaving only fat.
I wasn’t sure how the wine in the sauce would go over with the kids but the whole family loves it!
I’m so thrilled to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing! xoxo
Is there another nondairy milk that can be used, like oat or rice milk? My daughter is allergic to all nuts and coconut.
Hi Dawn,
I would replace the coconut milk with broth in that case! It won’t be as creamy, but it will still be very flavorful and delicious. My concern with using a different non-dairy milk is they often separate when heated to a boiling point, and I think it would make the dish taste watery instead of rich 😀 Let me know if you try the recipe using broth! xoxo
Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Hope you love it!
The photo looks as though there is paprika sprinkled on top of the chicken, but paprika isn’t mentioned in the ingredients. Is it supposed to be included?
Hi Kathi,
You can season the chicken with paprika if you’d like. It isn’t required – I just did that for visual appeal 😉 Good eye!
Hey, I was wondering if there is any way to substitute marsala wine for something else?
@Esther, I just used a random Cabernet that I had in my bar and worked great.
Hi Ester! You can use regular white wine, or go with a light red wine such as pinot noir. If you don’t cook with alcohol, you can definitely just use chicken broth! 😀 xoxoxo
How would this work with Almond flour or coconut flour? My daughter can’t have Tapioca or rice, so the gluten free flour won’t help.
Hi Traci! I would say use cassava flour or almond flour (not coconut flour), and just do a 1-to-1 replacement. The almond flour will come off in the sauce a bit and will be slightly grainy. The other alternative is to not bread the chicken at all in flour and just cook it in the sauce. Hope that helps!
I can’t find Marsala wine. Any tips?
Hi Becky!
You can use white wine or substitute it for more chicken broth 🙂 xo
Hi! I typically use heavy cream when doing chicken Marsala but I have a dairy free friend and I definitely want to try this! Do you taste any of the coconut flavor in the dish with the full fat coconut milk? Thanks !
@Emma, I made this with the coconut milk and did not taste the coconut I also did not have marsala wine on hand so used extra chicken stock it was very delicious I have not had marsala chicken in years and it turned out great definitely make this again
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed it, Lianne! Also so happy to hear you’ll be making it again. It’s one of my personal favorite chicken dishes 🙂 xo
Does the sauce double well?
Hi Noelle!
I haven’t tried doubling the sauce myself, so I’m not 100% positive, but I would think it would be just fine! I sometimes double or triple recipes for my own meal prep without issue 🙂 Hope you enjoy! xo
I followed everything to a T and it completely burned when I had it at the boil for 8 minutes! I was even stirring as I went. I don’t know what I did wrong, but it looks and tastes horrible now. Not sure how it went so wrong, but I’m very upset since I did everything you said to.
Did you use all of the liquid indicated in the recipe or make any changes?
Can this be made ahead of time and kept in the oven? I need to make this for a crowd, which would require several big pans, going at once….
plus side dishes!
Hi Elissa!
I’ve never made a large batch of this chicken marsala recipe and kept it in the oven but I’m betting it will work great 🙂
@Elissa,
Were you able to make it ahead?
Cathy
Hi,
Is this recipe suitable to freeze?
Hi Vicki! I haven’t tried it myself, but I think it will work just fine. Generally recipes that contain sauce and/or decent fat content tend to freeze and reheat well (in my experience). Let me know if you try it! xoxo
Could I use almond flour instead of the other flours. ?
Hi Morgan! Unfortunately, almond flour will add a grainy texture to the meal instead of making the sauce nice and creamy. The best options are a gluten-free flour blend, regular all-purpose flour, tapioca flour, or corn starch. Hope that helps! xo
Hi Julia Can I substitute olive oil for avocado oil and use crockpot plant butter instead of ghee? Thanks I want to make for my daughter in law who has every allergy in the book! Thanks kathy
Hi Kathy! Both of those substitutions will work just fine! Hope your daughter enjoys the recipe 🙂
This came out really well, the whole family loved it. However, don’t state that cook time is 20 minutes. Cooking chicken 3 minutes per side (6 minutes), cooking garlic and mushrooms 3 minutes and then an additional 2 minutes, adding remaining broth and cook for 10 minutes. Then add chicken back in and cook for 10 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 2-5 minutes. Nowhere on earth does that add up to 20 minutes.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! This is super helpful to others who want to try the recipe 🙂
Made this for dinner yesterday (and your cabbage roll soup for dinner tonight) and loved, loved, loved it! I only used half the amount of coconut milk (not sure if that made a big difference). It was so good! Can’t wait to make it again!! thank you!
Yaaay! Two of my favorite recipes! I’m happy you enjoyed both. It’s great to know that half the amount of coconut milk was plenty for the sauce – this is super helpful to others who want to try the recipe! I really appreciate the feedback! 🙂 xo
This looks delicious. The notes above the recipe mention onion but I don’t see where it appears in the actual recipe. How much would you recommend and when would you recommend adding it? Thanks
Hi there! I would saute the onion at the very beginning to give it time to soften up 🙂
I made this for our Valentine’s Day dinner and it came out great! My boyfriend is recently on a gf/df diet and I was worried about the coconut milk tasting too much like coconut. He loved it and asked that I make it again soon. That’s a success to me 🙂 thank you!
I’m so thrilled to hear it, Katie! I’m often asked if the coconut flavor shines through so it’s great having someone else’s feedback that you can’t taste it. Much appreciated! xo
made this this evening for me and my sweetheart, high praise :-)… very rich and flavorful. I baked it in the oven instead of doing stove top after adding the chicken to the sauce. I added extra marsala wine, too. I made it gluten and dairy free for us, both. of us need that. Really tasty!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Robyn! I’m so thrilled you both enjoyed the recipe. I also love the idea of baking the chicken in the oven! How brilliant! xo