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Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala (dairy-free)

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!

Stainless steel skillet with gluten-free dairy-free Chicken Marsala. A napkin to the side. Ready to serve.

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.

Blue plate of gluten-free chicken marsala with white rice to the side.

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.

Chicken Marsala in a skillet with creamy mushroom sauce, ready to serve.

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 ⅔ 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.

Gluten-free chicken marsala on a blue plate with white rice. Fresh herbs to the side.

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.

Blue plate with chicken marsala and rice on top and fresh herbs to the side, ready to serve.

And that’s it!

An easy weeknight meal for those times you’re craving a delicious Italian dish.

Blue plate of gluten-free chicken marsala with white rice to the side.

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala made dairy-free and gluten-free
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
4 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

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

*You can use regular all-purpose flour if you aren't gluten-free.
**If you aren't dairy-free, use 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and 2 tablespoons of ghee or butter.
***Replace tapioca flour with arrowroot flour or gluten-free flour if you'd like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 4Calories: 439kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 43gFat: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 2g
Course: Chicken Main Dishes
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: baked chicken, coconut milk, dairy free, gluten free
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 439kcal
Author: Julia

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chicken Marsala with creamy garlic mushroom sauce - a delicious Italian classic made gluten-free, dairy-free, and easy for a weeknight meal!

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Recipe Rating




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robyn

Wednesday 6th of March 2024

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!

Julia

Thursday 7th of March 2024

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

Katie

Saturday 10th of February 2024

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!

Julia

Sunday 11th of February 2024

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

MLL

Saturday 25th of November 2023

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

Julia

Monday 27th of November 2023

Hi there! I would saute the onion at the very beginning to give it time to soften up :)

Hope

Tuesday 24th of October 2023

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!

Julia

Wednesday 25th of October 2023

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

DL

Tuesday 5th of September 2023

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.

Julia

Thursday 7th of September 2023

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! This is super helpful to others who want to try the recipe :)

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