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!

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 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.

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.

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