Dairy-Free Chicken Marsala (Printable Version)
Tender chicken in rich Marsala wine and mushroom sauce, made dairy-free in one pan.
# Ingredient List:
→ Poultry
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
→ Dredging Mixture
02 - ½ cup all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
03 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Vegetables
05 - 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Liquids
07 - ¾ cup dry Marsala wine
08 - ¾ cup chicken broth (dairy-free verified)
→ Fats
09 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
→ Garnishes
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
# How to Make:
01 - Place chicken breasts between sheets of parchment paper and gently pound to an even ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
02 - In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast lightly in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
03 - Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
04 - Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Sauté the sliced mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes until deeply browned. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
05 - Pour in the Marsala wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the liquid reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Add the chicken broth to the skillet and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the liquid to reduce slightly.
07 - Return the seared chicken to the skillet, spooning the mushroom sauce over the top. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the chicken is heated through and the sauce has thickened to a glossy coating consistency.
08 - Sprinkle generously with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately while hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Olive oil does heavy lifting here, creating a silky sauce that never misses the butter.
- Everything happens in one skillet, which means dinner is on the table in forty minutes with barely any cleanup.
- The Marsala reduction gives you that restaurant quality richness without a single specialty ingredient.
02 -
- Do not move the mushrooms around constantly in the pan, because they need dry contact with the hot surface to brown instead of steaming.
- The flour left behind in the skillet from dredging the chicken actually helps thicken the sauce, so resist the urge to wipe the pan clean between steps.
03 -
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice stirred in at the very end wakes up every flavor in the pan and adds brightness that salt alone cannot achieve.
- Letting the chicken rest on its plate for a few minutes before returning it to the skillet allows the juices to redistribute so they do not run out into your sauce.