Healthy Chicken Marsala
If you love saucy chicken you’ll be a big fan of this Healthy Chicken Marsala! Seasoned chicken breasts simmer in a rich mushroom sauce! Serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted broccoli, cauliflower rice, or traditional rice.
One of my go to orders in an Italian restaurant is chicken marsala. I love the rich brown sauce and I’m a sucker for anything with mushrooms. I started working on my own healthier version four years ago when I first began creating recipes for my cookbook, Clean Paleo One-Pot Meals. The version you’ll find in my cookbook includes a side of asparagus since every recipe in there is made in the same pan with a side. I’ve been itching to do a stand alone Healthy Chicken Marsala without a side and finally the day has come!
This Healthy Chicken Marsala is quick, contains no white flour (to coat the chicken or thicken the sauce), and is sautéed in olive or avocado oil. The gravy is beautifully thickened thanks to arrowroot flour and has all the complex flavor you’ve come to expect in a more traditional chicken marsala. I absolutely love the finished dish and am so happy to finally bring it to you here on the blog!
To make this recipe you’ll need (full list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Chicken breasts
- Olive or avocado oil
- Sliced mushrooms
- Garlic
- Chicken stock
- Marsala wine or coconut aminos
- Arrowroot flour
- Seasonings
Coconut aminos vs Marsala wine
Both coconut aminos and Marsala wine work well in this recipe. If you want to stay true to a classic chicken marsala and have Marsala wine on hand I absolutely recommend using it. If you don’t want to purchase a full sized bottle when we only need a little, you can also use a cooking wine (red and Marsala are often options you can find in your grocery store by oil and vinegar).
If you don’t have Marsala wine or if you don’t want to cook with wine (perhaps you’re on a Whole30) you’ll love using coconut aminos instead. I’ve tested this and can confirm that it adds just the sweetness we want! Since I always have coconut aminos in my fridge I personally love this option.
What is coconut aminos?
Coconut aminos is commonly used as a soy sauce substitute. It truly tastes like a slightly sweet soy sauce! And no, it’s not the same as Liquid Aminos. Also no, it doesn’t taste like coconut.
Coconut aminos is gluten-free, vegan, Paleo, Whole30, and low-glycemic. It contains a wide range of minerals including vitamin C and 17 amino acids. It also has as much as 65% to 75% less sodium than soy sauce. (Exactly how much depends on the brand you purchase.)
Learn more about what it is and why it’s so popular in healthy recipes here.
What is arrowroot flour?
Arrowroot flour is a starch extracted from the arrowroot plant and it is a fantastic substitute for cornstarch or regular white flour for thickening. It’s a lot less processed, completely flavorless, and blends into everything. It cannot be used in exactly the same way as other thickeners so be sure to follow recipe instructions so you’re using it correctly. In this recipe (and in many of my recipes) I like to shake it with equal parts cool water to create a slurry. Then I add that into whatever I’m thickening at the end of my cooking time. (Heating it too long can make it lose its ability to thicken.)
Can you use white flour instead of arrowroot flour to thicken the sauce?
Yes. You can substitute all purpose flour for the arrowroot flour and shake it in a jar with equal parts water to create a slurry. Stir the slurry into the sauce. Continue to cook the sauce with the flour slurry in it, stirring often, until it thickens and the raw flour taste is gone. (Please note that all purpose flour thickens sauces as it cooks but arrowroot flour should be added to the warm sauce without continuing to cook it.)
How to store leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to serve this
To best take advantage of every drop of this deliciousness I recommend serving it all over noodles, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted broccoli, cauliflower rice, or traditional rice.
Healthy Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, I like sliced baby portobello mushrooms.
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- â…“ cup marsala wine or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts horizontally. If you're starting with two chicken breasts this will give you four thin cutlets.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet. Heat to medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add cutlets. Season the top of your cutlets with salt and pepper. Sauté until each side has some browning and chicken is mostly cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Once chicken is browned, remove from pan and aside.
- Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add the minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté until garlic is golden, about one minute.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken stock, marsala wine or coconut aminos, thyme, and rosemary. Stir to combine. Add the chicken back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over it. Simmer uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes or until sauce is heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If using coconut aminos instead of marsala wine you may find that it's already salty enough. It's just a matter of preference.)
- To thicken the sauce, turn off heat. In a small container combine arrowroot flour and water. Shake. Pour the mixture into your gravy and stir so it’s thoroughly mixed in. You’ll notice the sauce begins to thicken immediately. Serve the chicken and sauce over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
7 Comments on “Healthy Chicken Marsala”
So yummy! Flavor is great and it’s so light!Â
Thank you, Jessica!
such a great family meal. we all loved it and served it with some green beans.
Thank you, Lauren!
Delicious sauce. Simple weeknight meal.
Will be making again.
And thanks for all the fun memes on your IG stories:)
Hahaha I’m happy you enjoyed the sauce and the memes!! I always have fun finding those! 😉
This is so delicious and I am so happy it worked for all of our food problems! I made it with chicken thighs, coconut aminos, and put it over gluten free egg noodles. It was toddler approved, but too flavorful for my 1 yr old. We will have this in our dinner rotation, thank you for a delicious recipe!