Dinner at the Zoo

By 61 Comments

Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

Pin110K
Share4K
Tweet
Yum45
112K Shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This slow cooker chicken marsala is tender chicken breasts cooked in a mushroom and marsala wine sauce. It’s a delicious meal option that the whole family is sure to love!

I always used to order chicken marsala at restaurants, but now that I know how to make it in the crock pot, it’s become a dinner time favorite at home too!

Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Recipe | Crock Pot Chicken Marsala | Chicken with Mushrooms | Chicken Marsala Recipe

A slow cooker full of cooked chicken breasts topped with marsala wine and mushroom sauce.

Chicken Marsala is a super popular dish, and for good reason. How can you go wrong with chicken and mushrooms in a savory sauce? Well, I guess if you’re not a mushroom lover, but we love mushrooms at my house! This slow cooker chicken marsala is my take on the classic dish. It’s a great way to get the flavors of this restaurant favorite with minimal work.

How to make slow cooker chicken marsala

The first step in this recipe is to brown your chicken breasts. I understand that some people are looking for “dump and go” crock pot recipes where you just put everything in the slow cooker and walk away. If you really want to skip the browning of the chicken, you can, but it really adds SO much flavor to the end dish so I highly recommend it.

Chicken breasts and mushrooms in a slow cooker are the basis of crock pot chicken marsala.

The chicken goes into the slow cooker along with some mushrooms, chicken broth, garlic and marsala wine. Most grocery stores carry marsala wine, but it’s not always mixed in with the standard red and white wines, so if you don’t see it, ask. My store has their marsala wine in the liquor section instead of the wine area.

The chicken and mushrooms simmer away in the sauce until tender. After the chicken and mushrooms are cooked, I add some corn starch to the slow cooker to help thicken up the sauce.

I also like to add a splash of cream at the end, it really rounds out the sauce and makes it taste so delicious. You can omit the cream if you prefer, or add a little butter for a similar result.

Slow cooker chicken marsala served over mashed potatoes.

I serve my slow cooker chicken marsala over mashed potatoes, but rice or orzo would also be nice choices. My family loves this version of chicken marsala just as much as the kind we get at restaurants, and I love how easy it is to make!

 

More easy chicken recipes

A slow cooker full of cooked chicken breasts topped with marsala wine and mushroom sauce.
4.83 from 17 votes
Print

Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

This slow cooker chicken marsala is tender chicken breasts cooked in a mushroom and marsala wine sauce. It's a delicious meal option that the whole family is sure to love!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword chicken marsala, slow cooker chicken marsala
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 242 kcal
Author Dinner at the Zoo

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup marsala wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.

  2. Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

  3. Place the chicken breasts, garlic, wine, chicken broth and mushrooms in the slow cooker.

  4. Cook on LOW for 5 hours.

  5. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Whisk together the cornstarch with 1/3 cup cold water. Pour the cornstarch into the slow cooker and stir to combine.

  6. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker, turn the heat to HIGH and cook for 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened.

  7. Stir in the heavy cream and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Recipe Notes

  1. If you're really pressed for time, you can skip browning the chicken breasts, but I highly recommend taking the time to brown them!
  2. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts if you prefer.
  3. Adapted from Creme de la Crumb
  4. Stove top instructions: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the marsala wine and chicken broth to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch that's been mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water. Simmer until just thickened. Stir in the cream and simmer for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala
Amount Per Serving
Calories 242 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 85mg 28%
Sodium 210mg 9%
Potassium 535mg 15%
Total Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Sugars 2g
Protein 25g 50%
Vitamin A 3.6%
Vitamin C 3.9%
Calcium 1.2%
Iron 3.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Pin110K
Share4K
Tweet
Yum45
112K Shares

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

Comments

  1. I love crock pot recipes – especially on busy weeknights. This recipe sounds like it would go over big with my kids.

    Reply

  2. My family loves Chicken Marsala. I always make it on the stove top, but I’m in love with the idea of making it in the slow cooker. I’ll be trying this recipe soon. I know it will be a family favorite.

    Reply

  3. I need to get more creative with my crock pot because this dish right here is making me hungry. I’ve never even heard of this which tells you how boring meal time is around here.

    Reply

  7. Chicken marsala is one of my fave dishes of all time. I love the idea of using the slow cooker. Throwing a bunch of stuff in the slow cooker and coming back a few hours later to a delicious dinner is my idea of a smart move!!

    Reply

  11. This recipe would save me so much time with my meal prep. I could throw everything in the crockpot while I’m chopping other veggies and prepping lunch. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it.

    Reply

  16. Looks like a really delicious dish to try soon. I am happy to have come across a slow cooker version. That would help me get more free time! 🙂

    Reply

  17. I love the idea of browning the chicken first before dumping into the slow cooker. I will be trying this recipe I just need to get some masala wine which I didnt even know was a thing

    Reply

  18. This looks delicious! But browning chicken first and only cooking 5 hours in the crockpot means it’s not very weeknight feasible for me. Can you recommend oven time instead? If not, no biggie. This will just have to be a weekend meal instead. Thanks!

    Reply

  20. Tried this tonight with bonless chicken thighs. Flavors are good, but my chicken was so tender they were falling apart. Something different—LOL! Not your typical chicken marsala presentation.

    Reply

  21. This was delish!!! My family loved it! Super easy. I did not brown the chicken. I didnt even thaw the chicken. The flavors were phenomenal. Plus a slow cooker recipe…..my absolute favorite. Thank you

    Reply

  23. This turned out fabulous, great flavour and it was loved by both kids, husband and mother! Which I might add is no easy task around here. Loved it! Nice to use thighs though because breasts can become a bit dry. Thank you!

    Reply

  24. Note to self – use thighs or frozen bagged chicken breasts next time as fresh chicken breasts turned out dry??? Also, more Marsala and a few more mushrooms could be added. Sauce was a hit.

    Reply

    • Agreed on the Marsala wine-it was good dish, but did t have that real taste of the classic Marsala that I love. I browned the chicken-maybe brown it along w the garlic and mushrooms to give more flavor? I was so excited to make for
      my boyfriend, and although he liked it, I was a little disappointed. Any other suggestions?

      Reply

      • I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but pain on adding basil and marjoram to the sauce because that is what my favorite stovetop recipe calls for!

        Reply

      • Ditch the slow cooker and the garlic for the real chicken marsala!
        The real chicken Marsala must be cooked in a sauté pan.
        Flour thin slices of chicken breast, preheat olive oil in the sauté pan, add the chicken and cook to golden brown on both sides ,add mushrooms(I prefer portabellini) and chopped shallots(not garlic) place the chicken on top of them, continue cooking at medium heat till shallots are golden brown, now cut a stick of butter in six squares, deep butter in flour( one square per each piece of chicken) add to the pan with half cup (per two pieces of chicken) of real Marsala wine( not cooking Marsala wine that you find at the grocery store) at the same time and simmer till the liquids become like gravy, slightly thick.
        Enjoy.
        Buon appetito, Antonio Di Salvo

        Reply

    • It depends on what heat setting you’re using on your crock pot. Things typically cook on high heat in half the time than they would cook on low heat. Also, some crock pots run hotter than others, which is why there’s a range of like 5-6 hours. If you check it at 5 hours and everything looks done then you’re good to go!

      Reply

  29. When reviewing recipes I always look for comments of those who tried the recipe to get their opinion of how it turned out. Of all the comments listed only four actually made the recipe!!! Most things look delicious but did it taste as good as it looks???? Very frustrating!

    Reply

  31. I tried this recipe and it was very good. When i make it again I will make some slight changes, however. First, I agree with another reviewer that it could use a bit more liquid, especially the marsala. After the cooking process it had no marsala flavor at all so I added a tablespoon or more – just enough to taste – and it was perfect. I did use the heavy cream but only used about half of what the recipe called for. The sauce/gravy was great and VERY good with mashed potatoes. Next time I think I will go to 3/4 cup of both the chicken broth and the marsala.
    The recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of mushrooms but that didn’t seem like enough for the amount of chicken so I doubled it to 3 cups and it worked out well.
    About seasoning, I thought I was pretty heavy-handed with the salt but it seemed to just beg for more. I seasoned the chicken up front and the sauce at the end as suggested but it still wasn’t enough – for me – and I added more at the dinner table. We had neighbors over to eat and one of them also reached for the salt. Other than these few minor adjustments, it was a very good recipe.

    Reply

  32. Made this for dinner last night. Was not enough liquid. I would double up on the liquid.
    The spices were missing flavor. Need to play with the flavor more next time. More salt definitely. But still missing something. Perhaps more garlic.

    Reply

  34. This looks delicious! How much of the alcohol taste will remain when done cooking? (I don’t like the taste of it, lol)

    Thank you!

    Reply

  35. I tried this recipe last night and it was awesome!! Everyone loved it and already getting requests for it again. I like dishes with more sauce so I had doubled it up from the beginning so it worked out great! Plus worked as a great gravy for my mashed potatoes. There were some complaints not enough salt but I didn’t mind. All in all I will definitely be making this again!

    Reply

  36. I have made it he chicken Marsala 3 x this month and everyone who has eaten it raves about it! I have added just a 1/4 cup of he liquid for a little more sauce. I love the little bit of cream at the end. My cooker on low cooks and is ready at least 1/2 hour earlier. The cream is really nice at the end.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pin110K
Share4K
Tweet
Yum45
112K Shares