Creamy Crockpot Chicken Marsala Recipe

Sometimes, all you want is a comforting, creamy meal that basically cooks itself — this creamy Crockpot chicken Marsala was made for those days. This slow cooker version of the Italian comfort food classic is a delicious, easy-to-prepare dish that brings the country's flavors to your table with minimal effort.

This recipe combines tender, pan-fried chicken with earthy mushrooms and the rich taste of dry Marsala wine in a creamy sauce with just the right texture. And, it's all cooked in a mostly hands-off manner. According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, slow cooking allows the flavors of the dish to meld beautifully, resulting in a restaurant-quality meal that's made right at home.

With just a few minutes of prep time, this recipe is a godsend for busy families. The slow cooker does most of the work and make the dish perfect for weeknight meals or lazy weekends. Served with the right wine, this Crockpot chicken Marsala recipe is sure to become a favorite in your meal rotation.

To make this dish, you'll want to start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and slice them in half to form thinner cutlets. You'll also need all-purpose flour, for dredging, and olive oil, for cooking. The sauce ingredients include mixed mushrooms, garlic, shallots, Marsala wine, and homemade chicken stock. Fresh thyme and bay leaves add aromatic depth, while heavy cream provides a luxurious finish. And, of course, you'll need salt and freshly ground black pepper to season the dish.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.

Dredge the chicken in the flour on both sides.

Preheat a large cast iron pan with some olive oil over medium heat.

Sear the chicken until golden, about 3–4 minutes per side. Set aside.

Saute the mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in the same pan until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add more olive oil, as needed.

Deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine and cook until reduced by half, about 7 minutes.

Transfer the contents of the pan and the chicken to a slow cooker.

Add the stock, thyme, and bay leaves.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

Remove the chicken, bay leaves, and thyme branches from pot. Discard the herbs.

Whisk the cream into the sauce and cook in the slow cooker on high for 10 minutes.

Return the chicken to the sauce and heat through.

Serve, topped with more thyme, if desired.

There are many spins you can put on this Crockpot chicken Marsala recipe. One significant modification is avoiding cream altogether for a more traditional, lighter sauce. This approach reduces the Marsala wine and stock into a rich, silky texture without added dairy. The key is to simmer the sauce until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

If you're using store-bought stock, adding a few teaspoons of powdered gelatin can help achieve the desired texture and sheen typically provided by homemade stock's natural gelatin content. Alternatively, you can use the flour from dredging the chicken to thicken the sauce naturally as it cooks. Another approach is to replace the cream with mascarpone cheese. It has a creamy texture and a somewhat sweet but cheesy flavor. This will give you a lighter, more cloud-like sauce.

Experiment with different mushroom varieties, such as porcini or shiitake, for a more robust flavor profile. You can also add roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes to make the dish feel a bit more zesty and nuanced. For a gluten-free version, replace the all-purpose flour with cornstarch or a gluten-free flour blend. Avoiding alcohol? Simply substitute the Marsala wine with a mixture of grape juice and a splash of balsamic vinegar to mimic the wine's flavor.

Chicken Marsala, despite its popularity in Italian-American cuisine, has roots that trace back to western Sicily, Italy. The dish's name comes from the Marsala wine used in its preparation, a fortified wine produced in the region surrounding the Sicilian city of Marsala. This wine has been produced since the late 18th century and gained international recognition when English trader John Woodhouse began exporting it in the late 1700s.

Like most classics, the exact origins of the dish itself are open for interpretation, but it's believed to have evolved from Italian recipes using wine in cooking when French chefs became part of the haute Italian cuisine in the 19th century. They brought with them French techniques, including cooking with cream and thickening sauces into roux. Along with the classic Italian technique of making scallopini — thinly pounded, breaded cutlets — they formed the base of this dish. The use of Marsala wine specifically in this preparation became popular in the 19th century.

Chicken Marsala as we know it today gained popularity in the United States during the mid-20th century and became a staple in Italian-American restaurants. Over time, the recipe has continued to evolve, with variations incorporating cream, different types of mushrooms, and various herbs. Our Crockpot version is just another step in this natural culinary metamorphosis.