Crock Pot Chicken Marsala with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Crock Pot Chicken Marsala

Whole chicken breasts cook with sliced mushrooms, garlic, and dry Marsala, then finish in a glossy, lightly creamy sauce. The main method needs no skillet. Because a covered slow cooker holds onto moisture, the sauce is thickened after the chicken cooks. Remove each breast as soon as it reaches temperature, then return it gently to the finished sauce so it stays intact.

Ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken Marsala

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds total (900g)
• 8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced (225g)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (15g)
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Use a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker wide enough to hold the breasts in a fairly even layer. Slight overlap is fine, but avoid stacking them deeply.

How to Make Crock Pot Chicken Marsala

1. Season the chicken: Pat the breasts dry and season with the salt and pepper. Leave them whole and unbreaded.
2. Fill the slow cooker: Arrange the chicken in the cooker. Scatter the mushrooms and garlic over and around it, then pour in the Marsala and broth. Cover.
3. Cook the chicken: Cook on LOW for about 3 to 5 hours or on HIGH for about 2 to 3 hours. Start checking the thickest breast after about 3 hours on LOW or 2 hours on HIGH; check sooner if the breasts are unusually thin or the cooker runs hot. Remove each breast when its thickest part reaches 165°F (75°C). It should be tender but still intact.
4. Mix the sauce: Carefully transfer the cooked breasts to a plate and set the cooker to HIGH. Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water until smooth, then stir the slurry and cream into the hot cooking liquid. Leave the mushrooms in the sauce.
5. Thicken: Cover and cook on HIGH for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once if needed, until the sauce is glossy and coats a spoon. If it remains thin, transfer the sauce and mushrooms to a saucepan and simmer gently, stirring until thickened.
6. Finish: Gently return the whole breasts to the cooker. Spoon the sauce and mushrooms over them and scatter the parsley on top. Use WARM only if holding the dish briefly.

Choosing Marsala Wine

Dry Marsala gives the mushroom sauce its savory wine flavor. Sweet Marsala will taste noticeably different. Dry Madeira or sherry can work as a wine-based fallback, but neither will taste the same; replacing the wine entirely with broth makes a mushroom chicken sauce rather than Chicken Marsala.

How Thick Should the Sauce Be?

The cooking liquid will look loose when the chicken comes out because it has spent hours under a lid. Whisking the cornstarch with cold water before adding it prevents lumps. Heat the sauce until it still flows easily but clings to a spoon and the chicken; it will thicken a little more as it stands. Removing the breasts first gives the sauce time to reach that consistency without overcooking the chicken.

Chicken Timing and an Optional Sear

Breast thickness and slow-cooker speed affect the cooking time, so use the thermometer rather than waiting for the end of the range. Thin cutlets need earlier checks than the whole breasts used here.

For more browned flavor, briefly brown the seasoned breasts in a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil before adding them to the slow cooker. Searing is optional; still check the chicken for doneness during slow cooking. For a dish made entirely in a skillet, try Creamy Chicken Marsala with Browned Mushrooms.

Serving and Leftovers

Present the finished whole breasts in the open slow cooker, with mushrooms and sauce spooned over them. Serve individual portions with pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes to catch the sauce.

Refrigerate the chicken and sauce together in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet or saucepan over low heat until hot throughout, stirring the sauce and turning the breasts carefully. Add a small splash of broth if the chilled sauce is too thick. Freezing is not a dependable make-ahead option because the finished creamy sauce may change texture.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 4 servings: 400 calories, 54g protein, 12g fat, and 11g carbohydrates. Approximate values per 100g of finished dish: 105 calories, 14g protein, 3g fat, and 3g carbohydrates. Values vary with chicken breast size, the wine used, and the final amount of sauce.