This easy Chicken Marsala recipe is made in the Instant Pot and is one of the best meals.  Perfectly tender chicken thighs with cremini mushrooms cooked in a sweet marsala wine mixture and served with pasta or mashed potatoes.

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Make my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Spaghetti, or Instant Pot Short Ribs!

Instant Pot Chicken Marsala served on a plate.

I’m not lying when I say this could be my FAVORITE dish to make in the Instant Pot. (And if you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make it really easily on the stove. Read on 🙂 .) And if you need help, let me teach you how to use your instant pot! The sauce is creamy with the best flavors from the mushrooms and marsala wine and the chicken cooks perfectly in the instant pot.

This is the type of meal I would happily serve to dinner guests, and it’s just a bonus that’s it’s so simple to make.

What is chicken marsala?

Chicken marsala is an American-Italian dish made with chicken, mushrooms, and sweet marsala wine.  It makes for a fast and easy weeknight meal but it’s fancy enough for a special occasion.

How to make Chicken Marsala:

Lightly coat the chicken pieces in salt, pepper, and flour. Put a little oil in your instant pot and turn it to SAUTE. Brown chicken on both sides for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and sauté the mushrooms, onions, and garlic.

Chicken thighs seared in an instant pot next to a photo of mushrooms and onions sautéing in the pan.

Add chicken broth and chicken thighs back to the instant pot.  Cook on the POULTRY setting for 10 minutes with a 12 minute natural release.

When the chicken is finished cooking in the instant pot, remove it to a plate and add the marsala wine to the instant pot.  Sauté for a few minutes, add the cream, and you have created your yummy chicken marsala sauce.

Two process photos of chicken marsala cooking in an instant pot.

Serve the chicken and sauce over noodles or mashed potatoes!

Which marsala wine is best for chicken marsala?

This chicken marsala sauce is made up of chicken broth, onions, garlic, mushrooms, green onions, marsala wine, and heavy cream.  You can find real marsala wine in the wine section of the grocery store, or you can buy cooking marsala wine that is usually found in the baking isle.  I used the cooking wine because it’s a little less potent and I knew my kids would like it better.  But you can use the real deal as well!

Substitutions for marsala wine:

Marsala wine has a unique flavor, and given that it is the star of this dish, any substitutions won’t taste quite the same.  If you’re concerned about adding alcohol to this dish just know that the alcohol gets burned of as it boils, in step 7.

I’ve read that the following substitutes can be used for marsala wine (but I haven’t tried them myself):

  • ¼ cup of white grape juice + 1 tablespoon vanilla extract + 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar1
  • ⅓ cup grape juice with a teaspoon of brandy
  • dry sherry
Overhead photo of chicken marsala served on a plate.

Recipe Variations:

  • Stove Top: Use the same method but brown the chicken in a skillet until completely cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate while you make the sauce in the skillet. Add a little oil to the skillet and cook the mushrooms, green onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the marsala wine and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cream and cook for a few more minutes, until thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken, to serve.
  • Chicken Breasts: I HIGHLY recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe because they cook so much better in the instant pot than chicken breasts do. If you must use chicken breasts, you can. Cook time is the same.

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala:

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Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Marsala served on a plate.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 55 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 4 large skinless chicken thighs (About 3 pounds), bone in or boneless
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour , for dredging
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil , separated
  • 8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms , thickly sliced
  • 3 green onions , chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup sweet Marsala wine
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions
 

  • Select SAUTE on the Instant Pot, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the instant pot.
  • Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, and dredge them in flour.  Add chicken thighs to the hot oil and cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
  • Remove the chicken thighs to a plate. Add the last tablespoon of olive oil to the instant pot along with the mushrooms, green onions, and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes and then press CANCEL.
  • Add the chicken broth to pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken thighs on top. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to “sealing”. 
  • Cook on Manual/Pressure setting and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. When the timer beeps, allow the pressure to naturally release for 12 minutes, before opening the lid.
  • Press cancel and remove the thighs to a plate. Cover them with tinfoil to keep warm. 
  • Turn instant pot to SAUTE setting and add the marsala wine to the mushroom mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
  •  Stir in the heavy whipping cream and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the mixture is slightly thickened. 
  • Spoon the sauce over chicken. Serve warm with mashed potatoes or egg noodles

Notes

Stove Top: Use the same method but brown the chicken in a skillet until completely cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate while you make the sauce in the skillet. Add a little oil to the skillet and cook the mushrooms, green onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the marsala wine and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cream and cook for a few more minutes, until thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken, to serve.
Chicken Breasts: I HIGHLY recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe because they cook so much better in the instant pot than chicken breasts do. If you must use chicken breasts, you can. Cook time is the same.
 
*Recipe adapted from Instant Pot Miracle Cookbook

Nutrition

Calories: 365kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 27gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 125mgPotassium: 575mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 188IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 2mg

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I originally shared this recipe August 2018. Updated February 2022.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I used 1/2 and 1/2 instead and did the sauce on the stove because that’s my jam. I’m the sauce maker. But this was amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe I’ve been missing Marsala like crazy!

  2. 5 stars
    I made this tonight, delicious! I doubled the recipe, so I did the mushroom in the instant pot and browned the chicken on the stove, then added the chicken to the instant pot. After it was done cooking, I put the chicken back on the stove so it could all be in one layer. I added the liquid and mushrooms from the instant pot, let it reduce, and then added the cream. So good!

  3. 2 stars
    This was the BEST tasting chicken Marsala I ever made! Really!! I will never make Marsala on the stovetop ever again!
    The only thing I changed was adding chopped yellow onions because I didn’t have green onions. I am writing out this entire recipe to put in my recipe book to keep!! Thank you!!

  4. 5 stars
    This was INCREDIBLE! I was truly amazed. My husband and I agreed that is was better than restaurant quality. Thank you!

  5. 2 stars
    The chicken came out very tender and moist but the sauce was extremely bland. It needed herbs, more salt and pepper. It needed something!!

  6. I made this last night and my VERY PICKY 14-year-old daughter said, “This is the best chicken you have ever made – what the heck?” As if I have been holding out on her for the past 14 years. Thanks for the recipe and opportunity to impress a teenager!

  7. 1 star
    Followed it exactly and was totally disappointed. Chicken was tender but the sauce wasn’t bland at best. Definitely won’t do this in the instant pot again.

  8. So delicious with our homegrown chicken! Took the suggestion for 1/2 c of marsala/cream and had some oyster mushrooms on hand with a few button type. Served with lightly seasoned risotto, accompanied by wilted spinach& beet salad. Amazing gourmet meal at home!

  9. 5 stars
    Hi Lauren, Liz’s friend/old prof here. I have made this recipe so many times and love the tender chicken and absolutely delicious sauce. It’s a fave! Hope you are doing well.

    1. Hi Carol, I’ve heard so many great things about you :). Thanks for commenting and supporting TBFS!

  10. 1 star
    This was NOT for me and I love Chicken Marsala. I did not like the chicken thighs at all. I used boneless, skinless thighs and trimmed fat from them before cooking. The dish was oily.
    I know others have said the thighs were better, but next time I will use breasts that I pound even thinner.

    The sauce was just ok, it didn’t have that Marsala flavor. This dish may need more time to marry the flavors and may be one that lends itself better to stovetop instead of the InstantPot

  11. 2 stars
    Easy to follow recipe but BLAND. My family didn’t like this at all. We felt it lacked flavor. No one even finished it. Mind you I’ve got two hungry guys in my house who are big eaters and always want 2nds. They didn’t eat it. Definitely one for the No pile.

  12. 5 stars
    I’ve tried many Marsala recipes, but this is by far my favorite! I agree, thighs turn out better than breasts.
    When making the gravy, I use some Kitchen Bouquet to brown it up a little and add flavor.

  13. This was great. Everyone loved it. Usually I have leftovers for lunch the next day but there was nothing left. I will be making it again soon.

  14. 5 stars
    So so easy! And, wow… delicious. I followed a few others’ suggestions and did 1/2 c of both marsala and cream. I also added in about 3 tbs of italian seasoning to the flour. Pretty much one of my fave IP recipes!!

    1. i added Potatoes as i sliced up some small yukon potatoes 4 ways and put them with the mushrooms and onions and came out fantastic.

  15. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I subbed out coconut milk since my son is trying to avoid dairy and it came out great. I should have read the recipe more carefully – it took longer to cook than I’d anticipated (Instant Pot does not always equal quick!) But it is a great recipe and I will be adding it to my rotation for nights when I’m not in a hurry!

      1. As punny as it will sound: That’s what she said. Sub “out” meaning used it INSTEAD of the indicated dairy Heavy Cream.

  16. 5 stars
    Delicious- it does take more oil, but the flavor is fantastic. Also, I threw in some little gold wax potatoes on top of the chicken then cooked as directed instead of making mashed potatoes or cooking noodles. They came out perfectly and were delicious with the gravy.

  17. 5 stars
    OMG I’ve made so many versions of Chicken Marsala in the past & this one is BY FAR the BEST! We could not stop eating – I even made a gluten free version, & still turned out delish!! thanks for the recipe!

  18. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! Made homemade mashed potatoes- with the chicken and mushroom gravy-it was scrumptious! Followed the recipe exactly as written!

  19. 5 stars
    This is the best chicken Marsala I have ever made!! Chicken turns out so tender in the instant pot. Thanks for the recipe!

  20. 4 stars
    I thought this recipe was delicious. The sauce is amazing but there’s not enough of it when sticking to the original recipe! I plan to try this again tonight, but increase the ingredients to make more sauce. Hopefully it will work!

  21. 5 stars
    Great recipe! Yes it takes more oil than called for and I use more wine also but a good easy recipe to start with and modify slightly to suit personal taste

  22. This sounds great and I’m going to try it tonight. On the Marsala wine vs. cooking wine, one point to keep in mind, and if you don’t have to deal with the tastes of picky children (who hasn’t been down that road!), is that cooking wine of any type is loaded with salt. For those of us who have to watch sodium intake, e.g. high blood pressure, heart concerns, real Marsala wine is probably the better choice.

    1. Don’t use wine at all if you have picky eaters. Substitute chicken broth. Should turn out great without the grownup Marsala taste.

      1. Then why do it at all? Chicken MARSALA, not Chicken BROTH, YUK!! If you get the right Marsala wine and not the sodium loaded cooking crap, the kids will never know the difference. Glad I’m not eating this if you made it the way you wrote it, YUK

  23. 4 stars
    The sauce and mushrooms were very good, but I didn’t follow directions as well as I should have. I seasoned the flour I dredged in, but not the meat itself, so the chicken was a little bland, but deliciously moist and tender. The inner pot of my pressure cooker (an off-brand) is raised in the center and troughed around the edge so that the oil ran off to the sides and I did not get as nice of a sear as I’d like. I will season and sear my meat on the stove before putting it in the pressure cooker next time. I’m a pressure cooking novice, but love the speed and quality of it!

  24. 4 stars
    This is yummy, but I’ve made several modifications. I’ve added more salt, Italian spices, more scallions, and it definitely takes more oil than this shows. I also find that it needs a thickener. I use arrowroot, and add as needed at the end. It is one of my favorite chicken recipes for the instant pot. I choose to put it on quinoa.

  25. 5 stars
    I made exactly as the recipe stated came out perfect and delicious!!! Will definitely make again.

  26. 5 stars
    Made this for the second time tonight…. again soooo delicious. I don’t measure really but overdo the liquids a little bit because I throw my pasta into the sauce as it boils at the end to cook it. The starch thickens the sauce and I can’t get enough of it!

  27. I made this twice already and my family loves it. Thank you for this recipe. Can’t wait to try other recipes

  28. A little tweak you can do if you don’t have cream is to add some cream cheese instead. It makes it so rich and creamy. I add a tablespoon of dijon mustard as well to cut a little of the richness. I use sliced chicken breasts tossed with pasta and all mixed together.

    1. I am allergic to dairy and instead of using whipping cream, I used Toffuti vegan cream cheese, and it turned out fantastic!

  29. Chicken is cooked perfectly. Just not a lot of flavor. the chicken was bland the mushrooms were flavorful… the sauce not so much… didn’t make enough sauce.

  30. 4 stars
    Made it tonight. The thighs were tender, and the mushrooms, yum! Next time, I’ll note that it took more oil than stated here, and for us, it needed more salt, oil to cook the chicken, and wine. I’d also add an herb like basil. We had it over quinoa. Thanks for posting this!

  31. I am going to try this tonight….I always make it on the stove….but I have a brand new kitchen and I am obsessive about the stove and keeping it looking like new…I find that is my motivation for using the Instant Pot. I will use boneless/skinless chicken breasts but will probably cut them in half again to make them thigh size….I normally slice the chicken thin for the stove top.

  32. 5 stars
    I just made this tonight — OMGOSH it was soooo good — I made extra so that I could have some for work tomorrow. Except it was so good the kids fought over who got 2nds and needless to say I need to figure out something else for lunch. Even my 9 year old picky eater was fighting for 2nds!!!! Awesome meal — I used chicken breasts instead of thighs, didn’t dredge them, and forgot to buy mushrooms — but hey it was still a hit and really that’s all that matters. The sauce wasn’t as thick as I’d like but still super yummy!!!!

  33. Is it terrible to make this with chicken breast in the IP? We don’t eat thighs. Any adjustments need to be made? Thank you!

  34. Does not get any easier for a delicious dish than this! Used evaporated milk for the cream. Added marsala and milk at same time. Thickened nicely. Just two of us, so leftovers with mashed potatoes another night.

  35. 5 stars
    Thanks for sharing your recipe, it was delicious! I used half and half instead of heavy cream and added cornstarch to help thicken it. I’ll definitely make it again!

  36. This was really very good and so easy! I live on a boat, so the Instant Pot is a Godsend. I always add 1 tablespoon of either dark soy or worcestershire sauce to IP sauces and stews. I added dark soy to this with the chicken broth. You don’t taste it, but it and worcesterhire just kick the depth of flavor up a notch in an IP.

    Keep those IP recipes coming! Thanks.

  37. 5 stars
    Great recipe Lauren. It was so good we made it again a week later. I did use a corn starch slurry to thicken sleightly at the end. This was our first time using our instant pot. If all meals go this well, the instant pot may turn into my new favorite toy.

  38. Just joined Taste Better From Scratch and so looking forward to your recipes! Can a crock pot be used for your Chicken Marsala recipe? I don’t have an IP?

    1. Sure! Add everything except the cream in the slow cooker for 5-6 hours. Then add the cream at the end, and even a little cornstarch slurry, to help thicken the sauce. Cook for 20-30 minutes on high for the sauce to thicken.

  39. I have an Ultra Instant Pot. The sauce button/selection if have an ultra pot continuously turned off. This was a HUGELY frustrating. Is there a way to put in the recipe “how long” to set the sauce selection for??? Beyond this, all seemingly appears to be easy to follow.

  40. 5 stars
    Made this tonight for supper and it was soooooo good! Thank you!!! As I made noodles to go with it I did increase the sauce a bit by using the pasta water and a little corn starch slurry. My husband said it was great and he doesn’t typically like anything new on the menu. ?

  41. 4 stars
    Thanks for this recipe! I don’t have an Instant Pot, but instead I use a stove top pressure cooker. How could I translate the 10 minutes on the poultry setting to my very basic pressure cooker? It just has a level 1 and level 2 (high) pressure options. I was thinking maybe less time on high pressure as level 2 is what the pressure cooker’s instruction manual seems to recommend for meat.

  42. I made this tonight it was so delicious!! I shredded the chicken thighs then put it back in the sauce. So awesome will definitely be making this again!!

  43. 5 stars
    Great flavor, excellent recipe! I doubled this recipe and made it exactly as the recipe stated – the sauce was a little on the runny side- did not thicken up – next time I will add some corn starch. Will definitely be making this again – my husband and three kids loved it. Two of our kids even THANKED me for making this recipe and surprise my picky eater LOVED it.

    1. Glad your family loved it. Thanks for trying the recipe, hope you get to try more of my insta-pot recipes soon.

    2. 5 stars
      i just made this, hubby ate two plates and is not a huge mushroom fan! if you put the lid on after all steps for 5-10 mins at least, the sauce thickens nicely!!

    3. I also felt like the sauce wasn’t quite thick enough but I used frozen chicken thighs and I really don’t measure anything. I threw a half a pound of pasta into the pot with the boiling liquids at the end when I added the wine (and def used more wine than 1/3rd cup) and the starch thickened it right up… Plus saved me another pot to make pasta in! So delicious. Thank you!

  44. Does the sauce freeze well? I’m thinking of making the sauce ahead and freezing it – so when I’m ready to pull out my frozen chicken – I just put the frozen chicken in the IP, cook it up fresh and heat up the sauce. I’m trying to cook up as many dishes as possible to make this first month back to school as stress free as possible.

  45. Hi, I’ve got a couple of your recipes on my list of dinners for this week. Do you use a 6 qt or an 8 qt IP? I have an 8 qt and understand that sometimes adjustments need to made to recipes according to the size IP being used.

    1. Sure, you may just want to add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken up the sauce slightly (like 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cornstarch + 1 teaspoon of water, mixed together).

      1. Excellent! Best recipe so far, I used chicken breast cut into thigh size pieces. Delish! Served over Costco brown rice and quinoa 90 sec microwave blend.

    1. I’ve listed a few substitution ideas in the post, under the heading “substitutions for marsala wine” 🙂 . Enjoy.

    2. 4 stars
      Hi, if you are concerned about the alcohol content, this method allows the alcohol to evaporate before serving. It won’t be Chicken Marsala if you leave the Marsala out ?. If you put the Marsala in during the pressure cooking phase the alcohol stays in. I believe I will try it that way next time as the Marsala didn’t seem intense enough for the dish the current way. Keep cooking with flare??‍?.

  46. 5 stars
    Umm…yes please! This is one of my all time favorites, but I never would have thought to make it in the IP. Game changer! It was so easy and it turned out delicious! The sauce was so flavorful and the chicken was cooked perfectly. I love you site, keep up the good work! 🙂