This Instant Pot Chicken Marsala is made with juicy chicken cutlets that are cooked in a mushroom and Marsala wine sauce. This flavorful dish comes together in your pressure cooker in less than 30 minutes!
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Why You'll Love This Dish
If you have never had Chicken Marsala in your life, you are missing out. This Italian-American dish is easy to make and packed with flavor! I browned the chicken first, then made the sauce base and pressure-cooked everything together. Lastly, I thickened the sauce and served this delicious dish with pasta or mashed potatoes.
You can use chicken breast, boneless thighs, or bone-in skin-on chicken thighs to make this. I think even pork cutlets will work! It's the sauce that makes the dish. The sweet and nutty Marsala wine, which tastes like dried fruit and brown sugar, has a deep flavor that complements the mushrooms so well. The chicken is infused with all of the flavors during pressure cooking. The results are outstanding!
Quick chicken meals are my favorite to make in the pressure cooker. We love the Sweet Garlic Chicken and my Instant Pot Chicken Thighs.
If you want to make an easy dish but one that is impressive, try this recipe. You will love it!
Ingredients:
- chicken breasts - I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and sliced each lengthwise to make cutlets.
- mushrooms - For this dish, I prefer baby Bella mushrooms.
- Marsala wine - This wine gives the dish that signature flavor. You can find it in the grocery store, next to cooking wine and vinegar. I used the Holland House brand and it was great!
- chicken stock - Necessary for deglazing the pot and it's the liquid that will allow the Instant Pot to build up pressure. You can use water as well.
- onion and garlic - The veggies add more flavor to the sauce.
- flour - I used it to dredge the chicken just before browning. It creates a beautiful brown color and gives it a nice texture. You can skip it to keep the dish gluten-free.
- cornstarch - Mixed with water, this ingredient will allow us to make a delicious sauce with all of the liquid leftover from cooking the chicken.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Marsala?
- Cut each chicken breast lengthwise into two cutlets, season with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour.
- Brown in olive oil, right in your Instant Pot. Remove onto a plate.
- Add garlic, onion, and mushrooms to your Instant Pot and saute until fragrant.
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- Add chicken stock and Marsala wine to the veggies in your pressure cooker.
- Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and set the timer to 7 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is done, remove the chicken cutlets onto a plate and thicken the sauce by adding cornstarch mixed with water.
What to serve with this dish?
This dish can be served over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes. We enjoyed it with mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli. Crusty bread pieces help soak up every last drop of the delicious sauce.
Marsala wine substitutes:
Marsala wine has a distinct flavor and I highly recommend using it in this dish. You can find it next to cooking wines and vinegar in your grocery store. Some cooks recommend the following substitutes:
- dry sherry
- grape juice with a little bit of brandy
- dry white wine with brandy.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! You can use boneless chicken thighs and keep the cooking time the same or use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and increase the time to 12 minutes.
Both actually! This sweet wine can be sipped on and used in cooking, to make a delicious sauce like we did in the dish above.
Absolutely! Add ½ cup of heavy cream to the simmering sauce and stirring often, cook until creamy and thickened.
More Instant Pot Dinner Recipes:
To learn more about the Instant Pot, check out my Guide for Beginners. If you experienced the “burn” message while using your IP, check out my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn how to fix the issue and prevent it in the first place.
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
for the chicken:
- 2 medium chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
for the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 8 oz. white or baby Bella mushrooms
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Make sure that your stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot. Press "saute" setting and wait 2 minutes.
- Add oil and butter to your Instant Pot and let it melt.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Cut each chicken breast lengthwise, to make two cutlets. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.2 medium chicken breasts, ¼ cup flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Brown each chicken cutlet on each side. Remove onto a plate.
- Add more butter to the Instant Pot. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 3 garlic cloves, ½ cup chopped onion, 8 oz. white or baby Bella mushrooms
- Press "cancel/off" button. Add chicken stock and wine to vegetables. Stir well.½ cup chicken stock, ½ cup Marsala wine
- Place chicken in the sauce. Close the lid, set valve to "sealing" positions (the newer IP models do it on their own).
- Make sure the IP is set to cook at HIGH pressure. Set timer to 7 minutes.
- The IP will beep and it will start coming to pressure. That can take about 5 minutes.
- Once the timer is done, press "cancel/off" button and let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally.
- Once the pressure pin drops, carefully open the lid away from your face.
- Remove the chicken and set on a plate.
- Mix cornstarch with water and add to the sauce. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- Serve chicken with sauce over mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, rice or noodles.
Notes
- You can use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs to make this dish. Increase cooking time to 12 minutes.
- For boneless chicken thighs, the cooking time stays the same.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Ana Bautista says
Came out sooo good!!! I doubled up the recipe since I was cooking for a family of 5. My kids and I loved it! Will be making again.
Anna says
That's absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much, Ana!
Dave says
Hello.. On Step 4 it states, "Brown each chicken cutlet on each side. Remove onto a plate." How long do you brown the chicken breasts in the Instant Pot for this step? Thanks!!!
Anna says
Hi Dave! Just long enough to get that golden color on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes. See my step photos for reference. Hope this helps!
Liz says
Hi,
Do you add the browned cutlets that were set aside back into the pot when you add the chicken stock and wine to the veggies in the IP?
Anna says
Hi Liz! See step 7 in the recipe box.
Cindy says
What if I wanted to add fresh broccoli to this? When would I put it in?
The Future Mrs. Shipman says
I've not made this particular recipe, but I've made dishes similar in the Instant Pot and if I were to add fresh broccoli, I'd add it after the chicken is removed from the sauce, use the saute function to bring the sauce to a boil, let it cook to just under how done I want it and then follow the recipe to thicken the sauce. Remember, the time spent in the pot while the sauce thickens will continue to cook the broccoli. This is why I recommend starting the thickening process when the broccoli is *almost* done to your liking.
Laura says
How long does it take to naturally release?
Jessica says
Can you double/triple the recipe? Would you add time? I am newer to the instapot world. Thanks!
Kim says
I tried this one last nigh and, OH MY GOODNESS! It is SOOO good! Next time I may double the sauce though—it was THAT good!
Sheri says
I was thinking of increasing the chicken stock and adding wild blend rice. Would this work, and would I have to increase my cooking time?
Anna says
Hi Sheri! I never tested it with rice so I can't tell what the final result will be.
Sheri says
I did add extra chicken stock and wild rice. I removed the chicken within the time on the recipe, but the rice was not completely cooked. I actually continued cooking the rice for approximately 10 more minutes. It was delicious. My husband said it was a keeper!
Page says
Sheri,
How much chicken stock did you add and how much rice and for how long? You said 10 more minutes after the 7.
Thanks, Page
Sarah says
Could you cook the little red potatoes at the same time?
Robyn says
What is the green stuff in the picture? Was that onion? Otherwise, this was delicious and easy.
Anna says
Hi Robyn! It's garnished with chopped parsley. I am so glad the dish was a success!
Lindsay says
Hi,
I can not wait to make this recipe, trying it tonight. Just wondering if you have to do a natural release instead of quick release?
Thanks!
Lindsay
Anna says
Hi Lindsay! Step 10 instructs to release pressure naturally.
Lydia says
I had the same question. Natural release recipes usually include a time of 5-15 min. I guess I’ll take the middle road and do 10min.
Pamela says
Definitely let it do natural release! I was rushing and found out the hard way that quick release was a bad idea...there was marsala sauce splattered all over the place that came through the valve. Ooops.
Sue says
Delicious results. Made a lot of juice. Probably should have drained off some of it.
jamtechez says
Since we don't drink, what can I use instead of the wine?
JLC says
Alcohol cooks off, only for taste.
Kelley says
I made this tonight I used 4 breasts and 5 chicken tenderloins. After cooking them for 8 minutes there was no liquid left in the pot, I guess I should have increased the liquids. I took the chicken out and on saute I added more masala wine,butter and chicken broth then the slurry. I had to add more chicken broth and water because it came out a little strong. I didn't want to get my family drunk eating dinner. Lol. The chicken masala was very good and so much easier than on the stove. Everyone loved it and this is my new way to make chicken marsala!!😊
Anna says
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Kelley! I am so glad it was a hit!
Chris says
This is the third dish I tried in my instant pot. It was great. The sauce thickened up great. So easy and so delicious. Will definitely make it again. Thank you
Anna says
Awesome! Thank you so much, Chris!
Andrea says
This was delicious but my sauce never really thickened up it was really runny.. can you suggest what I may have done wrong or what I can do to fix it
Louise says
You can mix another tablespoon or two of cornstarch with a little cold water and add in to saute until thickened.
Marina says
I substituted coconut flour for regular flour when making the cutlets and that lead to a sauce that was grainy. It didn't affect the flavor, though, that was delicious!
Sarah says
This was my second instant recipe. It was great, but my IP didn’t manually pressure release. Do you know why it would do that?
Lisa Gabledon says
If i double the recipe or don’t cut the breast into filets how would I adjust the time?
Anna says
Hi Lisa! The general rule is that the cooking time stays the same. You can add 2 more minutes to be safe.