This kosher for Passover recipe for Quick and Easy Chicken Marsala is simply amazing. Easy to put together and ready to eat in under 45 minutes. Treat your family and friends to a Passover main dish that is kosher, gluten free, dairy, free, and nut free.
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Passover is a time to enjoy good company and our favorite foods. No Passover should go by without at least one meal showcasing amazing recipes like Gluten Free Pancakes or Matzo Toffee. Just like those recipes, this one is a classic throughout the year and is just as quick and easy to prepare on Passover. Great for a seder or any of the holiday or Yom Tov meals.
Passover Chicken Marsala uses potato starch as a substitute for flour
Quick Passover chicken Marsala gets its name from the Marsala wine that is used in the sauce. The signature flavor of this dish comes from that wine sauce. During the rest of the year the Marsala wine sauce is made using flour but since that contains chometz, during Passover we need a substitute. Before you grab the matzo flour (which not everybody holds by) there is a better substitute, potato starch. This dish only requires a small amount to coat the chicken and then again to thicken the marsala sauce.
Quick and Easy Passover Chicken Marsala step by step
Step 1 - Slice the chicken breast.
Each breast should be sliced in half down the long side. This will give you long and thin pieces. This is actually a hack to get the thin chicken breast slices so that you do not need to bother using a meat tenderizer.
Step 2 - Season and brown the chicken
Sprinkle the tenderized chicken breast cutlets with salt and pepper and then coat with a light dusting of potato starch. We are not looking for a thick batter, just enough to brown in the pan. We like to use a cast iron skillet for this, consult your Rabbi for instructions on how to kasher the pan.
Brown in the pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side. This is approximate as you want to remove the chicken breast cutlets from the heat as soon as they are fully cooked.
Step 3 - Cook the mushrooms and onions
Saute the onions and mushrooms over a medium flame until they are tender. This should take between 6-10 minutes.
Step 4 - Deglaze the pan
Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan. What is left is the grizzly looking dried bits all over the bottom of the pan. This is flavor! To get that flavor from the pan into your dish pour the Marsala wine into the pan and bring it to a light boil for about 1 minute. While it is boiling, I like to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of those bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the sauce because they add so much flavor to the dish. (Do not scrape the bottom of the pan if you are using a non-stick coated pan).
Step 5 - Finish making the Passover Marsala sauce
While the wine is still boiling add the mushrooms and onions back into the pan. Then, pour in the chicken stock and potato starch mixture and let it reduce. Finally, add in the non-dairy butter and fresh thyme. Place the chicken back into the pan with the sauce and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes to really get those flavors flowing.
Recipe FAQ
A lot of kosher wines are also kosher for Passover. The kosher Marsala wine that we used is also kosher for Passover but you should always make sure that you are using an approved wine for Passover.
Deglazing simply refers to the process of pouring wine into a hot pan to loosen all of the flavors caked onto the bottom of the pan. You do not want to do this if your recipe has burnt as these are not good flavors. But, in most dishes that call for deglazing if you have properly cooked the ingredients, they have not burnt but have dried out. When the ingredients dry out, they concentrate and intensify in flavor. Very tasty for most dishes! Do not leave these nuggets of flavor in the bottom of the pan.
We used crimini mushrooms for this recipe but mushrooms are one of those foods that are kosher for Passover. Feel free to check out our cooking tips on different kinds of mushrooms to use for this dish.
This recipe uses a hack to speed up the process but the slicing will have the same effect. Tenderizing the meat makes the proteins in the meat break apart and make it softer. Additionally, it will make the chicken breast cutlets thinner which makes them have more surface area. The flavor has nowhere to hide!
Storage
This is one of those recipes that you can make well in advance and freeze for later. Here is how to store Passover Chicken Marsala:
- Cool to room temperature.
- Pour the chicken and sauce into a resealable plastic bag and push out the extra air. Seal.
- Freeze for up to 6 months.
More Passover recipes like this one
📖 Recipe
Quick Passover Chicken Marsala
Equipment
- cast iron skillet if it is preseasoned it must be kashered
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breast boneless, skinless, halved
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup potato starch to coat the chicken
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 8 oz sliced mushroom
- ⅔ cup marsala wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 teaspoon potato starch to thicken the sauce
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy butter
- 1 teaspoon thyme fresh
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast in half long ways so each piece becomes two thinner pieces.
- Put potato starch into a small bowl.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and dredge in potato starch.
- Heat skillet to medium high and coat with a tablespoon of olive oil.
- In batches, cook the chicken breast pieces for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through and nicely browned on the outside. Add more oil to the pan as needed with each batch until all chicken is cooked.
- While chicken is cooking finely chop onions and wash mushrooms.
- Once all chicken is cooked, set aside.
- Keeping the heat at medium-high, put another tablespoon of oil in the now empty skillet and add onions and mushrooms and cook until soft but not brown, around 6-10 minutes. Reduce heat if needed.
- Remove the onions and mushrooms from the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with the Marsala.
- Add the onions and mushrooms back into the pan and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, cook until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 2-5 minutes.
- While that is happening you can prepare chicken stock whisked together with 2 teaspoon of potato starch. Once most of the wine has evaporated from the step above, add the chicken stock mixture and cook another 2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken up.
- Reduce heat to medium- low, add tablespoon of non-dairy butter and fresh thyme. Stir to mix.
- Add chicken back in, coat with mushroom sauce, and cook for 2-3 minutes to reheat chicken.
- Serve immediately.
Elaine says
Is this a sweet or dry Marsala?
Ben says
We used a sweet Marsala for this recipe but you can use either.
Inna says
Really yummy recipe and my only regret is not making more of it 😆 I substituted a regular dry wine I had on hand but added a little honey to even out the sauce so it wouldn’t be too bitter as the dry wine was making it. Came out great!
Ben says
Nice substitution. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Barbara Bayer says
How do you suggest reheating g if making a day ahead and planning to serve for Seder?
Ben says
We usually leave an oven on at 250ºF over the first days in order to reheat recipes like this. Make sure that the dish you are using is covered and 30 minutes in the oven should do the trick.