Instant Pot Chicken Marsala

What is Chicken Marsala?

Chicken Marsala (Italian: Scaloppine di pollo al Marsala) is a classic Italian chicken dish. 

Flavors & Textures: Tender & juicy chicken paired with a hearty, creamy, & flavorful Chicken Marsala gravy. The gravy is nutty rich, savory, with a hint of sweetness. It’s paired with earthy-umami cremini mushrooms, brightened up with pinches of fresh parsley.

Serve: This flavorful chicken marsala goes great with many side dishes like pasta, rice, quinoa, polenta, and mashed potatoes.

Ease Level – Easy: You can make chicken marsala in Instant Pot with simple pantry ingredients and Marsala wine. It requires basic cooking skills and simple equipment.

Cooking Time: You can make this chicken marsala in less than an hour including preparation time.

Equipment: You only need an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and basic kitchen tools to make this Chicken Marsala!

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Chicken Marsala

Here are the ingredients for cooking Chicken Marsala in Instant Pot:

Marsala Wine

Marsala wine is an Italian fortified wine that is made with white or red grapes. 

There are different styles of Marsala wine based on the grapes used and the winemaking method. It’s most commonly used for cooking.

Marsala Wine Classification: You classify Marsala wines by these 3 characteristics – Color, Sweetness Level, and Age.

• Color: Gold (Oro), Amber (Ambra), Ruby (Rubino)
• Sweetness Level: Dry (Secco), Semi-Sweet (Semi-Secco), Sweet (Dolce)
• Age:  
  • Fine: Aged for 1 year
  • Superiore (Superior): Aged for 2-3 years
  • Superiore Riserva (Superior Reserve): Aged for 4-6 years
  • Soleras or Vergine (Solera or Virgin): Aged for 5-7 years
  • Stravecchio: Aged for 10+ years

Most often, younger Marsala wines are used for cooking; while older Marsala wines are for drinking.

For reference, we used this Marsala Wine: Florio Marsala Superiore Dolce Vecchioflorio.

Cremini Mushrooms

You might notice we love using Cremini mushrooms over white mushrooms in our recipes . It’s because we love its deeper and more complex flavor profile.

Cremini mushrooms pair well with shallots, garlic, olive oil, parsley, butter, and chicken stock.

Tools for Instant Pot Chicken Marsala

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• Wooden Spoon
• Pyrex Measuring Cups
• Kitchen Tongs

Prepare Chicken Marsala Ingredients

Optional Step: Butterfly the chicken breasts for more uniform thickness throughout the meat. This way, the chicken breasts will cook more evenly and quickly.

Butterflying is the technique that splits the chicken breast horizontally and opens it up like a book.

1. Put your chicken breast on a chopping board, then put your hand flat on top of the chicken breast.
2. Slice horizontally into one side of the chicken breast. Don’t cut it all the way through to the other side. Leave roughly 1-inch attached.
3. Open up the chicken breast, then slice a bit more if necessary.

Then, prepare the remaining ingredients accordingly.

Brown Chicken Breasts in Instant Pot

First, season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper on both sides. 

Place ¼ cup (32g) all-purpose flour in a large bowl or plate.

Then, lightly coat the chicken breasts with flour on both sides.

Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” function to heat up Instant Pot. It will switch to “ON” on the screen.

Wait until it says “HOT” on the screen (takes roughly 8 minutes).

*Pro Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be to induce a Maillard reaction.

Now, add 1½ tbsp (22.5ml) olive oil in the Instant Pot’s inner pot. Make sure you cover the whole bottom with oil.

Place the flour-coated chicken breasts in Instant Pot. Then, brown each side for 3 minutes. 

Then, set aside the browned chicken breasts.

*Note: If you have butterflied the chicken breasts, you can brown them in two batches.

Saute Mushrooms & Shallot

*Note: Sauteeing the mushrooms is an optional flavor-enhancing step. This adds a bit of flavor, but it’ll take roughly 7 to 8 minutes. If you’re short on time, skip and proceed to sauteeing shallot.

First, melt 1½ tbsp to 2 tbsp (21g – 28g) unsalted butter in the Instant Pot.

Add sliced mushrooms in Instant Pot, then saute until lightly brown (roughly 7 to 8 minutes).

Add diced shallot and 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce in Instant Pot, then saute for another 2 minutes.

Finally, add minced garlic in Instant Pot, then saute for another 30 to 45 seconds until fragrant.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour ½ cup (125ml) Marsala wine in Instant Pot. Then, deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.

Let the mixture come to a boil, then let it boil for 1 minute to allow the alcohol in Marsala wine to evaporate.

Pressure Cook Marsala Chicken

Add ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot. Give it a quick mix.

*Note: Add in the mushroom slices here if you skipped the previous mushroom sauteeing step. 

Add the browned chicken breasts in Instant Pot.

*Pro Tip: Try to get the browned chicken breasts as close to the bottom of the inner pot as possible. So they’re partially submerged in the cooking liquid.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position. Close the lid. Then, turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

• Butterflied Chicken Breast: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes
• Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breast: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes
• Boneless & Skinless Chicken Thighs: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes

After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to Venting Position.

When Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Add Heavy Cream

With your kitchen tongs, place Instant Pot Chicken Marsala on a serving plate.

Now, bring the Marsala cooking liquid to a simmer with the “Saute” function.

Mix 2 tbsp (16g) all-purpose flour with ¼ cup (63ml) heavy cream. 

Then, mix the “heavy cream and flour mixture” into the Marsala sauce in Instant Pot. One-third at a time until your desired thickness.

*Pro Tip: If the heavy cream and flour mixture is too thick, dilute it by adding some Marsala gravy into it first.

Finally, taste and adjust the Marsala gravy with more salt and black pepper (if necessary).

Turn off the heat (press “Cancel”) or switch to Keep Warm mode.

Serve Instant Pot Chicken Marsala

Finally, drizzle the flavorful Chicken Marsala gravy on your tender & juicy chicken.

Garnish with finely chopped Italian parsley, then serve with your favorite side dishes.

Side Dishes to Serve with Chicken Marsala

• Michelin-Star Inspired Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Quinoa
• Crisp Creamy Roasted Potatoes
• Instant Pot Polenta
• Instant Pot Rice

Enjoy Creamy Chicken Marsala in Instant Pot!