This one-skillet paleo chicken marsala is loaded with flavor! Juicy chicken, a creamy mushroom sauce and crispy, savory bacon make this a recipe you’ll want in your dinner rotation! It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo, and Whole30 compliant.
Another one-pot chicken recipe that’s going to be a favorite! Chicken marsala is one of those meals that for SOME reason, I haven’t had since pre-paleo.
Not because it isn’t delicious enough to want to re-create, but because I had some sort of mental block about doing it the “right” way, yet making it paleo.
Well, surprise! It’s actually totally possible to make it both paleo and totally YUM – tasting the way chicken marsala should taste. Oh, and because I had some on hand and just couldn’t resist – I added bacon for some extra flavor – hope you don’t mind!
I began with thin-sliced chicken breasts, seasoned and very lightly coated in tapioca flour to keep ’em juicy. I cooked the bacon, then fried the chicken in some of the leftover bacon fat – one of the reasons I can’t resist cooking with bacon.
After setting aside the chicken, I made the sauce – super simple. Some sautéed onion, mushrooms, and garlic, with bone broth, coconut milk, and balsamic vinegar. I also added a bit more tapioca with my liquids for extra thickness, and a little bit of mustard and nutritional yeast for flavor.
I find that when using coconut milk, the mustard and nutritional yeast help cut the coconut flavor, but these two are entirely optional in the recipe.
After the sauce cooked a bit, I added the chicken back in to further thicken the sauce (the tapioca coating from the chicken does this!) and allowed it to simmer just a few minutes.
I hate overcooked chicken, so I’m careful not to keep it simmering too long. Even with the coating and that creamy sauce chicken breasts have the tendency to dry out. For the last minute, I crumbled the cooked bacon back into the skillet – definitely don’t want to forget this step!
And here it is – with some fresh herbs thrown on for extra color (or skip) – your one-skillet chicken marsala is ready for YOU! And your family, of course, don’t want to forget the others 😉
It’s dairy-free, paleo, gluten-free, Whole30 compliant and relatively low in carbs too – with 12g per serving. I hope you’re ready for an easy, super tasty paleo dinner that will surely make its way into your dinner rotation! Leftovers save very well too – it’s win-win here.
Okay, grab a big skillet and all your ingredients because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Chicken Marsala with Bacon {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Chicken Marsala with Bacon {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
This one-skillet paleo chicken marsala is loaded with flavor! Juicy chicken, a creamy mushroom sauce and crispy, savory bacon make this a recipe you’ll want over and over! It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo, and Whole30 compliant.
Ingredients
- 6 slices nitrate free bacon
- 3 Tbsp rendered bacon fat divided
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts thin sliced
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp tapioca flour or arrowroot starch, divided
- 1 medium onion diced
- 8 oz baby Bella mushrooms or preferred mushrooms, sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- Pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or preferred vinegar
- 2/3 cup coconut milk full fat, blended
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- 2 tsp stone ground mustard optional
- Fresh herbs for garnish
Instructions
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In a large deep skillet, cook bacon on med-high heat until crisp, then remove and drain on paper towels.
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Reserve bacon fat in a container, then wipe the skillet of burnt bits.
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Return skillet to medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp bacon fat (or preferred cooking fat. Place 3 Tbsp tapioca on a plate or in a very shallow bowl. Sprinkle chicken with sea salt and pepper on both sides. Coat chicken in the tapioca and shake off excess, then add to the hot skillet. Allow one side to turn golden brown (about 3-4 mins) then flip. Repeat with all chicken, working in batches if necessary. You might need to add more cooking fat if frying the chicken in batches.
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Once chicken is done, set aside and lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp bacon fat, then add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic, another pinch of salt and pepper, and continue to cook another 3-5 minutes to soften. Mix the 1 tsp tapioca into the broth, then add broth to the skillet, along with the vinegar, coconut milk, mustard, and nutritional yeast.
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Stir and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and add the chicken back in, simmering for 3-4 minutes to thicken the sauce. For the last minute, crumble the cooked bacon into the skillet to heat through.
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Serve over cauli rice, veggie noodles or with roasted potatoes. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Notes: To lower the carb count for a keto diet, you can omit the tapioca starch OR only very lightly coat each piece of chicken, using about 1 1/2 Tbsp total.
Nutrition
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Want More Paleo One-Pot Recipes? Try One of These!
“Honey” Mustard Chicken in the Instant Pot
General Tso’s Chicken in the Instant Pot
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This was a wonderful dish. I eat Paleo for all my meals except breakfast and my husband eats trash, lol. I made this dish tonight and he liked it, he says there was too much garlic, but I thought it was wonderful. I will use less garlic next time for him. I Did modified this recipe by using the entire package of bacon and only 1/3 cup coconut milk.
Can you substitute the coconut milk for almond milk?
goood posst
This dish frequents our menu at home. It’s a winner for the whole family. Today I reheated some at work and 3 coworkers came in and asked for the recipe because it smelled so good!!
I really enjoyed this recipe! Admittedly, I was a little skeptical that the marsala flavor could be achieved without actually using marsala wine, but it was pretty spot on! Easy to make, very flavorful and the bonus is that it reheats very well for leftovers/meal prep. Thank you!
This recipe was amazing! It was so full of flavor and really simple to make. This will definitely be a repeat recipe for my family
I have made this a few times, most recently, I omitted the vinegar. I just felt like the vinegar is always just so strong. I decided to stir it in after if needed, and I loved it without.
Also, to make low carb I omitted the tapioca flour. I used chicken broth concentrate and omitted the water to make a cup. Also, I reduced the coconut milk mixture way down before combining everything. I did have to remove the chicken to do this, to not over cook. By removing the broth liquid and reducing the coconut mixture, it make just enough sauce to wet everything and not have tons pooling around everything. I even served on cauliflower rice and there was still plenty of sauciness. I don’t love things thickened with alternatives anyway, seems glaze like and just not what I am used to. This method made the sauce tasty without that effect or need to thicken with starch, as I am doing keto.
It was a welcome delight among our very limited possibilities these days. Will be making regularly.
We sprinkled bacon on to serve. Leftovers, we kept the bacon separate because in the past it has become soggy. Works well to sprinkle on before serving.
Also, someone asked about omitting garlic, I did omit that as well, due to a sensitivity . . still delicious. I subbed some granulated onion powder.
That’s awesome, looks delicious.
Delicious! I didn’t use bacon only because I didn’t have it on hand, I also omitted the mustard and used half the nutritional yeast (both which are optional to the recipe, I believe). My hubby wasn’t a fan but he’s extremely picky so his vote doesn’t count, haha! I’ve already recommended it to others, thanks for a great meal!
I really get annoyed with people who say a recipe is easy and then it has more than six or seven even eight ingredients! It’s a lie to call something simple when it has 10 or 15 ingredients like this recipe! You cannot make this recipe in 30 minutes unless you’re a professional cook!