Easy and delicious Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Soup combines all the classic chicken marsala flavors in a lighter soup version the whole family will love!
If soup is your love language, you’ll want to try Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Soup, and Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Tortellini Soup.
So, funny story. For a long, long time (longer than I will actually admit), I thought anything “marsala” was Indian. As in “masala” — like chicken tikka masala. And I always got so confused when I was at a restaurant and I’d order something “marsala” and it wouldn’t be Indian in the least. Tell me I’m not the only one that has confused these two.
Long story short, I have it straight now (though I might still mix them up when speaking one word or the other). And, officially I love both marsalas and masalas (say that three times fast)! However, today’s dish isn’t Indian, it’s Italian. Marsala soups and marsalas in general usually come accompanied with a lot of mushrooms. I can’t say that I’ve come across a recipe for marsala that doesn’t also have mushrooms. I do know, however, that I’m a huge fan of it in all sorts of combinations, like this Chicken Marsala Tortellini, this Stuffed Chicken Marsala, and, of course, this Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala.
It’s such a hearty dish, and so flavorful and full of that earthy, umami zing. You know, that deep, rich, hearty savoriness that you just want to taste in all the things? It’s hard to explain clearly. I guess you’ll just have to make it and see for yourself! This soup is on heavy rotation in my house right now. We all love it and it’s just a comforting dish to come home to at the end of the day.
What Can I substitute for Marsala cooking wine?
I don’t mind using Marsala cooking wine because the alcohol cooks out, but if you want to use something else in place of the marsala cooking wine you can combine these ingredients:
- 1 cup of white grape juice
- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
Serving Suggestions for Chicken Marsala Soup
I add noodles into this soup because I would generally serve any kind of chicken marsala over noodles. You can also serve this with a nice crusty roll or thick slices of buttered French bread or even sourdough.
You can also make a side of mashed potatoes. I have some friends who have been known to go ahead and serve the soup right on over a big bowl of mashed potatoes, and, it’s really quite delicious. If you want a healthy side, then consider making roasted, steamed, or grilled broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, or asparagus.
How to Make this Soup Without Mushrooms
While I adore mushrooms, I know they can be a great divider, like cilantro, or tofu, or mayonnaise. To make this dish, which traditionally comes with mushrooms in all forms, you can simply omit them. If you are worried about missing out on that earthy flavor, then you could use another hearty, meaty veggie like eggplant or navy beans. If you go the bean route, I would use pre-cooked or canned just to simplify the steps needed to make this (typically) quick soup.
If you like this Chicken Marsala Soup you’ll love my Instant Pot Chicken Marsala, Chicken Lombardy, Asparagus Parmesan Soup, Quinoa Chicken Tortilla Soup, Roasted Red Pepper Soup, and Slow Cooker Thai Butternut Squash Soup.
Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Soup
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 pound mushrooms - sliced
- 1 white or yellow onion - diced
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup marsala cooking wine
- 6 cups chicken broth - I used low sodium
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 8 ounces short noodles
- 1 teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper - or to taste
- grated parmesan cheese for serving - optional
Instructions
INSTANT POT
- Set pressure cooker to SAUTE. Add butter, mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the pot and stir once butter is melted. Sprinkle in flour and stir everything to incorporate flour (it should coat the other ingredients in a paste-like coating).
- Stir in marsala cooking wine and simmer until thickened. Add chicken, chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar. Cover and set to PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL for 10 minutes.
- Do a quick release (turn steam valve to VENT and allow to depressurize until float valve drops, then remove lid). Set to SOUP setting. Remove chicken, shred with two forks, and return to pot.
- Once soup is boiling, add noodles and cook about 7 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with grated parmesan cheese if desired, and serve.
SLOW COOKER
- Complete step 1 above in a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Stir in cooking wine and simmer until thickened. Add to slow cooker along with chicken, chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar. Cover and set to HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
- Remove chicken, shred with two forks, return to pot along with noodles. Cook 20-30 minutes on HIGH until noodles are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with grated parmesan cheese if desired before serving.
I am preparing to make this lovely slow cooker marsala soup. It says to use marsala wine…does it mean white or red? Thank you very much!
Flavor was awesome. Used 4 garlic cloves and chicken thighs. Def would have used a smaller pasta than what I did. Elbow Macaroni would be a good size. My only issue is that it did spew a lot while pressure cooking in the instant pot. I have never had a recipe do that in all my years of using my IP. It may have been too full because of the size of my pot? Although mine is pretty standard sized. I may try this in the slow cooker next time.
I only have Marsala wine in my pantry. Does it have to be Marsala cooking wine?
Marsala wine should be fine but it may have a stronger taste than marsala cooking wine
Hi there,
My family LOVES this soup and I makes it often. 🙂
Question for you: I’m thinking about making it for a birthday party. Do you think it would freeze ok (minus the pasta) if I was to make it ahead of time?
This recipe hasn’t been tested in the freezer but I’m sure it would freeze great! 🙂
Thank you! 😊