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Here’s my lightened-up version of the classic Italian-American chicken dish, made easy in the slow cooker. With just a few minutes of prep, the crock pot transforms simple ingredients into a savory, comforting dinner with rich mushroom and wine flavors.

I love that this slow cooker chicken marsala feels special enough to serve to guests but is also easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Just toss everything into the slow cooker, and in about four hours, dinner is ready.

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Crock Pot Chicken Marsala on serving platter.
Weight Watchers Friendly Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • WW Friendly: A lighter take on the classic dish, with the WW points already calculated.
  • Hands-Off Cooking: The slow cooker does the work while you go about your day.
  • Versatile: Impressive enough for entertaining, but simple for everyday family meals.
  • Lighter Comfort Food: Keeps all the flavor of chicken marsala without being heavy.
close up of sliced brown mushroom on wooden board with knife alongside
Photo by James Kern on Unsplash

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders – Using tenders helps prevent dryness.
  • Marsala wine – Sweet marsala is traditional, but dry marsala works too if you prefer.
  • Chicken broth – Balances the richness of the wine.
  • Garlic – Adds depth of flavor.
  • Mushrooms – A must-have for marsala, giving the dish an earthy note.
  • Onion or shallot – Adds sweetness and flavor.
  • Flour – For coating chicken & thickening the sauce.
  • Cornstarch – For thickening the sauce, if desired.
  • Seasonings – Salt, pepper, and herbs to taste.

Substitutions & Variations

  • Wine Too Strong? Use just 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of marsala wine and substitute the rest with chicken broth.
  • Creamier Sauce: Stir in a splash of half-and-half or a spoonful of light cream cheese at the end.
  • No Chicken Breasts? Thighs will stay juicy and tender.

Calories and WW Points

According to my calculations, each serving has about:

  • Calories: 235
  • WW Points: To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
    (You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
  • Old Plan: 5 PointsPlus

How to Make WW Friendly Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Step by Step

Step 1: Prepare the slow cooker

Grease the inside of a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker.

Step 2: Add the chicken

Trim the chicken breasts (or tenders) and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Step 3: Add remaining ingredients

Top the chicken with mushrooms, garlic, and onion. Pour in the marsala wine and chicken broth.

Step 4: Cook

Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours. Chicken breasts cook quickly in the slow cooker, so check for doneness early to avoid dryness.

Step 5: Adjust sauce

If you find the sauce too thin, whisk together a small amount of cornstarch and water, then stir it into the slow cooker during the last 15 minutes.

Step 6: Serve

Taste, adjust seasoning if needed, and serve the chicken with the mushrooms and sauce spooned over the top.

Recipe Notes

  • Chicken breasts can easily overcook in the slow cooker. Check for doneness at 3 ½ to 4 hours.
  • Using chicken tenders instead of whole breasts often gives juicier results.
  • Sweet marsala is the more traditional choice, but if dry marsala is all you have, it still makes a delicious dish.

Serving Suggestions

This dish is versatile and works well with:

Ways to Use Leftovers

  • Chicken Marsala Bowls: Serve leftover chicken and sauce over quinoa or rice with extra veggies.
  • Marsala Wraps: Shred the chicken and tuck into a wrap with spinach and mozzarella.
  • Next-Day Pasta: Toss leftovers with cooked pasta for an easy reimagined dinner.

If you’ve made this Low Fat Crock Pot Chicken Marsala, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

weight watchers recipes slow cooker chicken marsala close up
4 from 94 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Recipe

By Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living
Simple and delicious slow cooker chicken marsala, lightly coated chicken breasts slow cooked with with Marsala wine and mushrooms, is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, and impressive enough to serve to company.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours 15 minutes
Total: 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
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Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each)
  • 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 3/4 cup Marsala wine (Note: The recipe didn’t specify whether to use dry or sweet marsala. Betty Crocker suggests sweet marsala, but I inadvertently used dry. Several commenters have complained that the flavor of the wine was overpowering for them. If in doubt, I would use 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup marsala instead.)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons chopped parsley, for garnish, optional

Instructions 

  • Ideal slow cooker size: 4-Quart.
  • Coat slow cooker insert with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the olive oil, shallot and garlic in bottom of slow cooker.
  • In a shallow dish stir together the flour, salt and black pepper. Pound the chicken to an even thickness and coat it with the flour mixture and add to the slow cooker. Scatter mushrooms over chicken and add the Marsala.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or until the chicken is tender.
  • To thicken the sauce, turn the slow cooker up to HIGH. Combine the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water and stir it into the chicken mixture. Cover and cook until the sauce has thickened 10 to 25 minutes.
  • Stir in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Notes

Serving size: 1 chicken breast + 1/4 cup mushroom sauce
WW Points: 3
Check your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app.
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
5 SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Cooking chicken breasts in the slow cooker can be tricky. They are usually done in four hours or less. If you overcook them they will be dry and stringy.
A few commenters have stated that they found the flavor of the marsala wine overpowering and ended up throwing out the entire recipe. If you are concerned about the alcohol flavor being too strong, I would suggest cutting way back on it. Use a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 of a cup and substitute the rest with chicken broth.
According to Betty Crocker you should use sweet marsala to prevent the dish from being too acidic.

Nutrition

Serving: 1chicken breast + 1/4 cup mushroom sauce, Calories: 235kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 331mg, Potassium: 634mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 35IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving or tag #simplenourishedliving!

Source: adapted from September 2014 Family Circle

More Easy Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes for Weight Watchers

If you enjoyed this Chicken Marsala, you might also like:

Discover More WW-Friendly Recipes

Make dinnertime easier with my Slow Cook Yourself Slim Ultimate eBook Bundle. It’s packed with easy, healthy, WW-friendly recipes designed for busy cooks who love comfort food without the guilt.

About Martha McKinnon

Weight Watchers Lifetime Member, Yoga Practitioner and Blogger who loves to share her passion for trying to create a happy, healthy, balanced life in what often feels like an overwhelming out of control world.

More About Me

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4 from 94 votes (75 ratings without comment)

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77 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious recipe and appreciate it is healthy. Any suggestions thickening it up? We have to add more corn starch than suggested and keep it on high for a long time.

    Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sara,

      Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’ve had great success using quick-cooking tapioca to thicken crockpot recipes. It’s heat resistant so you can add it to the crockpot at the beginning with the rest of the ingredients. The kind I buy is in a red box, labeled “minute tapioca.” I think Kraft makes it. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  2. 2 stars
    I won’t be making this again. Both my wife and I thought it was awful. Doesn’t achieve any of the flavor of the origin+ WW+ points and have the real thing. No flavor, waste of time.

    Reply

    1. Hi Tami, I don’t think it’s too thick to serve over pasta. I would thin it to desired consistency and/or make more sauce by adding chicken broth. I liked the jarred Better Than Bouillon brand. It has good flavor and you can make as much or as little as you want by adding water. Hope this helps.

      Reply

    1. Hi Libby,

      I haven’t tried it on High for 2 hours, but I think it should work. Please let us know how it turns out if you try it!

      Reply

  7. perhaps Bob’s Red Mill all purpose baking flour would lend a gluten free version? They advertise “cup for cup” . Think I will try it. What’s the worst that can happen?–too thin sauce?????. I cook with Holland House cooking wines. More convenient.

    Reply

    1. Hi LeeAnn,

      Sure, substitute chicken stock if you like. The flavor will be different, of course 🙂 But still yummy. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  9. This was amazing!! I made this for my family tonight and not one bite is left!!! Will def be adding this to my favorites, thank you!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Wendy, I’ve never worked with coconut flour so I’m not sure how it would work. In this recipe the flour serves to help thicken the sauce. If you try it would love to know how it turns out!

      Reply

    2. As a fellow WW, I would say it’s a toss up: 1tbs. Of wheat flour is 1 point, as is 1 tbs. coconut flour, but the gluten in wheat flour serves as a thickener. I don’t know if coconut flour would serve the same purpose.

      Reply

      2. What about trying cornstarch or potato starch as a thickening agent? I don’t use flour anymore, but I also don’t follow Weight Watchers, so I do not know if the points would be reduced by these options.

        Reply

        1. Hi Kim, Those are both great alternatives to flour but I think the calories/points would be the same. I like quick/minute tapioca as a thickening agent in the slow cooker. It can hold up well during the long cooking time. Hope this helps.

          Reply