The BEST Slow Cooker Keto Chicken Marsala

This Slow Cooker Keto Chicken Marsala recipe has juicy chicken that’s smothered in a thick and creamy mushroom sauce that encompasses the flavour and consistency of gravy. The perfect recipe for an easy low carb dinner that the entire family will love!

this recipe

Slow Cooker Low Carb Chicken Recipe

Looking for an easy slow cooker low carb chicken recipe? If you answered yes, then this keto chicken recipe is for you!

I was pondering what to make with some chicken that I had in the freezer when Mr. Grumbles mentioned that he had not had chicken marsala since my 30th birthday. Since I am turning 45 next week, that means that it has been almost 15 years since he had indulged in one of his favourite chicken dishes.

Chicken Marsala (Italian: Scaloppine di Pollo al Marsala) is an Italian-American dish of chicken escalopes in a Marsala wine sauce. It is a variation of traditional Italian scaloppine dishes, of which there are many varieties throughout Italy. The dish dates to the 19th century, when it may have originated with English families who lived in western Sicily, where Marsala wine is produced.

The reason I haven't made Mr. Grumbles's favourite chicken dish? Because traditionally, the chicken breast is coated in flour which makes this mushroom chicken dish too high for a low carb and keto diet.

However, if you know the fundamentals of any recipe, converting them to fit into a keto diet is not very complicated.

So, taking a recipe from La Creme De La Crumb, I transformed a higher-carb chicken dish into a slow cooker low carb chicken recipe that is out of this world delicious!

 Serve this keto mushroom chicken with a Healthy Crunchy Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad or some Easy Keto Broccoli Cheese Casserole for a keto slow cooker dinner that requires very little hands-on time.

Slow Cooker Low Carb Chicken Recipe Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Try to pick chicken that is all the same size and thickness for even cooking. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this dish instead of chicken breast if you want. For a different twist substitute the chicken with salmon or shrimp.

Olive oil: Use a good grade extra virgin olive oil for this keto slow cooker recipe. The olive oil is going to be heated in the slow cooker until it gets nice and hot. Then, the chicken breasts (or thighs) are quickly browned on each side.

Spices: Poultry seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper season the chicken to add some extra flavour. Also, by adding poultry seasoning, you will not need to add any chicken stock, which most recipes use. I eliminated the chicken stock as it is something I don't always have on hand and it also thins the sauce too much.

Sliced mushrooms: You can slice your own or buy pre-sliced mushrooms. Button, baby portabella, and cremini work best. You can also use anywhere between 1-3 cups of mushrooms depending on your preference. We LOVE mushrooms so I went with a total of 3 cups.

Keto Mushroom Chicken Sauce Ingredients

Heavy cream - Using full-fat ingredients for the sauce will give you the creamiest results. Half and half will be the next best thing to heavy creamy.

Butter: Use real butter not a butter substitute for the best flavour. This creates a super yummy creamy rich sauce that is unbelievably satisfying.

Marsala Wine - Marsala is a fortified wine, dry or sweet, produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala contains about 15–20% alcohol by volume. Different Marsala wines are classified according to their colour, sweetness, and duration of their aging. The three levels of sweetness are secco (with a maximum of 40 grams of residual sugar per liter), semi-secco (41–100 g/l), and sweet (over 100 g/l). You want to make sure that you are buying dry Marsala wine and not sweet to keep the carbs at a minimum.

Xantham gum - Xantham gum is used at the very end to thicken the sauce. Just like cornstarch but without all the carbs, start with ¼ teaspoon of xantham gum and whisk it into the boiling sauce. Continue to whisk for 1 minute. If the sauce is still not thick enough, whisk in an additional ⅛ teaspoon. Do NOT add too much xantham gum as it will create a "gooey" and not "creamy" texture if you add too much!

Where do you buy Marsala Wine?

Since real Marsala wine contains alcohol, you will have to go to the liquor or wine store to find real Marsala wine. The main difference between cooking wine and wine that you drink is quality.

If you are in a pinch, you can use Marsala Cooking Wine which is sold at almost all grocery stores. However, just be aware that many brands of Marsala Cooking wine have added salt as well as added preservatives. 

Also, dry Marsala wine only contains about 3 grams of carbs in a half-cup serving whereas Marsala cooking wine contains 16 grams of carbs in half of a cup.

Making Slow Cooker Keto Chicken Marsala

Making this slow cooker low carb chicken recipe is really easy and only requires a couple of hands-on minutes.

1. Brown the Chicken: This is purely optional and can be done directly in the slow cooker pot (if you are using an all-in-one like my Ninja Foodi) or a large saute pan. To brown the chicken, pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the chicken with the poultry seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper. Heat the pot on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil has been heated, the chicken and heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until brown.
2. Cook the chicken: Add the mushrooms and the Marsala wine to the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker on "low" and cook for about 3-4 hours or until the chicken is no longer pink and registers 165 degrees F. The chicken will take 3 hours if you brown it first and 4 hours if you do not.
3. Make the Sauce: To make the sauce remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a serving dish. Push the mushrooms to one side of the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker on "high" and add the heavy cream and butter. Sprinkle the xanthan gum into the liquid while whisking. Whisk until the sauce thickens. Taste the mixture and add 1-2 tablespoons of additional marsala wine or marsala cooking wine to suit your taste. Also, add additional salt and pepper if needed. Pour the hot marsala sauce and mushrooms over the chicken and serve.

Are Mushrooms low in carbs?

A cup of mushrooms only contains about 2.3 grams of carbs of which 0.7 grams are fiber for a net carb total of only 1.6 grams!

So, with 2.2 grams of protein and only 1.6 grams of net carbs, you can definitely eat mushrooms on a keto diet!

Slow Cooker Low Carb Chicken Recipe Storage

Store the chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. This chicken does freeze well for future meals.

Keto Mushroom Chicken Substitutions and Tips

• Chicken Breasts: There are a few ways to ensure you get moist tender chicken. Pound skinless boneless chicken breasts till they are all the same thickness. This will ensure the chicken cooks at the same rate so it finishes at the same time. You can also pre-slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. This will also make sure the chicken cooks at the same time.
• Browning the Chicken: You do not need to brown the chicken first. In fact, I typically do not take the time to brown the chicken. However, the pictures in the post are from using browned chicken breast so just realize that you will not end up with the same "look". If you do not brown your chicken, you may need to cook your chicken between 3-4 hours since the pot and chicken are not starting at hot temperatures.
• Chicken Thighs: You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this dish. The brown meat will create extra moist, tender chicken.
• When is the Chicken Done?: Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches 160 degrees for white meat and 165 for dark meat. You can remove the chicken from the pan once it hits 158 degrees. Letting the chicken rest it will continue to both cook and redistribute the juices throughout the meat.
• Cooking Time: The time for slow cooking this chicken varies due to the thickness of the chicken, the type of chicken you are using (breast vs. thigh) as well as the temperature that the chicken is when you start the slow cooker. Since I browned my chicken first, I only needed to slow-cook my chicken for 2 hours.
• Stove-top recipe: You can follow this recipe exactly and instead, cook the entire recipe in a saute pan. However, I feel like the slow cooker really adds a little more flavour due to the nice and slow cooking method.

Print