What to Serve with Chicken Marsala: 12 Best Side Dishes

If you need to know what to serve with Chicken marsala, we have delicious side dishes that pair perfectly!

We know that chicken marsala is a mouth-watering and hearty meal on its own.  The golden pan-fried chicken cutlets smothered in a creamy marsala wine sauce rapidly moved from Italian origin into an international dish.

The beauty of chicken marsala is that plenty of sides complement the texture and taste. The odds of having one or more of these recommended sides in your kitchen is probable.  

From rice and risotto to roast vegetables and fresh salads, there is a side dish to enhance the flavor and nutritional value.

So, let’s explore these incredible side dishes to serve with chicken marsala.

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala: 12 Best Side Dishes

1. Rice

Rice can absorb the flavor of the food. In the case of chicken marsala, the rich and creamy sauce soaks effortlessly into the rice. By doing so, rice bulks up and adds to the texture of the meal as a whole.

We recommended trying chicken marsala with brown rice. Brown rice offers a slight crunch alongside a nutty back taste. Due to the marsala wine in the sauce, the nutty and earthly flavors combine perfectly. Furthermore, brown rice has added vitamins and minerals not present in white rice.

If you are familiar with chicken marsala, you will know that white rice is the go-to when serving this dish. We suggest adding a splash of extra-virgin olive oil to the rice before serving. Try to use an olive oil that has a nutty or earthy taste.

This way, the flavors of the complete meal bounce in your mouth delightfully.

2. Risotto

Where there is Italian cuisine, there is risotto! Although risotto is a complete meal, it makes a mouth-watering companion for chicken marsala.

Risotto is a special high-starch, short-grain rice that can absorb sauces without becoming mushy. We recommend using organic chicken stock to prepare the risotto.

Not only will the flavor complement the chicken marsala. It also boosts your immune system with essential vitamins and antioxidants.

Risotto can be more filling than its rice counterpart. For this reason, dish it up sparingly when serving your meal. If you want to splash out, add some freshly grated parmesan cheese to the risotto before serving. Truly delicious!

3. Home-made Almond Noodles

The nutty flavor associated with chicken marsala makes almond noodles a fun and wholesome side dish option.

Of course, this side option requires more preparation. Yet, it will be worth it. When you work with almond flour, it can be brittle. If you add tapioca flour to your recipe, the noodles should stay intact when they boil.

Almond flour is protein-packed and offers more nutritional value than traditional pasta. With this said, using traditional fettuccine pasta alongside your chicken marsala is more than ok. Certainly, it is quicker to prepare and will still complement the meal perfectly.

Terrific Tip: tosh a splash of a nutty meets earthly flavor extra-virgin olive oil to the almond or traditional pasta before serving.

4. Mashed Potatoes

Besides being a family favorite, mashed potatoes are relatively quick to prepare and ideal alongside several chicken base dishes, including chicken marsala.

Of course, adding butter to the mash is advisable to enhance the creamy texture. Moreover, the butter in the mash and the cream in the sauce make this option rich in dairy-based vitamins and minerals.

Equally, the dish as a whole may be too dairy-rich for some pallets and digestive systems. So, use your discretion when adding the butter.

Add a touch of freshly grated parmesan cheese into the mash for a sharp and tasty back taste.

Terrific Tip: most of the vitamins and minerals are just under the skin of potatoes. If you peel them, keep the skins aside.

Then, toss the clean skins with a sprinkle of thyme or Italian herbs, salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. Place them in your air-fryer until golden brown and crispy.

Garnish your meal with these tasty, crispy skins. Your friends and family will love them!

5. Polenta

Speaking of mash, why not try polenta? Polenta hails from Italian cuisine and is a cornmeal made from ground-flint corn. By the way, as it is corned-based, it is ideal for gluten-free diets.

Typically, polenta has a corn taste and mild flavor. As with rice and risotto, it absorbs the flavor of the meal served rather well. Once prepared, add a dab of butter and parmesan cheese for extra richness.

We suggest using organic chicken stock when cooking polenta. Certainly, the flavor is absorbed, and it’s an excellent immune system booster. For something different, we recommended making a polenta loaf to slice and serve alongside the chicken marsala.

By far one of the most versatile cornmeal products out there, it is a fantastic side dish to serve with chicken marsala.

6. Sourdough Bruschettas

Whether you make your sourdough or purchase from your local baker, sourdough brochettes make a crunchy and delicious side dish for chicken marsala.

For the perfect bruschetta use a loaf around 15 cm in width and slice it into 1cm slices. Brush with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with dry thyme or Italian herbs on both sides.

If you have a flatbed toaster, pop them in until golden, and the crust starts to crisp.

Alternatively, you can place them on an oven tray and grill them until you see similar results. Remember to flip them over to toast both sides evenly.

Either way, place a generous amount of chicken marsala on top of the bruschetta and enjoy!

Terrific Tip: rub the sourdough with a fresh garlic clove before adding the olive oil and herbs.

7. Roast Vegetables

We can not deny that roast vegetables make an excellent side dish for chicken marsala. Not only are they crispy and delicious. They uplift your meal by adding a substantial amount of daily recommended vitamins and minerals.

Decidedly, different combinations of roast vegetables enhance the flavor of the paired dish. For chicken marsala, we recommend combining sweet potato, purple onion, baby marrow, butternut, and green pepper.

In particular, the green pepper brings a slight bitterness to soften the butternut and sweet potato. Also, it compliments the mushrooms in the chicken marsala.

Terrific Tip: toss the diced vegetables with extra-virgin olive oil, a healthy pinch of salt, a few fresh thyme sprigs, and one large sprig of rosemary.

Roast until cooked through and crispy on the outside. It is ok if some of the vegetables “catch” a little. Catching roasted vegetables enhances the taste. Yet, be aware not to burn them.

8. Spinach

Level up your chicken marsala with some fresh or cooked spinach on the side. Spinach is the ultimate superfood vegetable packed with iron and bursting with other vitamins and minerals galore.

If you prefer cooked spinach, remember it shrinks considerably. So, make sure you have enough to go around the table.

We recommended adding freshly crushed garlic and parmesan cheese. For best results, flash fry the spinach at a higher temperature. Then, add the crushed garlic to fry at a lower temperature. Finally, add your fresh parmesan at the end.

Oh, you can also serve a fresh baby leaf spinach salad on the side. Prepare your leaves; add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dash of extra-virgin olive. Then, top it off with any roasted seeds your fancy.

Whichever version you prefer, your chicken marsala will reach a new delicious level.

9. Finely diced Mediterranean Salad

This salad is colorful, fun, and an excellent side dish or condiment for chicken marsala. You will need sun-ripened tomatoes, cucumber, purple onion, extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh lemon juice.

The secret to this salad is to chop the ingredients into tiny cubes. The taste and texture of each fresh vegetable create a flavor explosion with every bite.

We recommend adding a handful of freshly chopped mint and a generous sprinkle of sumac spice. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine use sumac regularly in several dishes. It is made from dried and ground berries of the wild sumac flower and offers a tangy and slightly sour taste.

Don’t worry if sumac spice is not readily available. Again, you can use fresh or dried thyme or Italian herbs to achieve the same delicious and complementary results.

Terrific Tip: add some diced avocado to soften the texture and boost the nutritional value.

10. Caprese

The renowned Caprese salad is ready in a flash, tasty, and an excellent side dish choice. Think about it, all you need is sun-ripened tomatoes, fresh sweet basil leaves, and a generous amount of sliced mozzarella.

We suggest serving this salad on a big platter:

• Scatter the sweet basil leaves.

• Layer the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella over the sweet basil.

• Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic reduction.

If you do not have a balsamic reduction, put balsamic vinegar on the table for anyone to add to this fresh and complimentary Italian-style salad.

Terrific Tip: when plating your salad, overlap one tomato with one mozzarella slice and repeat the pattern around the platter. It looks stunning and appetizing!

11. Broccoli

Brocolli joins spinach on our superfood list and is an excellent green vegetable to serve alongside chicken marsala. It is high in fiber, vitamins, iron, and potassium.

By now, you can see the health benefits of superfood green vegetables and why they are a fine choice to serve as a side dish.

What we love about broccoli are the various ways to prepare it. Its raw form is super crunchy with a strong bitter taste. Notably, broccoli comes from the cruciferous family of vegetables. So, it can create excess gas in your digestive system when eaten raw.

To remedy this, remove the stems, and flash-fry the broccoli in a little extra-virgin olive oil with salt and pepper. The crunchiness remains intact, the bitterness subsides substantially, and the gassy elements reduce.

We suggest adding a generous splash of Soy sauce, shaved almonds, or sesame seeds while you flash-fry. The flavor is extraordinary, and the texture completes your chicken marsala eating experience.

12. Sauteed Green Beans

Last but not least, we have sauteed green beans. Green beans offer a super crunch with a sweet and inviting taste. Even better, green beans made the superfood list.

Green beans are high in vitamin K and contribute significantly to the recommended daily intake of calcium. When you sautee, aka flash-fry, in a little extra-virgin olive oil with sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. You can expect a crunchy taste sensation.

Furthermore, green beans go well with any cream base product. So, it’s no wonder they pair well as a side dish for chicken marsala.

Terrific Tip: prepare your green beans by trimming the “tails” with the stalk only. Trimming the top is unnecessary; it increases your preparation times and wastes part of the bean. In addition, with the top in place, they look appetizing when serving to your family and guests.

FAQ’s

Final Thoughts

We hope our list of delicious side dishes for chicken marsala has your tastebuds going. Try one or a combination to surprise everyone around the dinner table!