Chicken Marsala Soup

4.65 from 31 votes

Chicken marsala soup takes the classic Italian dish and turns it into a thick and creamy soup. Seasoned with fresh rosemary, and the rich flavors of mushrooms and white wine, it’s comforting and warm on cold winter days.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken barley soup, chicken Marsala Soup

Servings:

Author: Lisa Bass

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter divided
1 pound cremini mushrooms sliced
2 stalks celery diced
2 carrots diced
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch for GF *
2/3 cup dry white wine
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 cups shredded chicken Two boneless skinless chicken breasts **
2 sprigs fresh rosemary finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
Salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream 35%

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they soften. Remove the cooked mushrooms from the pot and set aside.
In the same pot, melt another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the celery, carrots, and onions. Sauté the vegetables until they become soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, to cook off the raw flour taste.
Pour in the white wine and allow it to cook for a minute or two. Add the chicken broth, stirring to combine. Add the barley and chicken breasts to the pot.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and an instant-read thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot. Shred the chicken using two forks (or do it quickly with a hand mixer) and set it aside.
Continue simmering the soup until the barley is cooked through, for me this was about 40 minutes total. Taste a piece of barley to ensure it’s tender and fully cooked.
Once the barley is done, return the shredded chicken and the sautéed mushrooms to the pot. Stir in the fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and heavy cream.
Heat the soup through, and taste to adjust seasoning if needed. Careful not to let it return to a boil after adding the heavy cream.
Serve hot.

Notes

- *You can make this gluten-free by using cornstarch in place of flour. Instead of adding it to the celery, carrots and onions, create a slurry with water and cornstarch and add towards the end. Also, swap out barley for rice. For a non-dairy option, you can use (slightly less) oil, and almond milk or full fat coconut milk in place of heavy cream. The flavor will change slightly, but you’ll still end up with a delicious soup.
- Fresh rosemary works best, but if fresh is not available, you can certainly use dried. I like to rub it between my fingers to help break up the larger pieces and help release the flavor.
- Use homemade bone broth for the best flavor and nutrition. But if you are in a pinch or forgot to start your broth, store-bought will also work.
- If you don't have barley, you can easily use rice or noodles. I would recommend cooking them before adding them to the soup.
- **You can also use pre cooked shredded chicken opposed to cooking the chicken breasts in this recipe.

Nutrition