Chicken marsala is a delicious chicken dish served in a rich wine sauce.
However, it only consists of chicken, a few mushrooms, and a sauce – not enough to serve as a balanced meal in its own right.
So, you are going to need to serve up a few sides alongside your chicken marsala to help make a balanced meal. Here are 16 amazing options for you to choose from so take a look down below!
1. Mushroom Risotto
The first side dish you should consider serving with chicken marsala is a mushroom risotto.
Risottos are super delicious and very filling, so they’re perfect for creating a balanced meal.
By making a mushroom risotto, you are linking the two dishes together as mushrooms are also included in a chicken marsala.
Although it may be overpowering to serve both, just cut back on the mushroom portions in both to balance this out!
2. Mashed Potatoes
Whenever you serve a super saucy dish like chicken marsala as your main, there’s one side that is a given – mashed potatoes!
Mashed potatoes are super easy to make and they go great with chicken dishes.
This side can also soak up any leftover marsala sauce so not a drop of your cooking goes to waste. Serve up some creamy mashed potatoes with your chicken marsala, and you are sure to leave behind a clean plate.
3. Caprese Salad
As chicken marsala originates from Italian roots, it makes sense to serve it alongside another great Italian side dish – caprese salad.
Caprese salad is a light, delicious side dish you can enjoy during the summer. It’s made from slices of fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves – all topped off with a drizzle of olive oil.
This recipe will show you how to make the perfect caprese salad, along with any additional toppings you may want to include such as pesto or mint leaves!
4. Garlic Bread
Ah, garlic bread – one of the most delicious side dishes ever! It’s a staple whenever it’s Italian night so it just makes sense to serve some alongside your chicken marsala!
Not only does garlic bread taste amazing, you can also use it to soak up any leftover marsala sauce. This way, you can finish your meal with a nice clean plate!
So, why not try making your very own garlic bread at home? Follow the above recipe for a simple guide, or you can just pick some up from your local grocery store.
Either way, it’s an easy side to prepare for your chicken marsala meal!
5. Roasted Asparagus
One really popular vegetable to serve with chicken is asparagus. It has its own strong flavor, great crunchy texture when roasted, and super easy to cook!
If you want to try making your own roasted asparagus to serve with chicken marsala, then here’s an easy recipe for you to try out!
6. Fettuccine Alfredo
Chicken marsala is an Italian dish – so obviously, a great side to serve with it is pasta!
There are lots of different types of pasta and each one is designed differently to better match different sauces. A great pasta to better suit the rich, creamy sauce of chicken marsala is fettuccine.
If you don’t want to serve your fettuccine plain then try out this amazing recipe for fettuccine alfredo!
7. Onion Rings
There’s a lot of sauce with a chicken marsala and a great way to soak all that extra sauce up is with onion rings.
Onion rings are deliciously crispy and this recipe here will show you how to make the perfect batch of homemade onion rings.
On the other hand, you can easily purchase some pre-made onion rings from your local grocery store. Either way, they taste great and they go perfectly with chicken marsala and perhaps another vegetable side dish!
8. Sauteed Broccoli
Broccoli is another great vegetable to serve with all kinds of dishes and it goes so well with chicken dishes.
This recipe here will show you how to make the perfected sauteed broccoli with additional flavors of garlic and parmesan cheese.
These flavors bring an additional Italian vibe that helps tie your broccoli side dish into the rest of the meal, as chicken marsala is an Italian dish.
So, adding garlic and parmesan cheese to your sauteed broccoli makes perfect sense!
9. Roasted Potatoes
An easy way to serve up some delicious potatoes with your chicken marsala is to follow this recipe for roasted potatoes.
This recipe will help you get the perfect batch of roasted potatoes – crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside.
You can also use this recipe as a guide to know how much seasoning you should use without overpowering your potatoes. So, check out this recipe!
10. Roasted Veggie Mix
Vegetables are always a great safe side dish to serve during any meal but if you’re not sure what veggies to serve, or you want to serve them in a bright and diverse way, then this recipe is the one for you.
It mixes together a ton of vegetables you probably don’t eat every single day.
Sure, the classics like carrots and broccoli are there, but so is zucchini and butternut squash and colorful bell peppers. This makes a very vibrant side dish that can be paired with all kinds of dishes – including chicken marsala.
11. Green Beans
Another great vegetable that works amazingly well with chicken dishes is green beans.
Green beans have their own distinctive flavor and texture, plus they can provide you with a ton of nutrients.
This recipe here sauteed green beans and infuses them with a delicious garlic flavor to help tie them neatly with your Italian chicken marsala.
12. Almond Noodles
While pasta is an obvious go-to side for an Italian dish, a great alternative is almond noodles.
Almond noodles have their own unique taste. They are slightly nutty and sweet, so they go great with chicken marsala. You can make your own homemade almond noodles if you follow the above recipe.
However, you can also purchase pre-made almond noodles from your local grocery store. Either way, you will end up with a delicious side to serve along with your chicken marsala.
13. Skin-On Fries
You can never go wrong with fries but if you want to make the best possible fries to go with your chicken marsala, we’d recommend serving skin-on fries.
Skin-on fries are crispier yet slighter than regular fries, and actually healthier for you too. You can use them to soak up any remaining marsala sauce.
So, try making your own following the above recipe, or just buy some frozen from your local store.
14. Lemon Rice
When it comes to flavors that best compliment chicken, lemon comes out on top. It’s sharp and zesty, and a popular flavor to pair with both seafood and poultry meals.
As a result, lemon rice is a great side dish to serve with chicken marsala.
You can purchase lemon rice straight from a packet, or try making your own using this simple recipe as a guide.
15. Green Salad
Lemons carry through into this recipe too, as you can serve a fresh green salad with a lemon vinaigrette.
Salad is always a safe side to serve but opting for a green salad gives your guests a light, crunchy-textured side dish to contrast the smooth chicken and sauce.
Not only that but the zesty notes of lemon further complement the chicken and tie the side dish beautifully with the main.
Are any of the sides that can be served with Cornish Hens also suitable to serve with Chicken Marsala?
When it comes to tasty sides for serving with cornish hens, there are options that can also be suitable for Chicken Marsala. Pairing the rich flavors of Chicken Marsala with sides like roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables, or a side salad can complement both dishes perfectly.
Conclusion
So, those were 15 amazing sides you can serve with chicken marsala. Pick out one or two to serve during your meal, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken marsala is an Italian-American dish. This means that while it was developed in the US, it has its roots in Italian cuisine. It’s considered to be a variant of other Italian dishes such as scaloppina.
Chicken marsala and chicken masala often get mixed up because they have similar spelling – but are actually different dishes. Chicken marsala is a chicken dish served in a wine sauce, while chicken masala is an Indian curry dish.
Chicken marsala uses a specific kind of wine known as marsala wine – that is why the dish has its name!
Marsala wine is a type of brandy-fortified wine that originates from Sicily. If you cannot source any marsala wine, then you can make a good alternative by mixing brandy with white wine.
So, no – you can’t use any wine for chicken marsala but you can make a substitute that tastes similar.
15 Sides To Serve With Chicken Marsala
Thinking of serving chicken marsala for dinner, but you’re not sure what sides go with it? Check out these 15 awesome sides for chicken marsala for you to try!
Ingredients
Directions
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