Sunday, May 17, 2009

Chicken Marsala

I really enjoy Chicken Marsala and will frequently order it in a restaurant. I don't know what it is, but lately I've been terribly disappointed in the flavor of the dishes I've been served. They just don't seem to taste Marsala-y enough for me. And I swear, one restaurant substituted white wine for the Marsala, a big no-no if you're craving a particular flavor!

I've tried a couple of home recipes; they've been just okay, but not worth repeating. I was beginning to think that perhaps this is a dish best prepared and served in a fine restaurant. Until...in my little $2.99 cookbook, I found this keeper. This recipe does not call for mushrooms or onions that I traditionally associate with this dish, but it doesn't need it. The person(s) who developed this recipe pared the ingredients down to the essence of what makes this a delicious and repeatable Chicken Marsala.

Chicken Marsala
By The Confident Cooking Promise of Success

4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups chicken stock (14 oz can works just fine here)
1/3 cup Marsala wine (not the cooking wine)
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cream
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a heavy frying pan and add the oil, then add the chicken. Cook the chicken over medium heat until cooked through and golden in appearance. Remove the chicken from the pan, place on a dish, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm. Pour off any fat that remains in the pan.

Add the butter and garlic, stirring over medium heat for about two minutes. Try to scape up any little chicken bits for added flavor. Add the chicken stock and Marsala; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about five minutes.

In the meantime, combine the flour, cream and Worcestershire in a small bowl to make a slurry; stir out any lumps. Once the liquid in the fry pan has been reduced, carefully stir in the slurry, and continue stirring over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens.

Taste sauce for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. Serve hot, poured over chicken.

Very good with broad noodles.

21 comments:

  1. Ahhhh....a delicate sauce for a very tender piece of chicken. I love it! I can smell it here from my house. Hey...I left a LOOOOONG comment on your other site but tis gone this morning so I am headed back there to rewrite it! Thanks for coming by 'my kitchen' today. You are the most interesting woman ever! Have to talk....grin. Okay. I'm off to the gym....was going to take the shepherd for a walk for the carb buster day but with a bear visiting my back yard this morning...I am only exiting this house today in a car! Grin...later kiddo!

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  2. This looks so lovely. I don't share your love for marsala, but I have one that dogs me as marsala dogs you. I love chicken in riesling. We are sisters under the skin. When you get the yen, nothing else will do.

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  3. This is a completely new recipe for me and you have me wondering, what is marsala? What makes it so yummy for you? I'm intregued enough to find out!

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  4. Kristen, Marsala is a type of red wine. It is has very dry, fruity, winey flavor, not one that I would drink on its own but I do enjoy it in this dish. I'm afraid I am too much of a country bumpkin and my palate too unsophisticated to be much of a drinker. I would suggest trying this dish at a restaurant or sampling off someone else's plate before investing in a bottle. I've had this bottle for, oh, a couple of years maybe, and have only used a cup or so.

    Mary, Riseling is a nice crisp flavor. I can see why you like it. I can enjoy a small glass of it when then occasion presents itself.

    I have several wines on the shelf, all used in cooking.

    Champagne...well that's a whole 'nother story.

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  5. BEARS! Trish! It must be that miso soup you have cooking.

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  6. What a nice recipe and it looks so good. I like the noodles with it.
    I am a wine drinker and use it liberally in many dishes. LOL
    I love my food to be as happy as I am! I do love marsala in cooking.

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  7. Katy

    I love this recipe. I cracked up because I made shrimp scampi that used 1/3 cup dry white wine tonight. It smelled so good I decided to pour me a glass!!

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  8. I totally love chicken marsala, although I've only ever used cooking wine. Maybe I'll try the real deal sometime and taste the difference.

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  9. Ooh good! Looks like your posts are coming up for me again. That was so weird!

    Anyway, this looks wonderful! I don't know that I've ever made a REALLY great chicken marsala at home. But I totally know what you mean about being disappointed when ordering it our sometimes...a lot of restaurants tend to make it reeeeeally salty. Yuck!

    Can't wait to try this one out :)

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  10. Chicken marsala is one of my favorites, your dish looks wonderful!! My fave version is tyler Florences.

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  11. Wow! After hearing your description of this recipe, I can't wait to try it out. Your marsala looks delicious!! This is one of my favorite dishes, so I am so excited you posted about it. Sorry that I've been an absent commenter; I just finished up my law school exams and am finally getting around to my google reader.

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  12. Ginger, grins! I LOVE shrimp scampi; Sweetie-Pi will NOT go near shrimp or most seafood (just the occasional scallop). Scampi would be so wasted on him. I could eat a whole portion all by myself--and would!

    Ashely, THE best chicken Marsala I ever had was from a tiny take out joint that is no longer in business. They only served it once a week. My co-workers and I would faithfully order it every week. I can still remember how wonderful it was. They almost made THE best turkey sandwiches on the planet. I still can't duplicate either one. I still grieve their absence.

    Donna, I'll have to check out your friend Tyler's recipe.

    Elyse, I am just glad to see you when you can be here. Good luck on your exams! It's a lot of work. You're almost there. You go girl!

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  13. Linda, LOL on the happy food! Yes, wine does make food happy! I'm going to remember that phrase and use it.

    Lara, my brother (who actually is a better cook than I am!!) just loves the Marsala recipe on the back of the cooking wine bottle.

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  14. Looks great! Glad you found a keeper!

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  15. I've never had this dish before, but saw it on the menu many times. This looks so good. I need to make this one so I can say I've tried chicken marsala.

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  16. Chicken Marsala is one of those dishes that I love, but hardly ever eat. I don't know why, really. This sounds scrumptious.

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  17. Katy Your Chicken Marsala looks just like I like it. What a winner chicken dinner.

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  18. I love chicken marsala. I always use the marsala cooking wine since I've not been able to find any other marsala except that.....

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  19. Thanks for the kind comment. Chicken marsala is a favorite of mine.

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  20. Katy I've always wanted to try Marsala Chicken but was afraid the kids wouldn't go for the mushrooms, Now I don't have to worry about it!! You don't know how happy it makes me that I can make this!! Thank you!!

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  21. I've just resently made chicken marsala and love it. I'll have to give this recipe a try next time I make it.

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