Tony Zentgraf
Yes, You Read that Right
Half bottle? You are probably thinking, that is a lot of wine. It is a good amount of wine for a four person dish. The Half Bottle Chicken Marsala recipe is one you will want to make for friends.
But remember, it is called Chicken Marsala, you want the favor of the Marsala wine to be prominent in the final dish. In the cooking process, the wine will reduce by half to three quarters.
The wine will reduce, chicken stock will be added and reduced again. The final dish will be rich with the reduced wine, mushrooms and have a velvety finish.
Serve The Half Bottle Chicken Marsala with a side of mashed potatoes to enjoy with the sauce.
History of Marsala Wine
Chicken Marsala brings to mind an Italian dish at your favorite local restaurant. But digging into the history of the dish starts in Marsala, a town in Sicily Italy where Marsala wine is made Sweet or Dry. Sweet is generally drank with desserts. Dry is used to pair with meat and fish.
Aging Determines Color
Marsala for cooking is usually only aged one to two years. The wine comes in three color levels, gold, amber and ruby. As the wine ages, the more depth of color it develops. Marsala continues to sweeten as it ages and deepens in color. But since Marsala cooking wine is only aged one to two years, it is dryer and pairs well in this dish.
French Influence
Even though the wine comes from Italy, it is believed that the French had an influence in the creation of the dish that we know today. Cooking the dish has techniques of French cooking using a flour dredge and butter for cooking.
It is thought that there was French influence from multiple sources in history. The city of Marsala is on the coast in Sicily and being a sailing port had influence from travelers stopping in Marsala.
There were influences from the French when chefs were brought to Italy in the early 1800s by Queen Maria Carolina she was foreign born and trusted chefs that were from France as it was cuisine she was accustomed to. After the Napoleonic wars, French chefs were brought to Italy as well.
A Taste of Home
So when immigrants came to the United States they were wanting to create the dish they remembered in Italy.
So what we in the United States know as Chicken Marsala seems to have been reinvented over the years and once it made its way to the USA it was reinvented again.
However the dish has evolved and changed over the years, this recipe is one that I think you will enjoy.
The Half Bottle Chicken Marsala
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- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 ea Medium Shallots
- 8 oz Mushrooms sliced
- 2 ea Chicken Breast (cut in half to thin pieces)
- ½ cup Flour mixed with 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper
- ½ bottle Marsala Wine
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- Roux, Beurre Manie or Cornstarch to Thicken (see recipe notes)
Instructions
- Cut the Shallots into ¼" Dice & slice Mushrooms
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to get two breast pieces. Line the cutting board with plastic wrap. (or use a resealable bag) lay the chicken breasts on the plastic and cover with another layer of plastic wrap. Use a kitchen mallet or bottom of a pan to pound out the chicken breasts. They should be about half the size they were originally. Avoid pounding too flat and getting holes in them.
- Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a pie plate or dinner plate.
- Dredge the chicken breasts into the flour mixture.
- Heat a saute pan and add the oil.
- Sear the chicken breast on each side until golden. Remove from the pan and reserve.
- Once the shallots are translucent increase the heat to high. Add the half bottle of Marsala Wine and reduce by half. **Very important to reduce at least by half. This will remove the raw wine flavor and increase the sweetness of the final dish.
- Once the wine has reduced by half. Return the chicken to the pan and add the two cups of Chicken Broth. Keep the heat high on the burner to reduce the chicken broth.
- As the sauce is reducing and the chicken finishes cooking make a Beurre Manie.
Making and using Beurre Manie (reverse Roux)
- Combine 1 stick of softened or melted butter with flour until it becomes a paste like consistency. (You can keep unused portion in the refrigerator for another dish.)
- Once the sauce has reduced by half again, taste the sauce to see if it needs to reduce more or needs seasoning, salt or pepper.
- To thicken, remove the chicken breasts to a clean plate.
- Whisk in a tablespoon of Beurre Manie at a time to allow it to dissolve.
- Roux and Beurre Manie need to cook in the sauce for a couple of minutes to allow it to thicken. So add small amounts instead of one large amount for this dish. This way you can control the thickness while the roux combines. **The Roux will give the dish a butter finish. **If finishing with Cornstarch you can drop a pat of butter to get a butter finish. **Cornstarch on the other hand will thicken almost immediately.
- Return the chicken to the pan and coat in the sauce. Serve with Mashed Potatoes.
