Difference between revisions of "Chicken Marsala"

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[[category:Jpfan01's Recipes]][[category:Italian]][[Category:Chicken]][[category:Noodle]]
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__FORCETOC__
  
Submitted by [[:category:Jpfan01's Recipes|Jpfan01]]
 
  
I love Chicken Marsala. I had it a couple times at a local Italian restaurant and decided I could do it myself. The only thing I was never really fond of in the recipe was how thick and syrup like the sauce was. My recipe isn't that way, but I added a section at the end to show you how to achieve that result if you really want it. To each their own. Either way this is a recipe I was surprised was not on GWS yet so I figured I would share my version.
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''There is [[Chicken Marsala (Jpfan01)|another chicken marsala recipe]] on the wiki by Jpfan01.''
  
==Ingredients==
 
  
*Chicken breast
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''Recipe by: [[:Category:Crusty Nutsack's recipes|Crusty Nutsack]] Uploaded by [[:user:Drimble Wedge|Drimble Wedge]]''<br>
*1/2 Cup Sherry
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<br>
*1/3 cup Sliced/Chopped Onions
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<br>
*3/4 Cup Marsala
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<br>
*1/4 Cup Beef Stock
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[[Category:Alcohol]][[Category:Chicken]][[Category:Dinner]][[Category:Main Course]] [[Category:Mushroom]]
*2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
 
*2-3 Cloves of Garlic diced.
 
*1/2 teaspoon of Salt (Salt to your taste though.)
 
*1-2 Tablespoons of Pepper (Again to your taste.)
 
*1 and 1/2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
 
*1/2 Tablespoon Lemon
 
*1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce.
 
*2 tablespoons of Butter.
 
*1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
 
*Splash of Whipping Cream
 
*Ground up parsley or parsley flakes.
 
  
==Method==
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This is not chicken marsala.
  
*Ok First thing. THAW THE CHICKEN. Let it thaw while you do everything else or you will be really annoyed waiting for it to thaw. Just toss the breast in a big steel bowl and let it sit. I'm only using one chicken breast while I took the pictures but you can do two without having to change anything in the recipe at all.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty1.jpg]]
  
[[image:pad1.jpg]]
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This is ''definitely'' not chicken marsala.
  
*Take some oil and throw it in your pan with 1 tablespoon of butter, the diced up garlic cloves, and heat it up so it's sizzling.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty2.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marbutter.jpg]]
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Chicken marsala is not gloopy, gooey, rouxy, beige crap. It should be a deep, rich and complex sauce, with no stock in sight. Stock is for people who are too cheap or scared to use an entire half bottle of marsala. Don't be one of those people.
  
* Next we need to make the mixture were going to coat the chicken with. Mix the garlic powder, flour, and pepper together into a mixture like so:
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This is based on the Cook's Illustrated recipe, which has been probably the best recipe of theirs I've made -- especially considering how hit or miss they can be. The keys are no stock, using sweet marsala, and caramelizing the tomato paste.
  
[[Image:Marmixture.jpg]]
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This is the marsala I use. Don't buy the cheapest shit available. Make sure the bottle says sweet, as opposed to dry. If it doesn't say either, it's too shitty to use, buy one that says sweet. This brand makes a half bottle size that is the perfect amount for this recipe. Note, this isn't expensive either, this half bottle is about $6. This is also the pancetta I use for this recipe, from Trader Joe's. I love the homogeneous little bits for sauces, plus it's the right amount for the half bottle of marsala.
  
*This would also be a good time to throw the penne into the boiling water as well. 12 ounces is more than enough noodles for two very full plates.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty3.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marpenne.jpg]]
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Start by prepping about 2 pounds of chicken breasts. Instead of pounding them I just butterfly or slice in half horizontally because it's easier. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then into a pan with a little olive oil over medium to medium-high heat depending on the thickness of your chicken. Get some color on them, do not be afraid of color! Color is your friend. Color is flavor. Do not cook sad white chicken. You will need to do this in 2-3 batches so you do not crowd the pan. When cooked move to a plate.
  
*After dipping the chicken into the powder and coating it well throw it into the pan with the oil and butter. Keep the mixture don't throw it out.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty4.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marsimmer.jpg]]
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To make the sauce, add 4 oz of diced pancetta to the pan over medium heat. Do not wipe any delicious chicken fond out of the pan! Let the pancetta render and crisp for a couple minutes, then remove it, leaving a couple tablespoons of fat in the pan.
  
*You want to brown both sides lightly. Depending on the thickness the times may very but if the slices are 1/2-1 inch thick 4-5 minutes on each side should be enough to brown both sides and cook the chicken through thoroughly. After they are cooked set them aside on a paper towel or on a plate.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty5.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marbrowned.jpg]]
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Into the pancetta fat, add your sliced mushrooms, about a pound. Turn the heat to medium-high and saute a few minutes until browned. If there's liquid pooling in the pan and they're boiling, then turn the heat up. You want them to brown, not boil. Once browned, add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste and 3 cloves of garlic, crushed.
  
*You don't want to clean the pan out though. You want to leave all the browned pieces of butter, oil, mixture, and garlic in the pan.
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tomato poop
 
[[Image:Marbrownleft.jpg]]
 
  
*At this point the penne noodles should also be about done. I cook mine Al Dente, so they are firm but not hard. It takes a little practice to get the texture just right.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty6.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marboil.jpg]]
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Stir that all around to distribute the tomato paste, then cook it over medium to caramelize it. It'll only take a couple minutes, but it turns darker and will have a nutty, richer smell and kind of coat the bottom of the pan:
  
*Pour the 1/2 cup of sherry into the pan with the browned left overs. Also add the chopped onions.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty7.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marsherry.jpg]]
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Once caramelized, add your marsala, 375 ml or about 1.75 cups. Here's me pretending to be the Pioneer Woman with a pointless pouring-in photo:
  
*Pour 3/4 cup of the Marsala Wine into the pan as well. I use generic Marsala wine. If you want to go buy fancy stuff be my guest. I don't think it's necessary to buy super fancy stuff for a recipe to turn out well.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty8.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marmarsala.jpg]]
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Now simmer that for a while (after scraping up any fond of course). Add your cooked pancetta back in at some point. Reduce it until it's as thick as you like, really. We like a lot of sauce, so I left this one a bit thin, but normally I like it a bit syrupy. Once it's reduced nicely, take a couple tablespoons of cold butter and whisk them into the sauce one by one. This will thicken the sauce slightly and add a bit of substance. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon, and taste. I rarely add salt because the pancetta is usually salty enough. Once the sauce is the way you like it, add your chicken pieces back into the sauce (with any of their juices) to heat through, and top with a good bit of fresh parsley.  
  
*Add the 1/4 cup beef stock
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[[image:Marsalacrusty9.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marbeefbroth.jpg]]
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Now hopefully this whole time you've been making mashed potatoes and green beans, right? Serve with those things and good bread.  
  
*Add the 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty10.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marredwine.jpg]]
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Bonus if you mash your potatoes with the best potato masher in the entire universe which is my absolute favorite thing in my kitchen:
  
*Add the 1/2 Tablespoon of Lemon.
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[[image:Marsalacrusty11.jpg]]
  
[[Image:Marlemon.jpg]]
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Now go forth and make good chicken marsala and educate others that they've been eating gloppy flavorless shit.
 
 
*Add the 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce.
 
[[Image:Marwhor.jpg]]
 
 
 
*Add the 1/2 Tablespoon Sugar.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marsugar.jpg]]
 
 
 
*Add salt and pepper to taste and mix it up real well. Now you're going to have to let this reduce for a few minutes. If you don't let it reduce it you will notice the alcohol taste in the meal and it's disgusting.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marreduce.jpg]]
 
 
 
*After you have let the marsala reduce and a splash of whipping cream, no more than a tablespoon at most.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marwhip.jpg]]
 
 
 
*Once the mixture is heated up real well and reduced you are going to add the chicken breast back in and let them simmer for about a minute on each side in the mixture. This will let them absorb the flavor. Once that's done take them out and place them on a plate.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marsimmer2.jpg]]
 
 
 
* Now we need to thicken up the sauce a little bit. Remember that mixture I told you to keep? Sprinkle about a tablespoon or two of it and mix it into the mixture so it will thicken a tiny bit.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marmixtureadd.jpg]]
 
 
 
*Drop the noodles that you strained into the mixture and mix it under high heat for a couple minutes to heat them up real well.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marnoodlesauce.jpg]]
 
 
 
*If you notice I'm cooking in a wok. I cheat. I cook a lot of things in a wok so I don't mix it when I can toss it!
 
 
 
[[Image:Martoss.jpg]]
 
 
 
*Once the mixture has heated up it will also be a little thicker and you want to make sure the noodles are coated real well before you take them out. They should look like this:
 
 
 
[[Image:Marcoat.jpg]]
 
 
 
*Toss the now finished noodles onto the plate with the chicken. It looks good, but it's kind of bland. It needs a little color.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marplate.jpg]]
 
 
 
*Take the crushed up parsly or you can use flakes. It's not going to make a difference if you use the flakes, but some people are just stuck up. It's a garnish more than anything. It adds a little color to a very neutral colored dish. It just looks better and more appetizing.
 
 
 
[[Image:Marfinal.jpg]]
 
 
 
===Thick Sauce===
 
 
 
If you want to have that real thick almost syrup type sauce you only have to do one thing to the sauce at the point where you would normally be letting it simmer to reduce itself. All you need to do is add a Demi-glace to it. You can buy premade Demi-glace or you can make it yourself by combining equal parts of beef and espagnole. If you want to go even one step further than that espagnole is fat and wheat flour diluted with beef stock.
 

Latest revision as of 06:39, 7 February 2012


There is another chicken marsala recipe on the wiki by Jpfan01.


Recipe by: Crusty Nutsack Uploaded by Drimble Wedge



This is not chicken marsala.

Marsalacrusty1.jpg

This is definitely not chicken marsala.

Marsalacrusty2.jpg

Chicken marsala is not gloopy, gooey, rouxy, beige crap. It should be a deep, rich and complex sauce, with no stock in sight. Stock is for people who are too cheap or scared to use an entire half bottle of marsala. Don't be one of those people.

This is based on the Cook's Illustrated recipe, which has been probably the best recipe of theirs I've made -- especially considering how hit or miss they can be. The keys are no stock, using sweet marsala, and caramelizing the tomato paste.

This is the marsala I use. Don't buy the cheapest shit available. Make sure the bottle says sweet, as opposed to dry. If it doesn't say either, it's too shitty to use, buy one that says sweet. This brand makes a half bottle size that is the perfect amount for this recipe. Note, this isn't expensive either, this half bottle is about $6. This is also the pancetta I use for this recipe, from Trader Joe's. I love the homogeneous little bits for sauces, plus it's the right amount for the half bottle of marsala.

Marsalacrusty3.jpg

Start by prepping about 2 pounds of chicken breasts. Instead of pounding them I just butterfly or slice in half horizontally because it's easier. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then into a pan with a little olive oil over medium to medium-high heat depending on the thickness of your chicken. Get some color on them, do not be afraid of color! Color is your friend. Color is flavor. Do not cook sad white chicken. You will need to do this in 2-3 batches so you do not crowd the pan. When cooked move to a plate.

Marsalacrusty4.jpg

To make the sauce, add 4 oz of diced pancetta to the pan over medium heat. Do not wipe any delicious chicken fond out of the pan! Let the pancetta render and crisp for a couple minutes, then remove it, leaving a couple tablespoons of fat in the pan.

Marsalacrusty5.jpg

Into the pancetta fat, add your sliced mushrooms, about a pound. Turn the heat to medium-high and saute a few minutes until browned. If there's liquid pooling in the pan and they're boiling, then turn the heat up. You want them to brown, not boil. Once browned, add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste and 3 cloves of garlic, crushed.

tomato poop

Marsalacrusty6.jpg

Stir that all around to distribute the tomato paste, then cook it over medium to caramelize it. It'll only take a couple minutes, but it turns darker and will have a nutty, richer smell and kind of coat the bottom of the pan:

Marsalacrusty7.jpg

Once caramelized, add your marsala, 375 ml or about 1.75 cups. Here's me pretending to be the Pioneer Woman with a pointless pouring-in photo:

Marsalacrusty8.jpg

Now simmer that for a while (after scraping up any fond of course). Add your cooked pancetta back in at some point. Reduce it until it's as thick as you like, really. We like a lot of sauce, so I left this one a bit thin, but normally I like it a bit syrupy. Once it's reduced nicely, take a couple tablespoons of cold butter and whisk them into the sauce one by one. This will thicken the sauce slightly and add a bit of substance. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon, and taste. I rarely add salt because the pancetta is usually salty enough. Once the sauce is the way you like it, add your chicken pieces back into the sauce (with any of their juices) to heat through, and top with a good bit of fresh parsley.

Marsalacrusty9.jpg

Now hopefully this whole time you've been making mashed potatoes and green beans, right? Serve with those things and good bread.

Marsalacrusty10.jpg

Bonus if you mash your potatoes with the best potato masher in the entire universe which is my absolute favorite thing in my kitchen:

Marsalacrusty11.jpg

Now go forth and make good chicken marsala and educate others that they've been eating gloppy flavorless shit.