Classic Chicken Marsala | An Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does chicken Marsala use sweet or dry Marsala wine? ›

However, when we tried both styles in recipes for chicken Marsala, mushroom stuffing, and zabaglione, tasters preferred the dry style in all instances. Though both were acceptable, tasters found that dry Marsala offered more depth of flavor, while sweet Marsala added sweetness and some flavor but wasn't as complex.

A general ratio to work with is 2 tablespoons flour for every cup of liquid. Start by adding a little bit, then cook, stirring, for a few minutes to allow the sauce time to thicken and cook off the raw flour taste; if the results are minimal, add more.

For savory dishes where a dry Marsala wine is indicated, dry versions of sherry or Madeira can be employed as a good substitute. For sweet Marsala wine, look to sweet sherry or Pedro Ximénez to provide a similar depth of flavor.

Dry Marsala is typically used for savory entrées where it adds a nutty flavor and caramelization to beef tenderloin, mushrooms, turkey and veal. Sweet Marsala is typically used to make very sweet and viscous sauces. You'll commonly find it used in desserts such as zabaglione and main dishes with chicken or pork loin.

To make this recipe a little lighter than your traditional Italian chicken marsala, you will see that I've created this recipe using full fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream.

To make the perfect marsala wine substitute for chicken marsala, replace ½ cup of marsala wine with ½ cup chicken stock, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and one teaspoon of sugar. Mix the chicken broth mixture into your recipe exactly the same way you would add the marsala.

If you prefer a white wine, opt for chardonnay or pinot grigio, both of which are crisp and will play up the creaminess and nuttiness of the dish. Chicken Marsala is often served with pasta, rice, or roasted potatoes.

While both chicken piccata and chicken Marsala are cooked in the same way, there are a few key differences between the two dishes. Chicken piccata isn't creamy. It's cooked with white wine, chicken broth, capers, and lemon juice. It's tangy and bright instead of rich and creamy.

Can I use cabernet sauvignon for marsala? ›

She recommends avoiding heavy Cabernet Sauvignons and other full-bodied reds as a direct swap as these risk overpowering the final dish.

Butter does not provide any thickening to a sauce, since it is made of just fat and water. But a chunk of butter, salted or unsalted, swirled into a sauce at the end, can temporarily emulsify a sauce, while adding richness and sheen, all of which are good things.

Sauces are the melding of ingredients, including stocks, wine, aromatics, herbs, and dairy, into a harmonious taste. Most small sauces are based on the principle of reduction, cooking down various liquids with aromatics, wine, and herbs to meld, concentrate, and balance the flavor and consistency.

There are multiple versions, we usually only see “Fine” Marsala which is young, aged only 1 year, and in either “dry” or “sweet”. Dry Marsala is actually mildly sweet, and sweet Marsala is, well, sweet. Dry Marsala isn't really dry, it's just lightly sweet.

3.0Use it all the time for making chicken marsala. Also goes pretty well with homemade fudge brownies.

Made from specially selected grapes, Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine has a dried fruit and caramel flavor and sweet aroma.

If you're preparing a sweeter dish, she suggests reaching for sherry, Moscato, or Port as an easy swap. You could even try a potent dry red tossed in with a bit of sugar and an orange peel as a comparable substitute.