Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is a Restaurant-Quality Entree That is Perfect for Shabbat Dinners With Your Favorite Guests.

The hardest part of prepping Chicken Marsala is getting the chicken breasts thin enough.  Ideally, ask your butcher to do this.  If no butcher is available, put the breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap.  Pound them with a meat tenderizer tool.  If you have no tool, I found a 28 oz can of tomatoes works almost as well.  As always, thoroughly wash any utensils and dishes (including the can) that come in contact with the raw meat.  This should be done with hot, soapy water.  Do not rinse the chicken before preparing it. If you don’t have anything to flatten the chicken, you can use it as is, although it may require additional cooking time.  While cooking this, I got some small pieces of chicken pretty flat, but the bigger pieces stayed thick.  Nevertheless, my husband said that even the larger pieces “sliced like butter.”  Once the chicken is ready, the rest of the recipe goes pretty quickly.

Chicken Marsala would seem to be an odd choice for a jewish kitchen.  Most recipes call for a mixture of butter and olive oil, and some also suggest adding prosciutto ham.  By eliminating the ham, and substituting Earth Balance for the butter, we get all of the delicious flavors while still following the laws of kashrut.

Do I have to use Earth Balance?

Any type of margarine will work although I particularly like the flavor of Earth Balance.  It is vegan and certified kosher.

Is there a substitute for the Marsala wine?

If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, one possible substitution is a mixture of 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup white grape juice, and 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar.  I have not tested this, so please let me know if you try it.

What can I serve with Chicken Marsala?

Chicken Marsala goes very well with sides of garlicky spinach, asparagus or green beans.  It also pairs beautifully with rice, mashed potatoes or broad noodles.

Is Marsala wine red or white?

It depends.  Some batches are made with red grapes and some with white grapes.

What does it mean to deglaze a pan?

Deglaze is a fancy word that means to add liquid to the pan that was used to cook the meat, and stir up the browned bits on the bottom over low heat.  These bits have a lot of flavor and will really add to your dish, plus make the pan easier to clean.  If someone else has used one of your pans and there is a lot of burned stuff on the bottom, a variation of deglazing will help.  Put some water in the pan, along with a drop of dish soap.  Gently heat the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon until the burned-up stuff starts to come loose.  You may need to do this more than once.

Products used in making this recipe:
OXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Garlic Press
Global G-2-8 inch, 20cm Chef’s Knife

5 from 2 votes

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Chicken Marsala

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 446 kcal

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds chicken breast pounded thin
• 4 tablespoons vegan butter substitute such as Earth Balance
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
• 5 tablespoons Marsala Wine divided
• 2/3 cup chicken or beef stock

Instructions

1. Mix flour and pepper in a shallow dish . Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture to coat.  Shake off excess.

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegan butter substitute with the olive oil.  Add chicken and brown lightly, about 3 minutes per side. Do not crowd pan; cook in batches if necessary.  Remove from pan.

3. Add onion and garlic to pan and saute until tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook until they are lightly browned, 5 minutes.

4. Return chicken to pan without crowding.  Stir in 3 tablespoons of Marsala wine and stock.  Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes.  If you have more chicken, remove first batch to a clean plate, and saute second batch. You do not need to add more wine or stock.

5. When all of the chicken has been cooked, remove  it to a clean plate and whisk remaining vegan butter into pan drippings.  Add remaining two tablespoons of Marsala wine and scrape pan with a wooden spoon to stir up the browned bits.

6. Pour remaining sauce in pan over chicken before serving.

Recipe Notes

This recipe was adapted from 365 Ways to Cook Chicken

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Marsala

Amount Per Serving

Calories 446 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 18g 28%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 145mg 48%

Sodium 502mg 21%

Potassium 1097mg 31%

Total Carbohydrates 11g 4%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 3g

Protein 51g 102%

Vitamin A 12.1%

Vitamin C 10.4%

Calcium 1.9%

Iron 8.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.