Dry or sweet wine for Chicken Marsala

[ChefJune]

Awesome! Thanx Andy. Always looking to broaden my my horizons. Think I will pick up the stuff to make it this weekend.

Jim

One of my all-time favorite things to make and to eat! Veal Marsala!!!!

 

[kitchenelf]

To all who replied to sweet or dry Marsala question. You were so quick to respond and advise me with different opinions. I am so glad I joined this group and will try one or the other and post my results.

Thanks thanks thanks

This goes to show you - it ain't rocket science - it's your taste buds and what YOU prefer. So.......you can deduce that either will work and unless you try them side by side you'll never know which you prefer.

I'm glad you joined us and we hope to see you here often!

 

[keltin]

you can deduce that either will work and unless you try them side by side you'll never know which you prefer.

How incredibly correct you are! I never even thought of that! Good one!

That is to say, they could try either dry or sweet first, and to them that will be Marsala Chicken. They never need go any further. But they could......how profound!

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I made chicken marsala for the first time tonight and the family gobbled it up! I checked this thread before making it and was surprised and intrigued about the dry vs sweet marsala aspect. All I had was sweet so that's what I used. Everyone liked it but about half of my kids said they didn't care for the sweetness that was especially noticeable in the mushrooms. The rest of them love the sweetness especially! So next time, I think I'll make it in 2 pans - half with sweet and half with dry and we can compare them side by side.

 

[kadesma]

I made chicken marsala for the first time tonight and the family gobbled it up! I checked this thread before making it and was surprised and intrigued about the dry vs sweet marsala aspect. All I had was sweet so that's what I used. Everyone liked it but about half of my kids said they didn't care for the sweetness that was especially noticeable in the mushrooms. The rest of them love the sweetness especially! So next time, I think I'll make it in 2 pans - half with sweet and half with dry and we can compare them side by side.

Great idea FM I love Marsala both sweet and dry, but I prefer the sweet. I love that sweetness it imparts to the mushrooms..My whole family does as well..The sweetness is what got Ethan and Olivia into eating mushrooms...I've also used the dry and would not refuse it just because it's dry..I don't think what we use in a recipe should be set in stone..It should be what tastes good to us.I find myself getting tight lipped with someone who just can't bend and accept that we all have different likes and dislikes, and just because I like something different than you do, makes you wrong and me right..Nope we are both right

kadesma

 

[black chef]

i make chicken marsala all the time.

i recommend sweet marsala; namely lombardi or florio (my personal favorite).

brown the chicken & remove from the pan.
remove all but 1 T of the oil.
add-in the mushrooms with a dash of salt & cook til they release their water.
deglaze with the sweet marsala.
add-in about 1/3 cup chicken stock (optional)
reduce to a nice sauce consistency.
add-in the chicken and cover with the sauce.

i eat it over spaghetti or with garlic mashed potatoes.

it doesn't get much easier than that.

lombardi or florio... either one is great for this dish.

 

[Maverick2272]

very good ideas! I think I will try half of each as well and do a taste test!

 

[*amy*]

i make chicken marsala all the time.

i recommend sweet marsala; namely lombardi or florio (my personal favorite).

brown the chicken & remove from the pan.
remove all but 1 T of the oil.
add-in the mushrooms with a dash of salt & cook til they release their water.
deglaze with the sweet marsala.
add-in about 1/3 cup chicken stock (optional)
reduce to a nice sauce consistency.
add-in the chicken and cover with the sauce.

i eat it over spaghetti or with garlic mashed potatoes.

it doesn't get much easier than that.

lombardi or florio... either one is great for this dish.

Your playing my song For the pasta, add some cream & top w Parm & parsley. Heaven! Love shrooms & pasta.

Mushrooms and Marsala

 

[ChefJune]

Your playing my song For the pasta, add some cream & top w Parm & parsley. Heaven! Love shrooms & pasta.

Mushrooms and Marsala

I wouldn't put cream in the pasta to go with chicken marsala... but if you're doing mushrooms and pasta, now that's a horse of an entirely different color!

 

[*amy*]

I wouldn't put cream in the pasta to go with chicken marsala... but if you're doing mushrooms and pasta, now that's a horse of an entirely different color!

My thinking was to add the cream to the sauce after removing the chicken to make the sauce for the pasta. Hope that makes sense. Read/heard some people don't care for mixing flavors (i.e. side dish); but on occasion, I do.

Noticed Andy's link (veal marsala) uses cream in the sauce. Guess it's all a matter of taste. Posted a link for chicken marsala using lemon juice. Will try to locate it & repost.

Another take on CM (interesting read);

Chicken & Mushroom Marsala

CJ, since you're a shroom/pasta lover like me, here's one you might like as a main dish. (Totally unrelated to chicken marsala, but we're just discussin' ):

Linguini with Mushroom Carbonara Sauce#

BC, thanks for the tips on brand names.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Another take on CM (interesting read);

Chicken & Mushroom Marsala

This is the recipe I used last night. I googled quite a few and most I found had the cream added in the sauce. Is that not the usual way? I get a lot of recipes from that site because it always has lots of pictures of each step so I can see what it should be looking like. But I do know they have "unusual" takes on things sometimes, which makes sense since it's by and for engineers.

 

[ChefJune]

Noticed Andy's link (veal marsala) uses cream in the sauce.

I don't use cream in my Veal Marsala, either. never saw it done that way either here or in Italy, but that doesn't mean you can't do it if you want to.

imho, Americans complain about how rich so many foods are, but then add cream to recipes where none existed before. Not casting aspersions, just making an observation. I like cream as much as the next person...

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Thanks June. I would actually prefer not to put the cream in but I didn't know if it was crucial. I can't wait to make it again.

 

[jennyema]

Count me in as one whose never seen cream in a veal marsala recipe, either.

But it might be good that way...

 

[*amy*]

I don't use cream in my Veal Marsala, either. never saw it done that way either here or in Italy, but that doesn't mean you can't do it if you want to....

Same here, CJ - particularly with veal marsala... cause I wanna taste the delicate flavors of the wine & veal (usually thin, in my experience - & politically incorrect ) or chicken. Guess, to each his/her own taste. And... no capers

Think BC, nailed it for me re the brand - as cooking with wine/marsala can be confusing & not knowing what to choose. Can one drink Marsala? Shows you what I know, lol

 

[black chef]

i've had the best marsala results using the lombardi (sweet), but the florio is good.

my favorite italian restaurant here in town uses versasi sweet marsala.

btw, i've also cooked the marsala with cream... i find it actually takes AWAY from the marsala flavor, and i believe that is what you want.

 

[*amy*]

i've had the best marsala results using the lombardi (sweet), but the florio is good.

my favorite italian restaurant here in town uses versasi sweet marsala.

btw, i've also cooked the marsala with cream... i find it actually takes AWAY from the marsala flavor, and i believe that is what you want.

Thank you, BC. I'm taking notes.

Eureka. I found it - re the lemon juice recipe. Okay, I'd leave out the green onions & marjoram - maybe add a shallot? Or not, lol.

Lemon Chicken Marsala

 

[QSis]

Well, I'll be dipped! I didn't know that there WAS more than one kind of marsala! I always pick up my bottle in the same liquor store, on the same shelf, and never looked around.

Keltin (the banned, but missed, Keltin) was correct in saying that whatever you make or had first and liked is probably going to be the "marsala" you think of.

I just looked at my bottle and its sweet! Hmmmph, I LOVE my chicken and veal marsala, but since I prefer to drink dry red wine over the sweet red, now I'm curious about trying dry marsala.

Learn a ton of new things every day!

Lee

 

[black chef]

i got a free bottle of colombo marsala (dry) today.

i went to lunch with some friends and asked the chef, "what brand of marsala do you use to make chicken marsala?" he told me that he likes the florio.

then, i noticed a NEW bottle of colombo marsala on his counter, and i asked, "well, who started cooking with the colombo?" he said, "not me," and then asked his head waiter who put it there.

the head waiter said, "we ordered the wrong marsala," and this ticked off the chef. he looked at me and said, "here, take this bottle home and tell me how it works for you. i'm gonna replace these with the florio right now."

 

[sattie]

I just made chicken marsala this evening... no cream... just marsala and mushrooms/pan drippings from the cooked chicken which was dredged with flour, salt, pepper, dried basil. A bit sweet for my taste, but not too bad.