Chicken With Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to use dry or sweet Marsala for Chicken Marsala? ›

Should you use sweet or dry Marsala in your Chicken Marsala recipe? It doesn't make a huge difference, and either option will produce delicious results, but I would go for dry because the sweet Marsala has a bit too much sugar for such a savory dish.

Like other fortified wines such as port, sherry, and Madeira, Marsala is made by adding a distilled grape spirit to a base wine to bolster its alcohol content — typically between 15 and 20 percent ABV — thereby “fortifying” it to extend its shelf life.

A lighter-bodied red wine such as a Valpolicella or Pinot Noir is ideal for this dish because it will allow the chicken and mushrooms to shine through without competing with them too much. If you're looking for something more robust in its flavor profile, try a Chianti or Rose.

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.

Marsala Sauce:

3/4 cup dry Marsala wine. 1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or stock) 3/4 cup heavy cream (thickened cream, evaporated milk or half and half may also be used)** 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley.

noun. mar·​sa·​la mär-ˈsä-lə often capitalized. : a fortified Sicilian wine that varies from dry to sweet and is often used in cooking.

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.

The best chicken marsala wine pairing is with lighter red wine types or a full-bodied white wine. Red wine examples include Malbec and Pinot Noir, and white wines include Riesling or Chardonnay. Chicken marsala is naturally savory and creamy, so your wine selection should be based on complementary flavors.

What is the difference between Chicken Marsala and chicken francese? ›

Chicken Francese shares the same basic preparation as Chicken Marsala, but foregoes the Marsala wine and mushrooms in favor of a white wine and lemon-butter sauce.

As with all fortified wine, Marsala is supplemented with a distilled spirit — in this case, it's usually brandy.

Marsala sauce traditionally calls for a spoonful of flour to act as a thickening agent, but mascarpone is thick enough to preclude the need for flour. It's thus a great option if you're looking for a gluten-free marsala sauce.

Consider Non-Alcoholic Options:

You can replace Marsala with a combination of white grape juice, vanilla extract, and a splash of vinegar to achieve a non-alcoholic, sweet yet acidic profile.

The signature ingredient in Marsala Chicken is the Marsala Wine. When making Chicken Marsala, it is recommended to use dry Marsala wine, which adds a savory and subtly tangy flavor to the finished dish, complementing the richness of the creamy mushroom sauce.

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

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.

Obviously by now you know that yes, you can drink Marsala wine. Remember, for cooking, you can use the younger, much less expensive variety. But for the best Marsala wine for drinking, you can splurge on the more expensive, aged stuff.