Hen Marsala – Golden crispy cutlets, wealthy creamy Marsala wine sauce. Comforting but luxurious. Midweek-fast but restaurant-worthy. Economical. Straightforward. The proper meal!
Hen Marsala
Hen Marsala is an Italian-American basic, a type of dishes born from mixing Italian recipes with American tastes. A dish that’s now so beloved that it’s a staple in eating places throughout the States and effectively past.
One chunk is all it takes to be hooked for all times, simply as I used to be!
It’s primarily a variation of conventional Italian scaloppine dishes. A skinny rooster cutlet is coated in flour then pan fried till crispy and golden, then smothered in a wealthy sauce that’s flavoured with Marsala which is a fortified Italian wine.
Marsala is a type of secret weapon substances. A splash of that, and it’s such as you added inventory, honey, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with a contact woody nuttiness into the sauce. The flavour that goes so effectively with rooster, particularly with just a little little bit of cream to complete it off.
That sauce! It’s completely beautiful. Thanks Mr Marsala!
This one’s for the grown-ups 🙂
And in case you’re frightened, no, the sauce doesn’t style “alcoholic” in any respect. The Marsala wine is simmered quickly to cook dinner out a lot of the alcohol, forsaking simply the flavour.
Having mentioned that although, this dish makes use of greater than the same old small splash of wine I take advantage of in different recipes so it’s not one I’d advocate for the children. I’d advocate the Hen in Creamy Mushroom Sauce as a substitute – everybody can get pleasure from that!
Substances in rooster marsala
As famous above, the important thing ingredient in Hen Marsala Sauce is marsala which is a fortified wine (like port) from the Marsala area of Italy. It’s obtained a candy, nutty flavour that’s extra complicated and richer than purple wine.
Use a dry marsala slightly than candy marsala which is extra generally utilized in desserts.
It’s a regular merchandise at liquor shops and whereas premium marsala is costly, there’s no must go loopy right here. The marsala pictured beneath price round $20 however you may decide up bottles for lower than $10. It’s going to final “endlessly” and can be utilized rather than port in dishes like Gradual Cooked Pork Braised Lamb Shanks.
Substitutes – Port wine, sherry, or madeira. For non alcoholic model of this recipe, use Hen with Creamy Mushroom Sauce!
All the things else you want
And right here’s the opposite substances you want.
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Hen breast – 2 giant ones which we break up in 2 horizontally to create 4 steaks in complete. Substitute with 4 boneless rooster thighs.
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Cream – So as to add just a little luxuriousness to the sauce. To scale back energy a bit, you may substitute with evaporated milk as cream is just not the first ingredient on this sauce. The sauce is not going to have the identical creamy mouthful however it would nonetheless have the identical lovely marsala flavour.
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Hen inventory/broth – So as to add savouriness into the sauce. With out it, it’s simply missing a little bit of flavour.
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Eschalot / French onion (known as shallots within the US) – I like utilizing eschalots on this dish as a result of they’re sweeter and likewise finer so that they sort of meld into the completed sauce higher, slightly than having chunky lumps of onion. Nevertheless, you may substitute with 1/2 small onion OR 1/4 cup of the white a part of inexperienced onions (break up in half lengthwise then slice into 1cm / 1/3″ squares).
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Mushrooms – White mushrooms or Swiss brown/cremini. Whichever you favor!
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Butter and oil – For cooking the rooster and making the sauce. We would like the butter for flavour, nevertheless it burns if we solely use butter so it’s finest to make use of oil as effectively.
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Flour – So as to add a beautiful golden crust on the rooster that the sauce can cling to!
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Garlic – As a result of…garlic!
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Parsley – Simply an elective garnish!
How you can make Hen Marsala
Hen Marsala is made by cooking the rooster first till golden and crispy. Then it’s put aside on a plate whereas the sauce is made in the identical pan (we would like all these tasty rooster drippings within the sauce!) , then added again into the sauce on the finish simply to heat by way of once more.
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Pound rooster Lower every breast in half to type 2 skinny steaks (so you’ve gotten 4 in complete). Cowl with a freezer bag or Go-Between and pound to 1 cm / 0.4″ thickness utilizing a meat mallet or rolling pin. Go-between is like cling wrap nevertheless it’s thicker and doesn’t stick with itself. Bought alongside cling wrap on the grocery retailer, it’s helpful for conserving stacked meals within the freezer from sticking to one another, and defending meat from being broken when pounding.
Why we pound the meat – To make the rooster even thickness so it cooks by way of evenly in addition to tenderising it.
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Season and dirt – Sprinkle the rooster with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle with flour and evenly rub it throughout the floor together with your arms.
Shake off extra flour earlier than cooking, else you’ll find yourself with plenty of extra flour within the pan which is able to burn.
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Sear rooster – Soften the butter and warmth the oil in a big non-stick pan over medium excessive warmth. When the butter is foamy, cook dinner the rooster for 4 minutes till golden and crispy. Flip the rooster then cook dinner the opposite facet for two minutes or till the rooster is cooked by way of.
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Take away the rooster onto a plate and put aside whereas we make the sauce in the identical pan. It’s going to quiet down however that’s okay as a result of we reheat the rooster within the sauce simply earlier than serving.
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Make sauce – Utilizing the identical pan, as a result of we would like all of the tasty flavour left by searing the rooster, soften the remaining butter and oil. Sauté the eschalots and garlic for simply 1 minute – this provides them a head begin in addition to flavouring the butter/oil. Then cook dinner the mushrooms till they soften – this takes round 4 to five minutes.
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Cut back marsala – Subsequent, quickly simmer the marsala for a couple of minutes till it reduces by half. This not solely cooks out a lot of the alcohol flavour but in addition reduces and concentrates the flavour.
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Creamy and thickened – Pour within the cream, salt and pepper. Then simmer for 3 to five minutes or till the sauce thickens to a cream consistency. Initially the sauce shall be fairly pale however it would darken because it reduces.
Don’t let it scale back and thicken an excessive amount of as we’re simmering it for an additional 1 minute to re-warm the rooster and the sauce thickens a stunning quantity because it cools when serving.
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Re-warm rooster – Put the rooster into the sauce and let it simmer for 1 minute, simply to reheat. Don’t neglect to pour in any juices pooled on the plate – by no means waste free flavour!
What to serve with Hen Marsala
A sauce this good requires some type of starchy automobile for sauce soaking / mopping. Mashed potato (pictured), creamy polenta, pasta (lengthy, brief, small), even rice. I can completely see myself serving this with garlic butter kale rice!
For a blow-out Italian meal, add a Mega Italian Salad and Garlic Bread on the facet. Should you’ve made the salad earlier than, you’ll perceive the identify! – Nagi x
Watch how you can make it
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Hen Marsala
Prep: 10 minutes
Prepare dinner: 15 minutes
Mains
Italian, Italian-American
Servings4
Faucet or hover to scale
Directions
Hen escalopes:
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Pound – Lower every breast in half to type 2 skinny steaks. Cowl with a freezer bag or Go-Between (Notice 5) and pound to 1 cm / 0.4″ thickness utilizing a meat mallet or rolling pin. This tenderises and ensures even cooking of the rooster.
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Mud – Sprinkle the floor with half the salt, pepper then flour. Evenly rub flour throughout floor, flip and repeat with remaining salt, pepper and flour. Shake extra flour off every bit simply earlier than cooking.
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Prepare dinner – Put half the butter and oil in a big non-stick pan over medium excessive warmth. As soon as the butter is melted and foamy, place rooster in, then cook dinner for 3 to 4 minutes till it is gorgeously golden and crispy. Flip and cook dinner the opposite facet for two minutes. Take away onto a plate.
Creamy marsala sauce:
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Sauté aromatics – In the identical pan, add remaining butter and oil. As soon as butter is melted, add eschalots and garlic. Prepare dinner for 1 minute.
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Prepare dinner mushrooms – Add mushrooms. Prepare dinner for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Cut back marsala – Add marsala, flip up warmth to excessive and boil for 3 minutes or till diminished by half.
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Thicken sauce – Add rooster inventory, cream, salt and pepper. Stir, then decrease warmth so it is simmering (not boiling quickly) and simmer for 3 to five minutes till the sauce thickens to a cream consistency (not too thick, will thicken extra).
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Rewarm rooster – Nestle rooster into sauce and depart for 30 seconds to reheat.
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Serve! Take off the range. Sprinkle with parsley, serve over starchy automobile of alternative (I selected mash. Rice, small pasta, polenta or bread for plate mopping additionally work effectively!).
Recipe Notes:
2. Eschalots work finest right here as a result of they’re sweeter and likewise finer so that they sort of meld into the completed sauce higher. nonetheless, you should use 1/2 small onion OR 1/4 cup of the white a part of inexperienced onions (break up in half lengthwise then slice into 1cm / 1/3″ squares.
3. Marsala is an Italian fortified wine (like port), you will get a 750ml/25oz bottles for $10 or much less (although they run up a lot greater for premium!). It’s the important thing flavouring within the sauce – depth of flavour, complexity, heat and contact of sweetness. Use dry marsala slightly than candy marsala which is extra generally utilized in desserts.
Sub with port wine, sherry, or madeira. For non alcoholic model, higher to make Hen with Creamy Mushroom Sauce!
4. To scale back energy, use evaporated milk as a substitute of cream, an identical quantity. The mouthfeel will clearly be rather less luxurious however you’ll nonetheless get the beautiful marsala flavour!
5. Pounding – Go-between is like cling wrap however thicker and doesn’t stick with itself. Helpful for freezing issues in layers and likewise defending meat with pounding. Freezer bag serves similar function. Use the scary (tough) not easy facet of the meat mallet. Don’t have one? Use a rolling pin or something comparable (can! hammer!)
Leftovers will hold for 3 to 4 days within the fridge. It’s going to freeze nice however I’m not likely a fan of freezing cooked breast items.
Diet per serving, assuming 4 servings.
Diet Info:
Energy: 524cal (26%)Carbohydrates: 16g (5%)Protein: 36g (72%)Fats: 28g (43%)Saturated Fats: 13g (81%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 2gMonounsaturated Fats: 11gTrans Fats: 0.3gLdl cholesterol: 146mg (49%)Sodium: 638mg (28%)Potassium: 877mg (25%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin A: 756IU (15%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 46mg (5%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Lifetime of Dozer
I spent this morning in a pictures studio with a staff of execs capturing recipes for {a magazine}. Dozer got here. A lot meals, so many individuals to harass. He was in his factor! (And his conversion fee was extraordinarily excessive).
Pictured beneath with Rob Palmer (photographer) and Emma Knowles (stylist). I really like working with these two!
