You have a correct Liz, there is a classic Italian dish called Chicken Marsala, which typically calls for mushrooms, along with Marsala wine etc.

This recipe for "Chicken Marsala" is called this, simply because the sauce is made with Marsala wine and it is poured over chicken. If you don't like mushrooms then this sounds like this one might be right up your alley :-)

As for dredging, this is used to help seal in moisture and also to help thicken the sauce. Hope this helps!

I found this product at my local "Fresh Market" a 1.5 ounce package makes 4 cups of stock. After reducing the Marsala I added about a quarter of the package and added water until I had the sauce consistency I wanted. Much better than the regular stock I used before

What type of oil is the best oil to use for frying the chicken? The grapeseed oil? Or olive oil? Flax seed oil?

Check out the pan frying lesson, in particular topic 4, as this topic talks specifically about this. Cheers!

I did view this lesson beforehand. However, the lesson doesn't specify what type of oil to use - just one that can withstand high temperatures. I'm looking for specific guidance on which type of oils to use for pan frying.

In that topic (topic 4) there is a drill-down called smoking points of oils. There you will find some recommended oils. There is also tons of discussion about this under the "discussion" tab in the pan frying lesson. Cheers!

I've never had Marsala wine before so I didn't know what to expect. When I tasted it right out of the bottle, I freaked because it was so sweet and strong, even for me, and I had no back up plan for dinner.

Suffice it to say, the strong odor and sweetness of the Marsala was tamed by its reducing along with the stock and that dab of heavenly butter and parsley at the end.

I'm blown away yet again,that Rouxbe was able to expand these finicky taste buds to horizons never dreamed of.

It was a sacred moment when the buds hit my spirit and I just wanted husband and son to shut the heck up so I could go undisturbed while in this culinary utopia.

You now have my undying trust for future recipes I'd never in a million years try because I "hate" certain ingredients.

Heck, I might even end up liking mushrooms and peppers. No doubt a major feat if you can help me pull those off.

Thanks Rouxbe, I really do love you and what you have done for me.

I just joined the cooking school and this was the first recipe I tried because I had all the ingredients. I always keep marsala wine around for tiramisu. The brand I use is called, "Gambarelli and Davitto" private stock marsala and it is only $4 at Safeway. It tastes great for both tiramisu and this recipe. I also added mushrooms since I read that someone suggested that. It was delicious! I love the tangyness that the marsala adds to the sauce. I can't wait to try some more recipes!

is marsala wine available in groceries?.... and if no marsala wine can i use another whine instead? and what is recommended substitute, if no marsala wine? pls help im looking forward to cooking this on for my husband.

You could use any wine you wish; however, the recipe is no longer Chicken Marsala at that point. It is the Marsala wine that makes this recipe.

Marsala is available at most chain grocery stores in the US. Even our pokey local market has bottles running from US$4 to US$8.

As I said at the beginning, you could use any wine you wish to make the sauce. You could even use--carefully--Whisky, Rum or Tequila. At that point, though, I call it something like Margaritaville Chicken for truth in advertising. :-)

Yes, Joe is correct. Without the Marsala, it is no longer Chicken Marsala. Here is a good link that will help you with many food substitutions. Cheers!

And it was a hit! Didn't have time to simmer to reduce and had doubled the ingredients, wish I had because this time I used my home made roast-dark chicken stock. I had to BOIL everything to reduce as I was on a time crunch.

Still it was fabulous! Next time I'll start earlier. Had it with my PERFECT-EVERY-TIME rice (learned from Rouxbe, of course) and the recipe for green beans, pine nuts and cambozola. It took great willpower to walk away from the remaining left-overs. (I've probably gained about 25 pounds since I started using this site)

Is there a big taste difference between simmering the stock to reduce and having to boil it when you are running low on time?

Thanks Rouxbe!

Just wanted to add one more thing I learned today. Of course you say this somewhere on your videos, but now that I made this mistake twice, it warrants bringing it up here-cause some folks may do the same thing I did.

After I cut the chicken pieces in half, I didn't "pound/flatten" the thicker ones flatter to match the thinner ones. Which made cooking everything evenly problematic. So I ended up with some chicken overcooked and some undercooked.

Great lesson today as I finally got this now from experience. Now I know what that meat tenderizer hammer is for. I mean I already knew on some level, but really got the lesson driven home today being so hurried for time.

There's nothing like practice to work out the "kinks" in your understanding.

As a general rule, it is better to simmer and reduce a stock or pan sauce than to boil it. For example, if making a pan sauce with aromatics, you know what happens to food when it is boiled as shown in the Submersion Cooking Methods lesson. Not only will the aromatics possibly change texture/disintegrate or cloud the sauce, some chefs say they can tell a big difference in flavor (pay attention to see if you can tell). Of course, if time is a factor, sometimes you have to do what you have to do...but in general, slower, gentler cooking is better with certain things. Good for you for just going for it and getting the job done. Cheers!

I love this recipe as well, but my family wants more of the sauce! Doubling the ingredients takes a great deal of time to reduce. Can any of the sauce be prepared in advance or is it necessary to wait until there are sucs in the pan?

You can double the ingredients for the sauce. Reduce the stock in advance, which will cut down on the cooking time (reduce 2 cups down to 1 cup). You'll still need to deglaze with the Marsala and let that reduce though. Keep in mind that by doubling the sauce, there won't be as many sucs to flavor the doubled amount of liquid, but it will still be good. Hope this helps!

I'm really glad I asked the questions because I just learned a boat load more than I didn't know I needed to know.

My family is the same, we want more sauce! I know there is a way around this with the suc factor.

Hum, maybe reduce my roasted chicken stock down by 1/4 next time before freezing? If I'm starting out with a concentrated roasted chicken stock, then perhaps the suc factor would take care of itself? and I can have more sauce?

Or just start de-bone-ing my own dang chickens and freeze the scraps for extra sucs, (tempered and pan fried right along with my chicken breasts)?

Whatcha think?

There are a million ways to skin a cat, as my aunty says. You can tackle it however you like, but just keep in mind that this "a la minute sauce" may take longer than necessary for this supposed-to-be-quick dish.

Personally, I also love sauce and used to wish there was always more...but, over the years I have learned that less is sometimes more. Things don't have to be swimming in sauce - sometimes just enough to tease your palate is enough to keep you wanting to make the dish over and over again. But really, it's up to you. Happy cooking! :)

Dawn, is prudence your middle name?

I can see how just a little too less sauce could tantalize your taste buds and freshen up your sex life!

Hum, am getting a bit too fat since I found Rouxbe...Yet it will take a lot of contemplation to give one up for the other!

My middle name is not Prudence...but my first name is Kimberley :)

Cheers!

Wow! I knew we were in for something special when I taste tested the not quite ready sauce and it was amazing!

The finished dish was simply outstanding! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Second night using my new stainless cookware and things have gone swimmingly!

Thanks, Rouxbe staff for all your help, guidance and encouragment! You folks are the best!

Ha! Sorry Kimberly, I just caught that. I can be a bit slow.

I have not yet made my own dark sauce and won't have the time to do so before preparing this dish. I like my pan sauces on the thicker side. Mostly for control so that when you spoon the sauce on the entree it does not run and cover the entire plate. I like the sauce to stay on the entree and not run into other side dishes on the plate.
I know from past experience that store bought sauce does not produce the thicker pan sauces regardless of how much reducing you do.
Is there a way I can trick up a store bought sauce to acheive the thicker sauce?
Could I add a bit of slurry during the reducing process?
Should I dredge the chicken breasts in flour first?
If I dredge the breasts will this reduce or alter the sucs I am looking for?
Thanks in advance for answers!!

First of all, you are correct that typically, store bought stock does not reduce well. In fact, most store bought stock actually becomes overly salty if reduced so we would strongly discourage trying to make quality pan sauces from store bought stocks.

As for a shortcut, you could try enhancing your stock by caramelizing some small diced onions, carrots, celery and leeks (mirepoix) in a pot until they are slightly browned, then add a tablespoon of tomato paste, then a dusting of flour. Then pour over the store bought stock and simmer for an hour or so to cook out the flour and tomato paste. This is like making a short stock (some process, see lesson on short stock). This should add some thickness to the sauce. Depending on your store-bought stock, this still might be a bit salty so taste it before you overly season the final sauce and chicken. Then strain this stock and use in the recipe where it calls to add the stock. It should be a bit thicker now and provide a better base (due to the tomato paste and flour).

I do want to re-iterate that this will not produce the best quality dish. There are no quality restaurants that I know of that will use store bought stocks for pan sauces. We strongly suggest that you try and make your own stock, particularly when making a dish that is really just based on a pan sauce, such as this one. Making stock is effortless work that just takes a bit of time and the results and final sauces for any pan-sauced dish will be remarkably better. In fact, my guess is that you will never attempt a pan sauce without your own homemade stock in the future, once you make the real deal.

Hope this helps - cheers!

Unfortunately I ran out of time to even attempt your short stock version. So I am just going to have to roll with what I got and see what I can do. I am adding mushrooms to this dish so I'm thinking I may add just a dusting of flour just before I add the store bought stock and see where that gets me.

I will definetly have to find some time to make my own stock. Sounds like a snowy cold weekend project.
Thanks again!