The Hirshon Conclusive Chicken Marsala – Pollo alla Marsala

My beloved Citizens of TFD Nation! I fear that I am hurtling through an abyss of physical and mental anguish with a torn rotator cuff in My shoulder that is incredibly painful, plus Major Depressive Disorder that simply will not stop rending Me to quivering mental shreds of agony. So, as therapy, I have codified one of My favorite comfort recipes straight from the bouffant 80’s – the Italian-American continental restaurant classic that is chicken marsala (or veal, which I prefer)! Join this retro moment with Me as we hurtle down memory lane (in 80’s pennyloafers)! This post will be brief by necessity, My apologies.

Chicken marsala (Italian: pollo al marsala or scaloppine al marsala) is a dish of chicken escalopes in a Marsala wine sauce. It is a variation of traditional Italian scaloppina dishes, of which there are many varieties throughout Italy. The dish dates to the 19th century, when it may have originated with English families who lived in western Sicily, where Marsala wine is produced.

Slices of chicken breast are coated in flour, briefly sautéed, and then removed from the pan, which is then used to make a Marsala reduction sauce. The sauce is made by reducing the wine to nearly the consistency of a syrup while adding garlic. The sauce is then poured over the chicken, which has been kept in a warming oven, and served immediately

An almost certainly apocryphal (read: false) legend about the invention of veal marsala states it was created by 19th century Italian food critic Roberto Giovanni who, after first tasting chicken marsala, thought it would taste much better with the meat of a more tender animal (I agree, BTW). Rather than give a negative review to the dish in the next day’s food write-up. Giovanni began saving and scrounging up every single penny he could until one day he bought the biggest veal farm in Italy.

He then debuted veal marsala by offering small plates of his creation to select chefs who had criticized his reviews of them in the past, with words like “let’s see you do better.” The chefs were immediately so infatuated with the dish that they were compelled to sign decades-long contracts granting Giovanni’s farm exclusive veal supply rights in exchange for being able to prepare his dish in their restaurants.

The BIG problem with this amusing story and even the preceding description of the history of chicken marsala – there is ZERO record of this dish in classic Italian cuisine.

None. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

As such, let us instead discuss the flavor foundation of the recipe which most definitely has a well-documented family tree in Italy (more accurately, Sicily). The surprising hybrid of Sicilian and British roots, the preferred victory tipple of the mighty British Navy – marsala!

So what exactly IS marsala wine, anyway?

Glad you asked!

Marsala is a fortified wine, dry or sweet, produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala first received Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status in 1969. The European Union grants Protected designation of origin (PDO) status to Marsala and most other countries limit the use of the term Marsala to products from the Marsala area. While unfortified wine is also produced in the Marsala region, it does not qualify for the Marsala DOC.

Marsala fortified wine was probably first popularized outside Sicily by the Liverpool merchant John Woodhouse. In 1773, he landed at the port of Marsala and discovered the local wine produced in the region, which was aged in wooden casks and tasted similar to Spanish and Portuguese fortified wines then popular in England. Fortified wine in Marsala has always been made using a process called ‘in perpetuum’, which is similar to the solera system used to produce Sherry in Jerez, Spain.

Woodhouse recognized that the in perpetuum process raised the alcohol level and alcoholic taste of this wine while also preserving these characteristics during long-distance sea travel. Woodhouse further believed that fortified Marsala would be popular in England. Marsala indeed proved so successful that Woodhouse returned to Sicily and, in 1796, began its mass production and commercialization.

In 1806, it was Benjamin Ingham (1784–1861), arriving in Sicily from Leeds, who opened new markets for Marsala in Europe and the Americas. Founded by Benjamin Ingham and later run by Joseph Whitaker and William Ingham Whitaker. Joseph and his brother inherited vast vineyards and their great grandfather Ingham’s banking empire.

In 1833, the entrepreneur Vincenzo Florio, a Calabrese by birth and Palermitano by adoption, bought up great swathes of land between the two largest established Marsala producers and set to making his own vintage with an even more exclusive range of grape. Florio purchased Woodhouse’s firm, among others, in the late nineteenth century and consolidated the Marsala wine industry. Florio and Pellegrino remain the leading producers of Marsala today.

Marsala is produced using the Grillo, Inzolia, Catarratto and Damaschino white grape varietals, among others. Marsala contains about 15–20% alcohol by volume. Different Marsala wines are classified according to their color, sweetness, and duration of their ageing. The three levels of sweetness are secco (with a maximum of 40 grams of residual sugar per liter), semisecco (41–100 g/L), and sweet (over 100 g/L). The color and ageing classifications are as follows:

• Ambra has an amber color. The coloring comes from the mosto cotto sweetener added to the wine
• Oro has a golden color
• Rubino has a ruby color, made from red grape varieties such as Perricone, Nero d’Avola and Nerello Mascalese
• Fine is aged at least one year
• Superiore is aged at least two years
• Superiore Riserva is aged at least four years
• Vergine and/or Soleras is aged at least five yearsVergine and/or Soleras Stravecchio and Vergine and/or Soleras Riserva is aged at least ten years

Marsala wine was traditionally served as an aperitif between the first and second courses of a meal. Contemporary diners will serve its drier versions chilled with Parmesan (stravecchio), Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and other spicy cheeses, with fruits or pastries, and the sweeter at room temperature as a dessert wine. Marsala is sometimes discussed with another Sicilian wine, Passito di Pantelleria (Pantelleria Island’s raisin wine).

Marsala wine is frequently used in cooking, and is especially prevalent in dishes served in Italian restaurants in the United States. Dry Marsala wine is used in savory cooking. A typical savory Marsala sauce, for example, involves reducing the wine almost to a syrup with onions or shallots, then adding mushrooms and herbs.

One of the most popular Marsala recipes is chicken marsala, in which flour-coated pounded chicken breast halves are braised in a mixture of Marsala, butter, olive oil, mushrooms, and spices. Marsala is also used in some risotto recipes. Sweet Marsala wine is used to produce rich Italian desserts such as zabaione, tiramisu and shortcake.

Now, as to the highly-murky history of chicken/veal marsala:

As noted on frankiebones.com:

The town of Marsala is found on Sicily’s western tip. It served as a major port city after the fall of the Roman Empire. Marsala wine, the classic ingredient in all recipes, was produced in this part of Sicily but was primarily a regional drink.

Marsala wine owes its renown to a storm which, in 1773, forced John Woodhouse, a rich and famous merchant of Liverpool, to land his ship in the port of Marsala instead of Mazera del Vallo where he was going to close a business deal. When he landed in this Sicilian town, in order to celebrate his lucky escape, Woodhouse went to a tavern where he tasted “Perpetuum,” the strong local wine.

It was similar to Madeira or Port, which were greatly appreciated by the English people. He decided to buy a large supply of the wine which he transported to England. He fortified it with spirits to prevent spoilage. All the barrels of this fortified wine were sold in a few days and convinced Woodhouse to return permanently to Sicily in order to develop the new business.

At the end of the 18th century, Marsala wine was habitually drunk on all Her Majesty’s ships. Admiral Nelson used to celebrate his victories with Marsala wine, and just after the great victory at Trafalgar the Marsala became known as the “wine of victory.” A sauce using Marsala wine might be traced back to the introduction of French chefs into high Sicilian culture in the early 1800s by Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily (a sister to Marie Antoinette). As Queen, she did not believe the local cuisine to be sophisticated enough for her court.

Although it has Italian roots (via those imported French chefs) it never really caught on in Italy. However, it became a truly Italian American dish served in restaurants across America even though you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant serving it in Italy. Chicken and veal Marsala was originally immigrant fare. The dish enjoyed throughout America is the product of immigrants recreating flavors from their childhood (the sauce), but with access to different ingredients (veal, chicken).

I believe that Frankie Bones nailed it – this is an ITALIAN-AMERICAN dish, made by immigrants and broadly adopted throughout that community and eventually, all of America to the point where it became (like raspberry vinaigrette) a maligned trope of 80’s restaurant dining. Today, it is far less popular, but no less delicious!

While the story of Roberto Giovanni’a invention of veal marsala may be a falsehood, I DO agree the dish is far more succulent and delicious made with veal and that is how I prepare it in My home – but I understand chicken is cheaper and many people have ethical issues eating veal (FYI, what we get in the US isn’t actually veal, which is made from a calf that has only been fed from its mother’s milk – it’s actually just made from teenage cows and ethical farms don’t cage the animal anymore to ensure tenderness).

I have titled My recipe the CONCLUSIVE version as it is simply unmatched in flavor due to several ingredients and techniques I have added for supreme savor! First off, I use Knorr Aromat instead of salt as it adds a much greater hit of umami – I’ve replaced salt in many recipes with it to great acclaim. You can buy it from Amazon here. I also call for demi-glace to add additional richness to the sauce, which is reduced for complexity and impact – grab this quality product from here.

I have also added several different herbs in precisely calibrated amounts to add layers of flavor and also cook in a very specific sequence to build up a complex foundation of tastes that can ONLY be achieved in this fashion – please don’t deviate from them! Most modern American adaptations of the sauce call for adding cream to achieve silkiness (the Italian version has none) – I concur with the idea completely, but reduce the amount to really let the marsala shine through.

That said, PLEASE do not soil your palate with cooking marsala, it is unbearably salty, a hideous abomination and an affront to the Almighty and Myself in equal measure. Please stick with a DOC dry marsala for this recipe – you simply can’t go wrong with this bottle. Lastly, to add color to the sauce and add yet another layer of flavor, I use Kitchen Bouquet. Don’t sneer, this is a seriously good liquid vegetable base and the secret to most gravies and dark brown sauces of repute – get it here.

I hope you enjoy this recipe blast from the 80’s past – as well as this musical relic!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

The Hirshon Conclusive Veal or Chicken Marsala – Vitello o Pollo alla Marsala

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• Author: The Generalissimo

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Ingredients

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• For the Cutlets:
• 1 ½ lbs. veal cutlets (strongly preferred by TFD) or boneless skinless chicken breasts, either should be pounded ¼-inch thick
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. Knorr Aromat (or Kosher salt for the original, but Aromat works better)
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (add more if needed for the mushrooms)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil (add more if needed for the mushrooms)
• ***
• For the Hirshon Conclusive Marsala Sauce:
• ¾ cup dry Marsala wine (look for a good imported Italian marsala, classified as DOC and Reserva)
• ¾ cup homemade (preferred) or boxed low-salt chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. demi-glace (TFD addition, the classic recipe does not use it – but it should)
• ⅓ cup heavy cream (if you prefer a creamier sauce, increase to ½ cup)
• 1 Tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet (TFD addition, the classic recipe does not use it – but it should)
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. minced fresh rosemary (TFD addition, the classic recipe does not use it – but it should)
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh sage (TFD addition, the classic recipe does not use it – but it should)
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon (TFD addition, the classic recipe does not use it – but it should)
• 3 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (TFD addition, the classic recipe does not use it – but it should)
• 8 oz. thinly-sliced mushrooms of your taste – button or cremini are the classics
• Knorr Aromat (or kosher salt for the original, but Aromat is better) and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
• ***
• a few sprigs fresh thyme, for garnish (classic recipe would use chopped fresh Italian parsley)

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Instructions

1. Place the flour, Aromat, and pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the cutlets to the bag; seal bag tightly and shake to coat evenly. Set aside.
2. In a large frying pan (preferably cast iron), heat butter and olive oil over medium high heat until sizzling.
3. Cook cutlets in batches to avoid overcrowding in the pan as needed. Brown the cutlets on each side (2-3 minutes on each side). Remove the cutlets from the skillet and set it aside, keeping it warm.
4. Cook the herbs until very soft (don’t let them brown!), then add the mushrooms – add more butter and oil if needed. Remove and reserve.
5. Add the shallot and garlic to the pan, cooking until they are softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
6. Sprinkle flour over the shallots and garlic, stirring well to combine and cook off the raw flour taste, approximately 90 seconds – you’re making a light roux here to help thicken the sauce. Add the reserved mushrooms and herbs.
7. Slowly pour in the Marsala wine, continuing to stir to avoid lumps, then add the chicken broth and demi-glace.
8. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until it has reduced by half, roughly 10-12 minutes.
9. Stir in the heavy cream and Kitchen Bouquet, then let the sauce simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes until it thickens to your desired consistency.
10. Add cutlets to plates, cover with the sauce and garnish with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Serve immediately with a side of lightly sautéed haricot verts green beans.