Need Recipe for Chicken Marsala and Chicken Picarro (sp?)

I think you're looking for chicken 'piccata', Shawty. Keep in mind that both of these dishes can be made with chicken, pork or veal.

(This is a recipe given to me by a sweet little Italian lady at the laundromat in Cambridge, Mass, where I have gotten some of my most favorite ideas - the language barrier was totally transcended by our love of food!)

Piccata

1/4 cup butter
1 pound veal/chicken/pork scallops (meat pounded thin)
2T flour
1/8 lb. prosciutto, slived very thin and slivered
salt/pepper

To finish: 2T stock, 1T butter, 1T minced parsley, 2 tsp. lemon juice

Heat the 1/4 cup butter in a fry pan; dredge the meat in flour, salt/pepper; place the meat in the pan and cook at high heat for 2 minutes on each side; transfer to a warm platter and keep in a warm place. Place proscuitto in fry pan and cook 3 minutes, keeping it stirred. Remove from the pan and place over the veal/chicken/pork.
Add stock, butter, parsley to the pan gravy, scrap the pan well, cook for 2 minutes, add lemon juice. Pour sauce over meat.
Yield - 4 servings

Marsala

(Have no idea where this came from, but I've been using it for years!)

6T butter
flour, salt/pepper to coat
2 minced shallots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
6 veal/chicken/pork cutlets, pounded thin
6 ounces marsala wine
Parsley for garnish

Melt butter over med. high heat; dredge meat in flour; saute til lightly brown on one side; turn over and add shallots; cook 1-2 minutes; remove from pan. On high heat, add marsala and boil rapidly to reduce; add mushrooms and cook briefly.

Check out Lydia Bastianich's 'Italian-American' cookbook, and look for her cooking shows on PBS - she's a wonderful instructor!

Wait - I'll have to ask my hubbie first!! Enjoy.

Shawtycat,
I have nothing to add to marmalady's recipes...they're absolutely OK!:)
Just my 2 cents: in Italy, these recipes are usually served with a good potato puree. If your hubby is planning to have a harem, I can contribute with it!

Pongi

Hi, Pongi - Was wondering when I'd hear from you re these recipes! I have no idea where they came from, been making them like this for years. Thank you for the validation!!!!

You'd think I was pregant with the horrible cravings I've had lately for marsala anything. Made it 3 times in the past two weeks. Anyway my point for talking here is something has gone wrong with my chicken marsala. help!

I use a recipe from "The classic Italian Cookbook" from Marcella Hazan....I add butter to finish in the reduced wine. It's suposed to thicken abit (it always has in the past) but I bought a new bottle of marsala and have a new frying pan (non-stick) and now my marsala sauce won't thicken.

Is it the pan or the wine?
Oh yeah, I've been sauteing my mushrooms after my chicken is that what's ruining my reduction?

Is the marsala reducing enough? On high enough heat? IMHO, I don't think nonsticks are good for high-heat sauteeing and reducing; don't like 'em, never will!! i don't think the shrooms would make a difference, unless you're not allowing enough time for all the liquid from the mushrooms to cook out. I have been known to cheat a little if my reduction hasn't thickened enough, and add just a little arrowroot slurry at the end - don't tell anyone!

I thought about thickening....but when everything else is ready I don't like to wait.
O.k. that seems to make sense....loose the pan (is the stuff on the bottom of the pan really helping to thicken or just return flavor?). Cause I reduced and reduced it just doesn't thicken and get syrupy......so then I think it's the brand of wine?

Think most restaurants cheat abit and use a thickener? Just asking...thinking about Shawtycat making it in her rest. .

The stuff on the bottom can contribute to the thickening, yes. And if you use arrowroot, it's instantaneous once the liquid is boiling (like cornstarch). As for the wine types, I'll have to leave that to our wine experts!

I don't think it's the marsala as all the brands (good or bad) have the same features and alcoholic content...maybe it's likely you have to get used to your new pan.
In any case, the easiest way to get a well thickened sauce is, simply, leaving the meat scallops into the pan after having added the marsala. You may think that the flour coating could come off the meat, but if you have dredged and cooked correctly the scallops (I mean they must be absolutely dry and the excess of flour must be removed shaking them before cooking) it don't. Only a limited amount of flour will come off the meat, just what you need to thicken the sauce without adding cornstarch or arrowroot, and the "Scaloppine" will end up much tastier.
Of course this way you must cook the shallots before the meat and the mushrooms separately (I don't have this problem as I usually make the Scaloppine plain).
If you use veal meat you must be careful it doesn't overcook: cook it only for few mins before adding the marsala and salt only at the end.

Can I add other 2 cents?

The Piccata and the Scaloppine al Marsala are two of the commonest types of "Scaloppine", a generic name that in Italy indicates all the recipes made with thin meat slices coated with flour and cooked in butter. Other two recipes, very quick and tasty as well, are the:


SCALOPPINE ALLA PIZZAIOLA

Each pound of veal or chicken meat, make a sauce with:
-1 pound chopped fresh tomatoes, or 1 can tomato puree
-1 or 2 garlic cloves, sliced or chopped according to your taste
-1 whole piece of carrot
-1 whole piece of celery stalk
-1 small onion, chopped (optional)
-olive oil
-salt and pepper

Gently fry in oil the vegetables for some mins, add the tomatoes and cook until thick. Remove the carrot and celery.

Dredge the meat in flour and cook in butter for a couple of mins. Turn on the other side, cover the scallops with 2-3 tbsp tomato sauce, sprinkle with minced oregano, cover the pan and cook for other few mins. Place the meat in the dish, pour the reduction on and garnish with black olives or capers if you like.


SCALOPPINE ALLA BOLOGNESE

Make the plain Scaloppine as usual. After having cooked for 2 mins the first side, turn them and put on a single slice of Prosciutto Crudo, then cover with thin leaves of Parmigiano cheese. Cover the pan and cook until the cheese is melted.

If you substitute the Prosciutto Crudo with Prosciutto Cotto and the Parmigiano with Fontina Valdostana cheese, you'll get the SCALOPPINE ALLA VALDOSTANA, that are even better!

This is a "quick" version of the recipe. For the real one, you are supposed to cook completely the Scaloppine, adding some white wine to the reduction; arrange them in a buttered baking dish; cover with the slices of Prosciutto and cheese; pour the reduction on; bake at 350°-380° until the cheese is melted.
The advantage is that you can prepare the dish in advance and bake it just before serving:)
You can also prepare this dish with the Cotolette alla Milanese (dipped in breadcrumbs and fried...suppose you don't need the recipe!) insted of the Scaloppine.
Of course you have to call them "Cotolette alla Bolognese" o "alla Valdostana":) :)

Pongi

What a great contribution Pongi, you made me very hungry!

Healthier Chicken Marsala

:chef:

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine


Directions:

1. In a medium bowl mix the flour, garlic salt, pepper and oregano. Set aside.

2. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until fat bubbles. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and shake off excess. Fry in skillet for 2 minutes or until lightly browned on first side.

3. Turn chicken over and add mushrooms. Cook about 2 minutes, until other side of chicken is lightly browned. Stir mushrooms so that they cook evenly. Add Marsala wine. Cover skillet, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.