Using House Marsala Cooking Wine
Italian food recipes can be found everywhere and like Hispanic dishes, they all seem to get lumped into one big category. If you’ve traveled through Italy (I hope to one day!), you probably have noticed the gastronomy is unique to the geography. Culinary nuances vary according to the terrain and differ from northern Italy to the Island of Sicily in the southernmost tip of the country.
Sicilian food is known for its spice and flavor contrasts. A friend of mine here in Vegas sent this family recipe to me, thinking I might enjoy it… boy was she right! This Sicilian chicken recipe made with Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine is a perfect introduction to the Sicilian version of Italian food and exemplifies the flavors found in Sicilian recipes. I’m so happy she suggested it because, in all honesty, I had never cooked with Marsala wine before. I was a little worried about the sharp flavor, but the end result was yummy perfection. As a Mizkan Ambassador, this post is sponsored by Mizkan and Holland House.
Sicilian Chicken Ingredients
8 Chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine
1/2 cup sliced olives (green Sicilian preferred or black olives for milder flavor) – I omitted this ingredient because, despite a great effort, I just can’t get down with the olives.
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Holland House Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh oregano – I used 1 tablespoon dried
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
Sicilian Chicken Cooking Instructions
In a dish pour flour, salt and red pepper – dredge chicken in flour. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm olive oil in the skillet and briefly fry the chicken on both sides, Add Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine and garlic to deglaze the pan. Add olives, Holland House Balsamic Vinegar, oregano, and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese to taste.
Sicilians eat pasta with every meal, so as my friend suggested, I served a heaping pile of whole wheat spaghetti as a side dish with our Sicilian Chicken. Some steamed asparagus rounded out the meal perfectly.
This dish is delicious and I’ve made it several times since my friend shared the recipe with me (thanks, Jami!). One time I used chicken breast, instead of thighs, and it was good… nothing like dark meat, but still very yummy. The kids enjoyed it and I love that you need so little oil or fat since so much flavor is infused with the cooking wine.
Not sure why I was afraid to cook with Marsala before, but I feel like a whole new world of cooking wine recipes are open to me now!
