Chicken Marsala – Instant Pot Style
We eat a lot of chicken in our house because there’s just so much you can do with it. Curry one day, shredded on a pizza, a roast dinner then a dish like this Chicken Marsala – every one with a different taste! This Instant Pot Chicken Marsala also makes use of one of my favourite kitchen gadgets.
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What is Marsala wine?
Marsala wine can be either dry or sweet and is a red wine similar to Port or sherry. It comes from a specific region of Sicily around the city of Marsala and has Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status. This means that it is like champagne – only wine produced in this region can call itself Marsala.
The wine is made from a number of grapes and is usually 15-20% alcohol. There are different types of the wine, depending on colour, sweetness and how old they are. A few examples include:
- Oro – golden colour
- Ambra – amber in colour, has a sweetener in it
- Rubino – ruby colour, uses grapes including Perricone and Nerrello Mascalese
- Fine – at least 1 year old
- Superiore – at least 2 years old
- Vergine – at least 5 years old
Serving Marsala wine
On its own, Marsala wine was traditionally usually served as an aperitif between the first and second courses of the meal. Nowadays, the drier versions are served with spicy cheese, Parmesan, blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola as well as fruits or pastries. Sweeter versions work as dessert wines served at room temperature.
Marsala wine is also used in cooking and the dry version is usually what is chosen. Marsala sauce uses the wine reduced down until it is really thick and has onions or shallots added then mushrooms and herbs. This is the basic sauce behind Chicken Marsala.
Sweet Marsala wines are also used in some famous Italian desserts such as Zabaglione and Tiramisu.
Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
This recipe uses the Instant Pot but there’s no reason you couldn’t adapt it to use a slow cooker or even a sauté pan. I’m just always looking for more ways to use the IP because it is clever and is sitting there on the kitchen bench – got to justify buying those gadgets!!
If you don’t go with the Instant Pot, remember it will take longer to cook because you don’t have that pressure cooker facility. And always make sure the chicken is over 70 degrees C (160 F) before serving. We have a handy little temperature probe to stick into the meat and check before serving!
Chicken Marsala – Instant Pot Style
Make this traditional dish with Marsala wine using the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1.5 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 lbs chicken breasts (pounded to around 1/4 inch thickness)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- 8 ounces Portobello mushrooms
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 3/4 cup sweet Marsala wine
- 3/4 cup chicken stock (broth)
- 1/4 cup double (heavy) cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese (cut into chunks)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
Instructions
- Add the coconut flour, Italian seasoning and powdered garlic into a bowl then add salt and pepper to taste. Stir together
- Put the chicken breasts in a freezer bag and add the seasoning. Seal it up and turn it around so the chicken is coated in the mixture
- Use the ‘Sauté’ function on the Instant Pot on high and add 1 tbsp olive oil. When it starts to bubble, take the chicken from the bag (shaking off any excess coating) and add it to the pot. Make sure it sits on the bottom and doesn’t double up, do it in batches if you need to
- Brown the chicken on each side for around three minutes then lift it out
- Add the butter to the pot and once it is melted, the Portobello mushrooms and red onions. Keep stirring frequently until the mushrooms brown and onion softens, usually around 5-6 minutes
- Add the Marsala wine and chicken stock, scraping around the pan to pick up all those tasty brown bits into the mixture
- Add the chicken and turn off the Instant Pot then pop the lid on it. Set the pressure valve for ‘Sealing’ then use the ‘Manual’ button to adjust the setting to high and cook for 10 minutes
- When it is finished, let the steam release naturally for around 10 minutes then quick release. Turn off the Instant Pot, take off the lid and move the chicken to a serving dish.
- To make the sauce, use around 2 tbsp of the hot liquid from the Instant Pot with the double cream to warm it up, mixing the two together (known as ‘tempering’ the sauce) then add cream cheese and parsley as well as a little salt and pepper. Stir until combined
- Serve the chicken with the sauce over
Notes
You could serve this with vegetables or a potato dish such as mashed potatoes or even a baked potato. And if you are me and like loads of sauce on your chicken, simply increase the amounts to make sure you have more!
