A scallopine (or scallopini) is a type of Italian dish consisting of thinly sliced meat, dredged in flour in a rich sauce. Everything is done in the same pan. The sauce is usually some sort of wine reduction with vegetables and herbs added to it. Sometimes cream is added. Chicken Marsala (Scaloppine di pollo al Marsala) is made from thin chicken pieces sauteed with mushrooms, garlic, and dry marsala wine. Chicken Piccata, another well-known scaloppine, is made with chicken, mushrooms, garlic, capers, and artichoke hearts in a lemon wine sauce. Similar preparation. The flour that the meat is dredged in helps thicken the sauce as does the cold butter stirred in at the very end.
I was 15 when I started cooking the line at Natalie’s, a second-generation Italian Restaurant in a small town just north of Boston. Chicken Marsala was one of the first dishes I learned to make and it was probably the reason I fell in love with cooking in restaurants. As a kid in a kitchen, making Chicken Marsala (and other Scallopine type dishes) was fun! It was the kind of dish that shot flames a foot high and begged you to toss the ingredients into the air with the shake of the pan. It was action-packed and a little dangerous! You had to mise en place your ingredients because once you got started there is no time for chopping, and “mise en placing” was what the pros did. On a commercial range with everything prepped, it came together in 5-10 minutes. And when there were 6-8 pans of all different scallopini going at once, timed for different tables, that’s when a young cook finds out what they are made of. One either enters a flow state or panics. I was hooked on the adrenaline.
At home, on a non-commercial range, this dish will feel less exciting than it does on a fast-paced line in a restaurant kitchen. And that’s ok (maybe even a relief). You are unlikely to shoot flames as long as the booze lands in the pan and it will take about 30 minutes from start to finish including prep time. That being said, their still enough action to keep you in the moment. The chopping can all be done in the morning or before guests come over making it a quick and easy meal for weeknights or dinner parties. Just note that 4 servings are about all you can fit in a 12-inch skillet. If you are making Chicken Marsala or any type of scallopine for more than 4 guests you’ll want to split it between 2 skillets.
Steps to making Chicken Marsala and other Scaloppine-type dishes:
- Mis En Place all your ingredients – chop garlic, chop parsley, chop mushrooms and all other vegetables, thinly slice and dredge your meat in flour. Open the wine, measure out the broth, etc. Have everything at your finger tips ready to go.
- Heat the pan, dry, until it is piping hot.
- Add the oil. If the pan is hot enough, the oil will immediately start dancing around.
- Shake the excess flour from the meat and carefully lay the pieces in the pan. They should all be in a single layer.
- Once golden brown on one side, flip. When golden brown on that side, remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- Add the garlic, and almost immediately, the mushrooms and any other vegetable that is going in. (the pan is very hot and the garlic will burn in seconds if you’re not careful)
- Add the wine, reduce by half.
- Add the tomato sauce and broth (or whatever other liquid you are using). Stir. Place the chicken back in, the top of the chicken should be uncovered by liquid.
- Continue cooking until the chicken is completely done and the liquid has reduces by about half again.
- Remove from the heat. When the boil stops, stir in a couple thin slices of cold butter.
Chicken Marsala
Description
A delicious scallopine of chicken, mushrooms and garlic in a rich Marsala wine sauce. Serve with a side of pasta, rice or crusty Italian bread.
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into 2–3 pieces each.
1 cup flour for dredging
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb mushrooms sliced
3/4 cup dry marsala wine
3/4 cup marinara sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup minced parsley
3 T oil
1 T cold butter thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mise En Place all your ingredients – chop garlic, chop parsley, chop mushrooms, dredge chicken pieces. Open the wine, measure out the broth, etc. Have everything at your fingertips ready to go.
- Heat the pan.
- Add the oil. If the pan is hot enough, the oil will immediately start dancing around.
- Shake the excess flour from the meat and carefully lay the pieces in the pan. They should sizzle right away. If not, let the oil get hot first. The chicken should fit in a single layer.
- Once golden brown on one side, flip. When golden brown on that side, remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- Add the garlic, and almost immediately, the mushrooms and any other vegetable that is going in. (the pan is very hot and the garlic will burn in seconds if you’re not careful)
- Add the wine, reduce by half.
- Add the tomato sauce and broth (or whatever other liquid you are using). Stir. Bring everything back to a boil. Taste it and add salt and pepper. Place the chicken back in, the top of the chicken should be uncovered by liquid.
- Continue to cook on high until the chicken is completely done and the liquid has reduces by about half again.
- Remove from the heat. When the boil stops, stir in the cold butter and parsley.
Notes
If you are using a gas stove, especially one with high BTUs, and the flame comes into contact with the marsala wine it will ignite the entire pan. This can happen if you shake the pan when adding the wine and it sloshes up to the rim. There is no need to worry so long as you have plenty of space between the stove and the range hood or kitchen cabinets. The flames will quickly extinguish. If you are worried though, you can throw a cover on the pan and that will put the flames out.
This was simple and very delicious Kara! Thank you.
I made this dish and it was delicious! It will definitely go in our dinner rotation.