There’s nothing quite like the comfort of roast chicken. But this chicken marsala recipe gives it a soulful, elegant turn. After an overnight in a lemon-and-garlic brine, and a spell in the oven, the bird emerges with skin that shatters under the fork, roasted in duck fat until blistered and golden. Maitake mushrooms, seared until their ruffled edges crisp and their centers go silky, tumble into a Marsala and demi-glace reduction that’s as heady as it is rich. The sauce pools around the chicken like velvet, carrying whispers of caramelized wine and slow-simmered stock. A final sprinkle of fines herbes brightens the plate, lifting its deep flavors into something both grounded and celebratory. It’s the kind of dish that feels slow and generous. The kind of dish you linger over with good company and a glass of wine.
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Chicken Marsala
Description
There’s nothing quite like the comfort of roast chicken, but here it’s given a soulful, elegant turn.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken (Farm 57)
- 1 gal water
- 1 cup Kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 lemons
- 1 bulb garlic
- 1 lb Maitake (Bounty Beneath)
- 6 oz Marsala
- 6 oz demi-glace (store bought or homemade, see below)
- Rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorn sachet
- Duck fat (or tallow) (Joe Jurgielewicz & Son)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Fines herbes (parsley / chervil / tarragon / chive) (Coldco Farm)
Demi-Glace – Glace de Viande
- 50 lb beef bones (Pasture Perfect Farm)
- 10 lb onions
- 5 lb carrots
- 5 lb celery (Haffey Family Farms)
- 3 bulbs garlic
- Rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorn sachet
- Vegetable trimmings – e.g., mushroom stems, asparagus ends, fennel tops, broccolini leaves, etc.
- 15–20 lb chicken feet (Farm 57)
Instructions
Chicken
- Combine water, salt, sugar, sachet, halved lemons, and garlic into a brine. Pour over chicken. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
- Remove from brine, place uncovered on tray. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
- Oil sheet tray with duck fat. Break down chicken into 2 breasts, 2 legs, 2 thighs. Place chicken pieces on the prepared tray. Roast at 450 degrees for 20–30 minutes until skin is very crisp.
- Add 2 oz duck fat to a very hot skillet. Add cleaned Maitakes (reserve trimmings for stock). Cook until golden brown and edges begin to crisp.
- Add Marsala (careful as this will create a flame). Let the flame burn off the alcohol. Reduce the liquid until it begins to become viscous. Add demi-glace, reduce to nappe.
- Remove chicken from the oven, allow to rest on a cooling rack for 5 min. Transfer to a plate, pour sauce and mushrooms over it. Garnish with olive oil and fines herbes.
Demi-Glace – Glace de Viande
- Place beef bones in a stock pot, cover with water, bring to a simmer and leave there for 18 hours.
- Remove from heat, strain into a new pot leaving the bones in the original pot. Recover the bones with water, simmer for 18 hours.
- Add the herbs, vegetables, and trimmings to the beef stock and simmer for 6 hours. After which, strain the vegetables from the stock and continue to reduce.
- After the second wash has simmered for 18 hours, strain and discard the beef bones. Then combine the second wash with the beef stock. Add the chicken feet and simmer for 6-8 hours to reduce and thicken. Strain through a chinois and discard the chicken feet.
Recipe by Philip Call, Jillian’s Restaurant
Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce
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Try more wonderful fall farm-to-table recipes from Chef Philip Call:
Gnocchi with Braised Oxtail and Collard Greens
Rainbow Trout with Fennel and Mushrooms
Pork Chop with Bacon and Pickled Peppers
