Marsala Chicken Meatballs

By Carolina Gelen

Published September 19, 2024

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,442)
Comments
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Chicken Marsala is an Italian American classic consisting of seared pounded chicken that’s smothered in a sweet-savory Marsala wine mushroom sauce. For more spoon-ability, this crowd-pleasing dinner replaces the thin cutlets with tender chicken meatballs, simmered in a similarly indulgent Marsala sauce. Ground chicken is very lean, so to ensure a perfectly moist bite, Marsala-soaked bread crumbs and extra-virgin olive oil are added to the meatball mixture. For a flavor-packed fond, take the time to brown the onions and mushrooms; the time spent will pay off. This recipe is dairy-free as written, but if you’d like to finish the dish with a few knobs of butter or a splash of heavy cream, the sauce will certainly accommodate the additional richness.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 large yellow onions (about 10 ounces each), finely chopped

  • ⅓ cup bread crumbs

  • 1 ¼ cups dry Marsala wine

  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 pound ground chicken

  • 1 pound sliced button or cremini mushrooms

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

31 grams carbs; 98 milligrams cholesterol; 508 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 1102 milligrams sodium; 26 grams protein; 9 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To a medium bowl, add 1 cup of chopped onion, plus the bread crumbs, ¼ cup wine, 2 tablespoons olive oil, a hefty pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper; mix until combined. Add the chicken and mix until combined. Form the meat mixture into 14 balls (about 3 tablespoons each), setting them on a sheet pan or plate.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a large (12-inch) heavy skillet or braiser over medium-high, and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

  3. Step 3

    Sear the meatballs for 2 to 3 minutes, until a dark brown crust forms on the bottoms, then flip, and continue searing for 2 minutes on the other sides. Return the meatballs to the sheet pan or plate.

  4. Step 4

    Adjust heat to high. Add the remaining onions to the skillet and cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until golden, translucent and slightly darker on the edges, about 6 minutes, turning the heat down as necessary.

  5. Step 5

    Add the mushrooms and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced in volume and slightly darker in color. Sprinkle the flour on top, mix to coat the mushrooms and onion and continue cooking for 1 minute, lowering the heat as needed.

  6. Step 6

    Carefully pour the remaining 1 cup of wine into the skillet while constantly stirring. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pan and cook for 2 minutes, until the wine reaches a thicker, honey-like consistency. Add 1 ¾ cups of water and bring to a vigorous simmer. Season with a hefty pinch of salt.

  7. Step 7

    Return the meatballs to the skillet. Adjust heat to medium, partially cover and simmer for 12 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the meatballs are cooked through.

  8. Step 8

    Taste and season with salt. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,442 user ratings
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Comments

Caitlin

Very tasty with a few mods: Chop onions for the meatballs finely in a food processor and squeeze out most of the water using a kitchen towel before adding to chicken. Brown the rest of the onions and the mushrooms very well. Do the mushrooms in batches. Add garlic and thyme to the onions and mushrooms before adding flour. Replace water with chicken stock. Finish with a splash of sherry vinegar.

Jamie

Also, don't return cooked meatballs to sheet pan they were first on. That's raw chicken. Change out pans.

Bellaverdi

Very nice result! Delicious with egg noodles. Pretty much followed recipe, though replaced water with chicken stock. My mushrooms from grocery were cut quite thick, so I did a quick rough chop of the entire pack. This is a definite do-over!

Dorothy

I agree that the texture of the meatballs was "fleshy." They almost had the consistency of processed meat. Flavors were just off somehow; maybe the marsala mixed into the meat made it too sweet. Regardless, this was only marginally received by my family - some likened it to a salisbury steak type of meal (which they do not love.) Edible but not worth all the work. Better to make a traditional chicken marsala without much more effort.

Kim

In general it’s a solid recipe base with the spice suggestions. I added alot of ground black pepper which balances it. I made pasta on the side with a couple of tablespoons of ricotta with the reserved boiling water mixed in and a couple tablespoons of the meatball sauce stirred it as well. Delish

DennisD

Meatballs were incredibly moist. I did not have marsala - a dry madeira worked just fine. I found that I needed to add a bit of salt. I think chicken broth would have covered that with added flavor - in Step 6.

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