Grilled Chicken Marsala

Traditional Chicken Marsala is usually battered or pan seared using a flour based breading which adds a lot of fat and calories.  Traditional Recipes also use a large amount of butter.  My mission was to eliminate these ingredients to create a healthier but still tasty and enjoyable dinner.  I believe I have succeeded but only my fellow fans and chefs could be the ultimate test on the verdict.  Make this recipe and let me know what you think.


Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Marsala:


- 1 Package Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts
- Olive Oil
- 8 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
- 2 Large Shallots (Minced)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- 1 bottle Sweet Marsala Wine
- 1 Carton Chicken Stock
- 2 Package Baby Bella Mushrooms (Sliced)
- 1 box Farfalle Pasta
- Parsley

First thing needed to be done to make this recipe is to marinate the chicken for grilling.  To do this, mix the chicken with Olive Oil (enough to coat all the chicken), 8 minced cloves of garlic, and a liberal amount of salt and pepper.  8 cloves seems like a lot but it will be well worth it as it will flavor the chicken tremendously.  Let marinate for about 1 hour.  


When the chicken has 15 minutes left to marinate begin heating water for pasta. While waiting for water to boil, heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a large saute pan.  Add shallots and saute until sweated.  Add mushrooms and let simmer until softened, mixing once every minute.  This should take about 5 minutes.  Once softened add 1 1/2 cups of Marsala Wine and heat on high flame until boiling.  Continue to boil until reduced to half the original amount mixing occasionally.  While waiting for this to happen, add pasta to boiling water and then begin to grill the chicken.  Because the chicken is marinated in oil, there will be a lot of flare up when chicken goes on grill.  Be sure not to forget to put the extra garlic from the marinade on chicken once on grill.    The chicken will cook very quickly.  Back over at the saute pan, once wine is reduced, add chicken stock 1 cup at a time.  Wait until stock reduces to add more.  You should use no more than 3 cups depending on how saucy you want the chicken.  This will take a while.  Add about 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, salt, pepper, and minced parsley to sauce.  Taste the sauce as you go.  If its losing the Marsala taste add more wine in small amounts.  Once you are happy with the consistency and amount of sauce (it should be thick), reduce to a simmer and add the grilled chicken.  You now have two options.  You can simmer over a flame or put in oven at about 300 degrees until ready to serve.  Don't forget about your pasta during all this.  You want the pasta to be Al Dente.  This means it should still be a bit firmer then fully cooked pasta but not hard.  Put chicken over pasta and pour sauce over.  Enjoy!!  You will be surprised just how fulfilling this dish is. 

A couple of notes on the recipe
-  You can also cook chicken on an indoor grill pan but olive oil will not burn off so you will end up with more of an oily chicken.  This is not necessarily bad but just be aware is will add fat to the dish.
-  I like to add a little bit of grated Parmesan cheese to the top of the dish afterwords as it adds an extra flare to the dish.
-  If possible go to a liquor store and use a real Marsala wine and not one from the cooking wine aisle of the supermarket.  It will make a world of difference.  I use sweet Marsala wine as opposed to the dry type.

Turkey Burger Sliders

I decided to make Turkey Sliders because I love the current fad of finger food and making things smaller.  Usually you see sliders under the Appetizer/Starters section of a menu.  Appetizers are my favorite course so why not turn an appetizer into a main course.  Works for me!!!  While I was cooking on the grill I decided to make some Grilled Balsamic Yellow Squash which are extremely easy to make. How can you have a burger without the fries?  I simply went to the freezer section of the supermarket for some sweet potato fries.  More on the health facts of sweet potatoes at a later date.

Main Dish
Ingredients for Turkey Slider:
1 Package of Extra Lean Ground Turkey Meat (What I Use)
1 Egg
2 Fresh Shallots (Chopped Fine)
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
Whole Grain Bread Crumbs (What I Use)

Mix all ingredients together (The 4 spices use to your own taste, I use a lot of garlic).  Add additional bread crumbs until meat has a less watery consistency.  The contents will be sticky but you want to make sure it will hold its form when made into patties.  Form into small 1 inch balls and pat down into sliders or buy a slider maker (The Perfect Slider Press)
Grill on medium heat until dark grill marks form on both sides of burger.  If you do not have access to an outdoor grill the oven or a George Foreman Grill will do just fine.

1 Package of Turkey Meat yields about a dozen sliders

A couple of notes on the recipe
 - I used Extra Lean Turkey Meat as opposed to regular turkey meat because it has 1.5 grams of fat per serving versus 7 grams per serving in the Regular Lean Ground Turkey
 - The combination of egg and bread crumbs keep the Turkey moist when cooked.  Without it, the turkey would come out extremely dry.
- If you can't find whole grain bread crumbs, regular bread crumbs are fine but make sure they do not have high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils like most bread crumbs do.
- I topped my sliders with cooked onions, pickle chips, and organic ketchup.  I found this to add an extra flair to the dish.

Sides 
Ingredients for Grilled Balsamic Yellow Squash:
2 Yellow Squash (Sliced the long way about 1/4 inch thick)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Marinate the Squash in the Oilve Oil, Balsamic, Salt, and Pepper for about 30 minutes.  Grill on medium heat flipping one time once dark grill marks appear.  Squash will become very soft but should hold together.

A couple of notes on the recipe
 - Make sure you oil the grill will grilling spray or brush oil on grill where squash will be because it tends to love to stick to the grill. 

Sweet Potato Fries
I used the McCain Sweet Potato Fries because I love the crinkle cut, but Alexia's Sweet Potato Fries or comparable are fine.  For these just read the back of the bag!!