Marsala Chicken Meatballs
Published Sept. 20, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2large yellow onions (about 10 ounces each), finely chopped
- ⅓cup bread crumbs
- 1¼cups dry Marsala wine
- 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1pound ground chicken
- 1pound sliced button or cremini mushrooms
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
502 calories; 27 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 1101 milligrams sodium
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
- 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.
- Step 2
Heat a large (12-inch) heavy skillet or braiser over medium-high, and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 1¾ cups of water and bring to a vigorous simmer. Season with a hefty pinch of salt.
- 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.
- Step 8
Taste and season with salt. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
Also, don't return cooked meatballs to sheet pan they were first on. That's raw chicken. Change out pans.
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!
I wanted to like this recipe and made a number of changes recommended in the comments, but still found this to be average at best. I wonder if pork meatballs might be better - the chicken really lacked any interesting flavor and chicken meatballs tend to be very thin and hard to cook especially in a sauce.
Made it as written. Next time, and there will be a next time, I won't add wine to the meatball mix. I think more contrast between the flavor of the meatballs and of the sauce would make it even better. And I agree with others, chicken stock is always better than water.
Made as written except for chicken broth instead of water. It was ok but a little bland and sauce too thin. Need to add garlic, aromatics and reduce liquids. Will try again with changes.