By Carolyne
3-4 pounds cut-up chicken
½ – ¾ c Marsala dessert wine
1 c boiling water
1 T salt
1 t thyme, crushed not ground
½ t sweet basil and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning
1 t garlic salt
1 T sweet butter
¼ c corn oil
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly under cold running water. Dry on a paper towel.
Melt the butter with oil in a skillet and allow it to turn golden in colour. Turn down the heat slightly, but keep the skillet very hot. Place the chicken pieces skin side down in the skillet and do not move them around. Put in only as many pieces as the skillet will comfortably hold.
When the chicken pieces are quite brown, turn them with a pair of tongs. Allow the bone side of the chicken only about half the length of time to brown as you did for the skinned side. Remove the chicken pieces from the skillet with tongs and place them in a roasting pan that has a cover, placing pieces one on top of another if necessary. When all the chicken pieces are browned on both sides, deglaze the skillet with the Marsala wine, scraping the bottom free of bits of stuck-on skin. Add boiling water and allow it to decrease in volume by about one-third.
Sprinkle herbs and salts over the chicken pieces and then pour liquid from the skillet over top. Cover and place in the oven. Turn the temperature down to 325 F and allow the chicken to cook for about 1-1/2 hours.
Remove the chicken pieces from the hot roasting pan and place on a platter. Keep them warm while you make gravy.
If there is excess fat floating on top of drippings in the roasting pan, pour it off or spoon it off. Make a paste from 3 T of flour and some of the drippings, in a small dish. Gradually add the remaining liquid from the roasting pan. Stir until married. Return the gravy to the roasting pan or a small pot and cook, stirring constantly, on top of the stove until thickened. This mixture must be completely cooked in order to break down the flour and make it digestible.
This for people who like old-fashioned flour gravy. I prefer to scald cream until it thickens and stir it into the drippings, folding gently. But careful about re-heating so it doesn’t curdle.
Serve the gravy in a separate container.
Serve this fabulous chicken with fluffy white Basmati rice or mashed, whipped potatoes.
Garnish the serving platter with large sprigs of parsley and lemon wedges.
Bonus: The fragrance that fills the house for about 48 hours is as delicious as the meal.
Finish up the meal with a complementary Marsala dessert. Try making the so-simple sabayon or zabaglione. Make it the regular way with your favourite white wine, but just before serving, spritz it with Marsala and fold.
Serve in stemmed shot glasses, sitting on odd leftover saucers that don’t necessarily match (you saved them and you didn’t know why), with a sprig of fresh basil and topped with brandy-soaked fresh half-strawberries. This dessert is best served at room temperature. If you have tiny little coffee-spoons, this is a great opportunity to use them, placed delicately on the side of the saucer. You can place a lace doily on the saucer for special occasions to add a little glam.
The working title for Carolyne’s Gourmet Recipes cookbook is From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks. This kitchen-friendly doyenne has been honoured and referred to as the grande dame of executive real estate in her market area during her 35-year career. She taught gourmet cooking in the mid-70s and wrote a weekly newspaper cooking column, long before gourmet was popular as it is today. Her ebook, Gourmet Cooking – at Home with Carolyne is available here for $5.99 US. Email Carolyne. Scroll down to the comments at each recipe column. Carolyne often adds complimentary “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen” additional recipes in the Recipes for Realtors Comments section at REM.
