Chicken marsala stuffed mushrooms recipe

by Jon Sullivan - 2019-10-08 - Food

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I love the idea of using scooped out mushrooms as a bowl filled with various things for appetizers.

I remember first discovering chicken marsala in an Italian restaurant I waited tables in during college. The recipes there were mainly from the owners mother. Perhaps more New York Italian, but I don't know for sure. What I do know is that it was delicious and deeply satisfying. For me it's a favorite comfort food. Chicken and mushrooms are obviously a great combination. Marsala wine is wonderfully unique and sweet. The umami flavors from the mushrooms and tomato paste are wonderful. And as a bonus it's super simple and quick.

This version isn't classic chicken marsala, but it's still a great looking appetizer. Note that for the version in the photo I used the wrong cheese. Just ignore that. I'll swap the photos out the next time I cook it. Smoked gouda was an awesome idea in my brain, not so much in reality.

I suppose you could use big portobellos for this rather than regular button mushrooms, but I've never tried that. I like the idea of smaller app sized portions. The amounts below are for 6 mushrooms, I usually cook for 1-2. So be sure to scale that up if you're doing a big party.

This recipe works great with leftover chicken or turkey. If you go that route, add the chicken at the same time as listed, but obviously you don't need to cook it, so just heat it through.

Heat the marsala in a medium high pan to reduce to 1/3. Pour that into a bowl, whisk in the flour until it's dissolved, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375.

You need to precook the mushroom "bowls" a bit, as the final step is just to melt the cheese. Scoop out the stem and center to form a bowl. Reserve everything you scoop out for the next step. Don't scoop away too much of the sides or bottom or your bowl will collapse. Brush the entire mushroom with olive oil and cook on a foil lined pan for 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on them and take out if look like they are cooking too fast. You don't want them to lose structural integrity, and they will cook a wee bit more after you take them out. Set them aside when done.

Chop the reserved mushroom bits. Melt 1 tsp butter in a pan. Add the chopped mushrooms and leave them alone while they brown.

After the mushrooms are browned, add another 1 tsp butter, the chicken, and cook through.

Add the shallot, capper, garlic, tomato paste, and oregano. Mix well and cook until the shallots are translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Re-whisk the reduced marsala and flour, and pour that into the pan with everything else. Mix constantly as it thickens.

Add the lemon juice, mix well, and taste. You may need to add more lemon, but it's a careful balance. You need enough acid to balance the sweetness, but not so much the lemon overpowers. Go slow and add more if needed.

Spoon the chicken mixture into each mushroom and try to mound it up a bit. Place the sliced mozzarella on top. You can break it up if needed. You may have extra chicken mixture, just eat it when no one is looking.

Place the mushrooms under a broiler and cook until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. These look like you should pick them up with fingers and eat. But they will be crazy hot inside. So I suggest a knife and fork.

1 cup marsala
1 tsp flour
6 large regular mushrooms
olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chicken cubed, small
2 tbsp minced shallot
1/2 tsp minced caper
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp minced fresh oregano
salt
pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
thinly sliced mozzarella

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