Check out this vegetarian chicken marsala! You can make it with “chicken” cubes or chickpeas, both are fabulous.
I love the creamy, cheesy sauce and the unique flavor of the marsala wine in this vegetarian chicken marsala. And I’m an absolute sucker for noodles, so this is a win for me! I think it just might be my new favorite sauce for noodles. And it’s incredibly easy. Bonus.
What’s your favorite pasta sauce?
Vegetarian Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
1 bag (about 4 cups) Quorn chicken tender cubes or cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup flour
1/3-1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups mushrooms, sliced (I used 4 4 oz. cans)
1-2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup marsala wine (or sherry, or juice)
1/2 cup veggie stock (or cranberry juice)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 box angel hair pasta
Method
Dredge the chicken in flour. Place in the skillet with 2 tablespoons melted butter (add more with each addition if needed) in skillet. Cook over low heat. I used an alternate method for the chicken because the babies were up, and I didn’t want the hot splatter action. I dredged the chicken in butter and flour (really I threw it all in a bowl after thawing the chicken and shook it up, along with the salt, pepper and garlic salt, which I added). Then I put the chicken on a cookie sheet and into the oven. This way was super easy and it seemed to work out about the same (as you don’t really need to “brown” fake chicken).
Adding more butter if needed, saute mushrooms and garlic in the same skillet. When the mushrooms are done use a slotted spoon to remove the mushrooms and place them on top of the chicken.
Use the marsala wine to deglaze the pan then stir in the stock/juice. I used a combination of sherry and cranberry juice. This was mainly because I didn’t want to buy Marsala just for this dish. Also, because the recipe called for the wine and “stock,” I thought the cranberry juice and sherry would complement each other better and be more, um, Marsala-y. It worked well. Bring to a boil then reduce the temperature. Spoon 1/2 of the sauce over the chicken. Top the chicken with cheese and bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
While the chicken is baking prepare angel hair noodles. When the noodles are done drain the water and dump the noodles into the pan with remaining sauce.
Serve chicken and mushrooms over top of angel hair pasta.
The original recipe can be found here.
The Results
Oh my. This is my new favorite pasta dish. And I just LOVE eggplant parmesan. This beats it and, bonus, is easier to make at home. The browned mozzarella on top is the best thing ever.
Oh how I love browned cheese. I’m pretty sure I could top everything with that and make it more yummy. Maybe not watermelon.
But who knows, it could be good. I think the juice/sherry blend was very Marsalaesque. And the chicken worked really well even though this wasn’t a super saucy dish (which is usually necessary for the “tenders” to taste good).
I think the strength of the sauce’s flavor and the cheese saved the chicken from tasting fake. But, be forewarned, if you’re looking for healthy alternatives, this dish is not for you.
A stick of butter is delicious, but not so good for the arteries. This is healthier than when made with real chicken I suppose, but cutting down the butter in this recipe would likely make the chicken bland. But, bottom line: YUM. And I eat very healthy every OTHER day. Enjoy.
