Nigella Lawson Chicken Marsala

Nigella Lawson’s chicken with red grapes and Marsala is a pan-roasted chicken supper for two, with golden crisp-skinned chicken, sweet roasted grapes and a mustardy Marsala sauce scented with thyme. It serves 2, from her book At My Table.

She calls it the perfect autumnal supper, brimming with mellow fruitfulness, the muskiness of the Marsala and the scented woodsiness of the thyme, though it’s good enough that she eats it all year round. It’s simple but elegant, done in one pan from hob to oven.

The clever restaurant-style touch is at the end: the pan juices are reduced to a savoury syrup and poured around, not over, the chicken, so the carefully crisped skin stays crackly rather than going soggy under the sauce.

Nigella Lawson Chicken Marsala

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Dinner, Lunch, MainCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

460

kcal

Total time

35

minutes

Nigella’s elegant dinner for two from At My Table: crisp-skinned chicken supremes pan-roasted with sweet red grapes in a mustardy Marsala and thyme sauce. Serves two.

Ingredients

• 4 x 15ml tablespoons Marsala

• 4 x 15ml tablespoons chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 x 15ml tablespoon regular olive oil

• 2 chicken supremes

• approx. 20 seedless red grapes

• approx. 1 x 15ml tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs for sprinkling

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Directions

• Mix the sauce:Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F. Mix the Marsala, stock and mustard in a little jug.
• Sear the chicken:Heat the oil in a solid, snug frying pan or shallow casserole that goes from hob to oven. Fry the chicken supremes skin-side down for 5 minutes, until the skin is golden.
• Add the rest:Turn the chicken skin-side up, pour in the Marsala mixture and let it bubble up, then drop in the grapes and sprinkle in most of the thyme. Bring back to a bubble.
• Roast:Transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, until the skin is bronzed and crisp and the chicken just cooked through and tender.
• Make the sauce:Move the chicken and grapes to shallow bowls or plates. Put the pan over high heat and bubble the juices for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened to a savoury syrup. Pour it around, not over, the chicken, to keep the skin crisp.
• Serve:Scatter over thyme leaves and sprigs, and serve, perhaps with a baguette to dip into the rich juices, or steamed new potatoes alongside.

Notes

• (what’s a chicken supreme): A chicken supreme is a skin-on breast with the peg (wing) bone attached. It stays wonderfully juicy and gives depth to the stock. You can use a regular chicken breast as long as it has its skin (it won’t flavour the sauce as well and needs a little less time), but skin-on, bone-in thighs are an even better substitute.
• (stock): Home-made frozen stock is lovely, but Nigella is happy to make this with chicken stock from concentrate.
• (make ahead / store): It’s not advisable to make ahead or store, as it’s best served fresh.

FAQs

What is Marsala, and what can I use instead?

Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily, musky, slightly sweet and nutty, similar to sherry or Madeira. Here it brings a deep, mellow, aromatic richness to the pan sauce that plays beautifully against the sweet grapes and the savoury chicken, lifting the dish from simple to sophisticated.

If you don’t have Marsala, a dry or medium sherry or Madeira are the closest swaps and work very well. It’s a useful bottle to keep in, since it keeps for ages and does wonders for chicken and mushroom sauces. The teaspoon of Dijon mustard whisked in adds a gentle sharpness that balances the sweetness.

What is a chicken supreme, and can I use thighs?

A chicken supreme is a skin-on breast with the wing (peg) bone still attached. Nigella favours it because the bone and skin keep the meat juicy and add depth to the sauce as it roasts. The skin is also what crisps up to that golden, crackly finish.

You can use a plain skin-on breast, though it won’t flavour the sauce as well and needs slightly less time. Nigella’s own preferred substitute is skin-on, bone-in thighs, which she usually reaches for anyway, as they stay especially juicy; they’ll need a little longer in the oven, and watch that the grapes don’t burst too much.

Why cook the grapes, and won’t they go mushy?

Roasting the grapes is the surprise that makes this dish. In the heat they soften, warm and burst slightly, turning jammy and intensifying into little bombs of sweet-sour flavour that cut through the rich chicken and musky Marsala. Warm grapes are a revelation if you’ve not tried them.

Use seedless red grapes, and leave them whole so they hold their shape and just soften rather than collapsing. Around 20 is right for two. If a few burst, that’s fine, as their juices add to the sauce, though very dark grapes can tint it, so red is best for a clear, glossy syrup.

Why pour the sauce around the chicken, not over it?

This is Nigella’s “restaurant-fancy” trick, and it’s worth doing. You’ve worked to get the skin golden and crisp, so pouring the reduced Marsala sauce around the chicken rather than over it keeps that crackly skin crisp, instead of letting the liquid soften it back to soggy.

Reducing the pan juices for 2 to 3 minutes over high heat first concentrates them into a glossy, savoury syrup with real depth. Spooned around the base of the chicken, it looks elegant and lets you dip each bite in. It’s a small, smart finish that makes the plate feel special.

What do I serve with it?

Nigella suggests a baguette to dip into the rich, chickeny juices, which is hard to beat, or some simply steamed new potatoes alongside. Either soaks up that glossy Marsala sauce, which you won’t want to waste. A sharp green salad or some wilted greens freshens the plate.

It’s a lovely dinner for two, elegant enough for a special occasion but easy enough for a weeknight. It sits in the same comforting-but-smart territory as Nigella’s chicken and pea traybake. There are more chicken suppers on the Nigella Lawson recipes page.

Can I make it ahead or scale it up?

Nigella advises against making this ahead, since it’s really best served straight from the oven while the skin is crisp and the sauce freshly glossy. It comes together in about 35 minutes, so it’s quick enough to make fresh anyway.

It scales up easily for more people: just use a bigger pan (or two) so the chicken fits snugly in a single layer with a little room, and keep the ratios the same. Don’t overcrowd the pan, or the skin steams instead of crisping. Reduce the combined juices at the end as before for your savoury syrup.