Merlot 101

Good recipe with chicken leg quarters & Merlot/Marsala?

I need a new recipe for dinner. My husband and I eat A LOT of chicken, and the same old combinations of chicken and rice, chicken and noodles, baked/broiled chicken are getting boring. I also have some wine I need to use up. Does anyone have a good recipe using chicken leg quarters and Merlot or Marsala?

Public Comments

1. Brown your chicken pieces in a little olive oil, then set them aside on a plate. In the same pan, (with a little more oil if needed) saute 2 cloves garlic, minced, about 1/2 cup chopped onion, and at least a cup of sliced mushrooms. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste. When onions are soft and shrooms lightly browned, add your wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Put the chicken back in, and add any fresh veggies you have on hand - broccoli, carrots, whatever - its all good. Cover with a lid and let simmer till the chicken is cooked and the veggies are steamed. Spoon it all over cooked rice. I have no idea what this is called, but its pretty good. As for how much wine to use, just eyeball it, its a very forgiving dish. You can also thicken it with a little cornstarch in water, if you like.
2. How about one of these? Coq Au Vin (Chicken Braised in Wine) 4 slices bacon, chop and cook til crispy 1/2 cup butter 2 broiler-fryer chickens, cut into quarters 16 small white pearl onions (peeled and left whole) 16 large mushrooms, sliced 2 garlic cloves (minced) 1 bunch scallions (cleaned and cut up) 1/4 cup flour 3 cups dry red table wine 2 chicken bouillon cubes 1 cup boiling water 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1 bay leaf Preheat cooker/fryer to 300 degrees. Cook bacon till crisp. Remove and reserve. Add butter to bacon fat and brown chicken pieces. Remove chicken and reserve. Lightly cook onions and mushrooms. Remove. Pour out drippings and reserve 2 tablespoons in cooker. Cook garlic and scallions till limp. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes till flour has browned. Turn off heat. Stir in wine, bouillon and 1 cup of boiling water. Turn heat up to 300 degrees and stir till mix comes to a boil. Add salt, pepper, thyme and bayleaf. Stir. Add bacon, chicken, onions and mushrooms. Cover. Turn heat to simmer and cook for 30 to 45 minutes till chicken in tender. Remove bayleaf before serving. _________________________________________ To DIE for Chicken Marsala 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 4-5 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons olive oil 8-10 ounces sliced mushrooms 4 cloves garlic, sliced 2 cups marsala wine 3 cups chicken stock salt pepper Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. With a meat tenderizing mallet, pound chicken breast until they are 1/4 inch thick. Dredge breasts in flour until all sides are coated. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Cook breasts until almost done, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan being sure to keep warm. (I put them in a small cake pan and place in a 200 degree oven) Deglaze pan with Marsala wine, making sure to scrape bottom of pan to loosen all browned bits that may be stuck on. Add broth, mushrooms and garlic. Cook on medium/high for 10 minutes or until reduced by half. Add breasts back to pan and cook for another 10 minutes. (Sauce should have reduced more and thickened some) Serve over angel hair pasta.