Chicken salad with mixed berries and Marsala wine

Each recipe has its leading actor and, in this case, it is Prince Marsala who plays the role of the protagonist. Marsala, the famous Sicilian wine produced in the countryside between Trapani and Marsala, was born from the marriage of British entrepreneurship with Sicilian wine-growing skills. It was John Woodhouse, around 1773, who first took a fancy to this nectar, whose flavour is so intense and liqueur, a close relative of the Portuguese Madeira and Porto. He exported it to England, mixed with brandy, in order to better brave the journey. As is the case with all great wines, Marsala is used as a noble ingredient for sauces, marinades, meat, poultry, fish and soup. Thanks to its fortified character, it is also used for cakes, cream and ice cream.

 

INGREDIENTS

(serve 4)

300g/10.5oz chicken breasts

150g/5.3oz mixed salad

50g/1.7oz rocket salad

30g/1oz pine nuts

100g/3.5oz berries

30cl/10fl oz Marsala wine

50g/1.7oz celery

50g/1.7oz carrots

50g/1.7oz onion

evo oil q.s.

salt, pepper q.s.

fresh herbs

(parsley, thyme, rosemary) q.s.

 

Rinse the fresh herbs, then hash them. Divide the chicken breasts. Remove the bones and fibrous parts. Set the scraps aside. Rub the chicken breasts into the chopped herbs and seal them by briefly browning them on both sides, in a frying pan, without using any oil, on your induction hob, at high power. Preheat the oven to a 165°C/329°F temperature. Toast the pine nuts evenly, then remove them from the oven. Insert the food probe into the thickest part of a chicken breast and roast the meat until it has reached a 78°C/172°F temperature. Then prepare the sauce. Brown the chicken scraps in a little oil on the induction hob. When they begins to brown, add the coarsely chopped celery, the carrots and the onions. Keep your induction hob at high power and add the remaining fresh herbs, then pour some Marsala wine and keep cooking until it evaporates. Lower the power to a minimum setting and let the sauce simmer. When the chicken breasts are done, let them cool down before slicing them. Prepare the salad dressing with oil, salt, pepper and a few crushed mixed berries. Arrange the salad in the center of a plate, cover with the chicken breasts and decorate it with pine nuts and the remaining mixed berries. Garnish with some filtered Marsala sauce.