Chicken Marsala in the Ninja Foodi ~ 360 Meal

I am so excited about this Chicken Marsala in the Ninja Foodi because ALL the components are ready at the same time! YAY! It's delicious, too! Double YAY! 

This recipe is seriously delicious! I happen to LOVE Chicken Marsala and it is always pretty easy to make, BUT, making the potatoes or pasta and vegetable to go along with it just dirties too many dishes. Plus, I hate boiling pasta or potatoes on the stove. I always walk away and the pot boils over. Talk about a mess. That is a MESS! 

No worries though, the time of boiling over potatoes or pasta on the stove is over. For good. Seriously, why even do it? It is so much easier in the Ninja Foodi PC & AC! 

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This recipe specifically calls for potatoes because that is what I always serve with chicken marsala. I realize it may not be "traditional," but it is very popular! How do I know? Because I took a poll in Ninja Foodi 101 and most people said they eat their chicken marsala with mashed potatoes. I was shocked, really. Of course, this was not a scientific poll and people added in various types of pasta, so if I added them all up, it's possible that pasta was more popular than mashed potatoes, but not by much! 

What I decided to do was make the recipe with mashed potatoes because I think it's easier and ALSO give instructions for using pasta. Sound good? I hope everyone enjoys this Chicken Marsala in the Ninja Foodi! 

What is Chicken Marsala? 

It sounds so fancy, doesn't it? Ooh-la-la, Chicken Marsala. It isn't really that fancy and it definitely isn't hard to make! In fact, making Chicken Marsala in the Ninja Foodi is very easy! The best part is you can make your potatoes and vegetable at the same time for a complete 360 meal. 

Chicken Marsala is an American/Italian dish that is based off of other scaloppine (scallopini in America) dishes in Italy. Scaloppine simply means thinly cut meat and doesn't always refer to chicken. So, Chicken Marsala is basically thinly sliced pieces of chicken cooked in Marsala wine. 

You can make a marsala dish with other types of meat, like beef or veal, but, chicken is the most common. 

Mushrooms are a common component of chicken marsala, but, hey... if you don't like them, don't add them! To skip them in this recipe, you would combine the flour with the butter and oil to make a roux and then deglaze with the marsala and chicken stock. Reduce that and pour it over the chicken. 

What type of Marsala wine should I use? 

I know people are going to be very surprised that I used the Marsala wine that you can find at the grocery store. I had to. Despite going to 3 different liquor stores near me, no one had a dry Marsala. It happens and don't worry about it; if you can't find a dry Marsala in the liquor store, it's fine to use the grocery store kind. 

It isn't my preference, of course, but, this recipe tasted delicious! 

As with any recipes that includes wine, try to choose a wine that you like to drink. No, I have never poured a glass of grocery store Marsala cooking wine and I don't suggest you do either. However, if you are purchasing one from the liquor store, I would get one that is pleasant to drink. 

You definitely want to get a dry Marsala instead of a sweet Marsala because this is a savory dish and that will bring the best flavor. Here is an article for reference:  Top 5 best Marsala wines. Some of those suggested in this article are sweet, so make sure you choose one that is dry. 

You can also ask the clerk or owner at your liquor store for some suggestions, or, just grab the Marsala Cooking Wine on the grocery store shelf. It works just fine, I promise. 

How can I make this with pasta instead of mashed potatoes? 

Making this Chicken Marsala with pasta instead of mashed potatoes is absolutely possible! I've tested the recipe using fettuccine noodles as that seems to be the most popular choice, but you can really use any pasta and adjust the time accordingly. 

There are only a few differences with the recipe to switch from potatoes to pasta. Because we have to add more liquid to the pasta, the time to pressure is longer and, therefore, total cook time is longer. What I do to make up for this is only sear the chicken for about 2 minutes on the one side and only 1 minute on the other side. This will avoid overcooking the chicken during the longer pressure cook. 

The same principle applies with the pasta as the potatoes, don't let the pasta sit in the liquid for any period of time before you are ready to pressure cook. This will cause the water to get starchy. 

I also configured the pans differently when using pasta, because you need more clearance. So, you will need some (affiliate link)grifiti bands or something else to secure the 8" Fat Daddio pan to the underside of the rack. 

It is also very important to criss-cross the noodles like I do in my Spaghetti recipe. I'll include the video clip below. 

The only pasta I tested this recipe with is fettuccine, so if you are using a different pasta, you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly. 

Instructions for substituting fettuccine pasta for potatoes: 

Use 6-8 ounces of fettuccine noodles and break them in half. Layer them on the bottom of the inner pot in a criss cross fashion. Pour just enough salted water over the noodles to cover them about 1" above the pasta. 

Secure the pan with the chicken under the rack in high position with (affiliate link)grifiti bands and then place the 6" Fat Daddio Pan with the broccoli (covered) on top of the rack. Lower into the inner pot. Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. PC for 2 minutes and when the time is up immediately release the pressure. The time to pressure is longer because there is more liquid in the pot. I keep the PC the same to avoid overcooking the chicken and broccoli. 

Remove the rack with the broccoli and chicken. Cover the broccoli to keep warm. Turn the sear/sauté on high and toss around the pasta to make sure it isn't sticking together. Use the sear/sauté to finish cooking the pasta to your desired texture. I like mine al dente and only cooked about a minute longer and that was mostly to make sure nothing was sticking. 

Drain and serve. 

How to make Chicken Marsala in the Ninja Foodi

Chicken Marsala is a dish that uses thinly sliced chicken breasts. There are a few ways you can get thinly sliced chicken breasts: slice them yourself or purchase them already sliced. I always slice my own because it isn't difficult and saves some money. 

I used 2 chicken breasts that each weighed about 8 ounces each. You can use larger chicken breasts in this recipe and it is fine. Once you slice them in half, horizontally, just make sure they aren't thicker than about 1" or they might not cook all the way. If they are thicker, you can either pound them out or increase the time you sauté them to 4 minutes each side. 

I use a tool called the (affiliate link)Close 'N Cut from Pampered chef to cut my meat in half horizontally because I find it to be quick, easy, and the results are almost always perfect. A sharp knife works, too, so, no worries if you don't have a Close 'N Cut. I have even heard of people putting chicken between two plates and doing it that way. I have not tried that, so I'm not sure how well it works.  

To cut the chicken with a Close 'N Cut, I put the chicken sideways and press down on the top. Then, I take a knife and slice. To cut the chicken with only a knife, I recommend started at the thick end and slicing to the thinner end. 

Once the chicken is cut, mix your flour and spices. Instead of dredging the chicken through the flour as is customary, spoon the flour onto the chicken and rub it in. You only want a light coating of flour on each side of the the chicken. We are doing that because the remaining flour will be used to coat the mushrooms and, even though we are cooking the mushrooms to a safe temperature to kill any salmonella, I figured this way works just as well and won't freak anyone out. 

Add 2 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoon oil to the inner pot. You can use all oil or all butter if you prefer, but I use the combination of the two because I think it gives the best flavor to our sauce. Turn the Ninja Foodi on high sear/sauté and let the butter melt and the oil heat up. You want the pot really hot so we get some browning on the chicken. Just keep an eye on it so the butter doesn't burn. 

Once the butter and oil are sizzling, add the chicken breasts. Sauté them for 2 minutes on each side. Then remove and place them in the (affiliate link)8' Fat Daddio pan or equivalent pan and set aside. 

While the chicken is cooking, put the remaining flour into a large sealable bag and add the sliced mushrooms. Toss to coat the mushrooms with the flour. Add the coated mushrooms (I leave any excess flour in the bag) to the hot oil and butter. Stir and you will see that the flour coated mushrooms absorbs all of the remaining butter/oil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoon of oil and 2 tablespoon butter and stir to coat the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms sauté for about 3-5 minutes. 

Once the mushrooms have sautéd and given off their liquid (you can tell because they reduce in size), add the 1 cup of Marsala wine and ½ cup of chicken stock. Stir to combine. You will see the mixture start to thicken almost immediately. Stir frequently and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes. This will burn off any strong alcohol taste and further thicken your sauce. 

I like a thick sauce, but if you want yours a little thinner, go ahead and add another ¼-½ cup of chicken stock and stir. Pour the mushroom gravy over the chicken and set aside. Wash the inner pot.

Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes. I try to make them about 1" in size so they cook completely in the 2-minute pressure cooking time. Add the diced potatoes to the inner pot, but don't pour over the chicken stock until you are ready to layer the remaining ingredients. If you add the stock and let the potatoes sit for any length of time, the starch can come out and cause issues with coming to pressure (the burn notice).  I called for ¾ cup of chicken stock instead of the ½ I used in the video recipe because I had a little browning and wanted to try to avoid that for you. 

I like to put the rack into the inner pot in the low position to make sure it fits over the potatoes. If it doesn't, try rearranging the potatoes or cutting them smaller. 

Place your frozen broccoli into a (affiliate link)6' Fat Daddio pan and you can either cover or leave it uncovered. I left it uncovered and it was fine. Pour the ¾ cup of chicken stock into the inner pot on top of the potatoes. Place the pan with the chicken on the rack in the low position and cover with foil or a (affiliate link)silicone cover. Place 6" FD pan with broccoli on top. Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. PC on high for 2 minutes. Immediately release the pressure.

Remove the pan with the broccoli and cover to retain the heat. Remove the rack and place the covered pan of Chicken Marsala to the side. If you have extra liquid in your potatoes, simply burn it off using the sear/sauté function. I only used ½ cup and did not have any left over, in fact, my potatoes started to brown on the bottom and that is why I increased the chicken stock in this recipe. Add warm cream or milk and warm butter to the potatoes and mash. I usually add ½ at a time so my potatoes don't become runny. Only add as much as you need to get the desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. I used a (affiliate link)Mix 'N Masher from Pampered Chef that is safe for non-stick surfaces, but you can transfer the potatoes and use a hand mixer if preferred. 

Serve and Enjoy! 

If you enjoyed this recipe for Chicken Marsala in the Ninja Foodi, be sure to check out these other 360 meals! 

BBQ Chicken 360 Meal

Country Style Pork Ribs