Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Chicken Marsala

The Best Chicken Marsala

I can’t say enough about this recipe. Braised Chicken never tasted better than with this Mushroom, Marsala and cream wine sauce. It’s very easy to make but the complexity of the sauce is derived from specific ingredients that change the flavor of the dish, if they’re not fresh and/or dried. The taste of dried Thyme or Oregano is a complete game changer if they’re not added fresh. Both still taste great, in my opinion, but change the flavor drastically, none the less. You might want to experiment with both to find where your tastes lie.

One Chicken cutlet and Mushroom and Marsal Wine Sauce served over Shell pasta.

Deepen and Enrich the Flavor

Season everything from the start. After I butterfly the chicken breast, I season with Kosher salt and pepper. I salt the sautéed mushrooms. I salt the water my pasta cooks in. I even add cooked bacon, which is salty. This may sound like a lot of salt but a little goes a long way.

I also add Spaghetti Sauce (Prego) and Lemon Juice. The tomato, from the sauce deepens the flavor and darkens the tone. Alternatives could be tomato paste or plain tomato sauce if you’d like. I’m betting that it could even be done with a squeeze of Ketchup. I add the lemon to the sauce while it’s cooking but, I find that it’s even more refreshing, adding a fresh squeeze of lemon juice, over the top of each serving, even more satisfying.

The wine I use in this dish is what gives this recipe its name, Marsala. It can be dry or sweet and most recipes call for dry Marsala wine but, I prefer mine sweet. Again, that’s just a personal preference so you decide what’s best for you.

Chicken Marsala “How to” video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Chicken Marsala Ingredients: Serves 2 to 3

1 Chicken Breast, Halved, Butterflied & Tenderized with a Mallet, then seasoned with Kosher Salt and Pepper and dredged in flour
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
3 tbsp Butter, add 2 for chicken and 1 for Mushrooms
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
5 oz Mushrooms
1 cup Marsala Cooking Wine, Dry is recommended but I used Sweet and loved it!
1/2 cup Whipping Cream/Half and Half
1/3 cup Marinara or Spaghetti Sauce
1 pinch Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 Green Onion, chopped (optional)

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

This recipe can be served over your favorite pasta, rice, bread etc. and is often garnished with Scallions over the top. Just follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Chicken Marsala recipe.

Buttermilk Biscuits

The Best Buttermilk Biscuits

From Sausage and Gravy to KFC, Buttermilk Biscuits have become an American staple and if you’re looking for a great recipe, you’ve come to the right place. These biscuits turn out exactly the way you want them and, believe it or not, they’re very easy to make. You just have to understand a few basic tricks and your biscuits will turn out perfect, first try.

Partially eaten plate of Biscuits and Sausage Gravy.

The Trick to Fluffy Flaky Biscuits

The secret to Buttermilk Biscuits is in the dough. This recipe doesn’t have many ingredients so, it’s not really about what goes into the dough as much as how the dough is mixed.

From the very start, you need to mix all of the dry ingredients first. Then add cold butter, preferably frozen, and it needs to be grated or shredded in a food processor with all of the dry ingredients. If you’re familiar with apple pie crusts or pastry dough recipes, the technique is very similar(This allows the dough to puff up into flaky layers once the dough is pressed and folded).

Afterwards, the wet ingredients, buttermilk and honey can be mixed in but, be careful not to over mix. In fact, as I show you in the video tutorial, its important to only combine the ingredients into one mass rather than really “mix” the dough, then press it flat and begin to fold and roll as instructed.

The biscuit cutting is important as well. Instead of twisting the cutter through the dough, just press firmly with a wiggle. Twisting tends to keep the dough from separating and rising with flaky layers. Trust me, you don’t want to end up with hard baked hockey pucks.

This recipe makes approximately 16 biscuits about 2 1/2″ wide and 1 1/4″ thick.

Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Buttermilk Biscuits Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 cube Butter, 1/2 cup
1 1/4 cup Buttermilk
2 tbsp Baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey

Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 15 minutes

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make the best fresh Buttermilk Biscuits.

Smoked Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs

3 lb package of Raw Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs, $4.98/lb.

The Best Beef Ribs

There’s nothing like good barbecue and these beef ribs are great for any grill. In fact, I’m going to show you how to smoke these Country Style ribs on a gas grill. There’s really nothing to it. In fact, in my opinion, it’s even easier than using a traditional smoker with virtually the exact same results. Don’t believe me? Then check this out.

4 Raw Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs in a ceramic dish, seasoned with Kosher Salt and Pepper.

4 Boneless Beef Ribs on the grill after 3 hours of smoking.

4 Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs completely smoked and resting in Aju.

2 whole Smoked Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs with 1 other sliced and another shredded, resting in Aju.

How to smoke country style boneless beef ribs on a gas grill by PoorMansGourmet.

Smoked Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs Ingredients:

Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs Ingredients:

3 lbs Boneless Beef Ribs
1 cup Beef Broth
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Grill and smoke the Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs over indirect heat at 225° Fahrenheit for 3 hours. Switch the meat around on the grill, spritz with Beef Broth and and probe one meat portion with a thermometer. When internal temp reaches 160° F, wrap with foil and add 1/4 cup of Beef Broth. Cook again over indirect heat until the internal temp reaches 205° Fahrenheit, then remove from the grill. Wait 10 minutes to cut, shred and serve.