chicken portofino

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What do a Sicilian winemaker, a French saucier, and an English merchant have in common? They’ve all played a role in creating some of the world’s most beloved wine-based chicken dishes — from Chicken Marsala to Poulet à la Crème. These iconic recipes have stood the test of time because they transform simple ingredients into something extraordinary by deepening flavors with fortified wines. This recipe for Chicken Portofino is my submission as the next chapter in a delicious story of culinary evolution… and inspiration.

If I am completely honest, chicken is not my favorite thing. Until recently, chicken really only excited me when prepared in a couple of ways. My favorite is probably to fry it up country-crisp, making sure it remains flawlessly juicy and tender inside. I will eat this any day of the week, piping hot or cold right from the fridge. There’s no real mystery here, as fried chicken is awesome. There was no surprise or hesitation on my part when, years ago, my eldest son appeared at my door with a grocery bag filled with everything he figured I would need to make him fried chicken to satisfy a craving. This I understand.

Chicken and dumplings (slick ones, please) and classic chicken soup are not quite the same when made without the chicken. I like a perfectly roasted chicken, as long as the meat isn’t dried out from overcooking or sitting under a heat lamp for hours (hello, Costco rotisserie birds!) And then, because I’m picky but not ridiculous, I adore wings, whether in classic butter-and-Frank’s style or one of their many variations (garlic parmesan! asian zing! barbecue! lemon pepper!)

If there is a chicken dish that will unfailing draw my eye on a restaurant’s menu, however, it will likely feature a rich, velvety sauce that is garlicky and (ideally) full of mushrooms. If it has sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, that’s a bonus. But in the end, it’s hard to deny the appeal of these French and Italian classics and the more modern offerings into which they have deliciously morphed.

To fully appreciate the evolution of a dish like Chicken Portofino, we need to take a culinary journey through history. In the peasant kitchens of Tuscany, simple ingredients like wine, herbs, and poultry were staples of everyday cooking. Tuscan dishes like Pollo al Vin Santo — chicken braised with the region’s signature dessert wine — highlight the tradition of infusing meat with wine to enhance flavor and preserve tenderness. Meanwhile, French cuisine refined the art of reductions and emulsions, transforming rustic stews like Coq au Vin into elegant, restaurant-worthy fare.

The English and Portuguese merchants of the 17th and 18th centuries introduced fortified wines such as port, Madeira, and sherry to European cooks. These robust wines brought new dimensions to sauces, their higher alcohol content and concentrated flavors making them ideal for creating rich, complex reductions. Chicken Madeira, a popular restaurant dish in the United States, is a modern take on this tradition, blending American-style comfort food with old-world technique.

Chicken Marsala, perhaps the best-known wine-infused chicken dish, originated in Sicily, where Marsala wine has been produced since the late 1700s. The dish’s enduring popularity can be attributed to its balance of savory, sweet, and earthy flavors — a combination that resonates across cultures and cuisines.

So where does Chicken Portofino fit into this lineage? While it shares DNA with these classic dishes, it also reflects modern American culinary trends, particularly the adaptation of Italian flavors for a broader audience. In the United States, what we often call “Tuscan Chicken” is an American creation, featuring a creamy sauce and, variously, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan — ingredients that nod to Italian tradition while catering to contemporary tastes. This hybrid approach has made Tuscan-style chicken dishes immensely popular in everything from pasta dishes to pizzas, casseroles, dips, and sandwiches.

Chicken Portofino builds on this foundation but takes it in a more refined direction. By using port wine instead of Marsala or Madeira, the dish achieves a rich depth of flavor with a hint of fruity warmth. Red sweet peppers and spinach give the sauce a more robust character; the mushrooms and shallots add layers of savory earthiness; and fresh thyme brings a fragrant herbal note that ties everything together. The result is a dish that feels both rustic and refined, perfect for a cozy dinner at home or a special occasion.

In many ways, Chicken Portofino embodies the best of both worlds: the timeless techniques of European cooking and the adaptability of modern cuisine. It’s a dish that honors its culinary heritage while offering a fresh, flavorful experience for today’s cooks.

Whether you love rich, wine-based sauces or are simply looking for a new dish to add to your repertoire, Chicken Portofino promises to deliver a plate full of history, flavor, and heartwarming comfort. And as a bonus, it is deceptively easy to make. The presentation is elegant if rustic, and can easily be imagined on a table set for fine dining; anyone lucky enough to share it with you is sure to be impressed by the deep and rich but balanced flavors and assume you spent hours in the kitchen to prepare it! But the truth is that Chicken Portofino comes together quickly if you prepare your mise en place, and it requires no advanced techniques or special skills.

Chicken Portofino also lends itself to adaptation. Don’t like spinach? Leave it out. Prefer to avoid alcohol? You can totally substitute a combination of white grape juice and broth for the port. All in all, this is a recipe you’ll be glad to have in your back pocket for any time you need a quick, simple, but stunning dinner at the drop of a hat. (Or should I say coppola or chapeau?) I hope you share it with someone you love soon!