Chicken Marsala

One of Bev’s favorite dishes is Chicken Marsala and it’s always a request from her.  Since we had mushrooms on hand, plenty of Marsala wine, and three large split chicken breasts in the freezer, it seemed like the time was right.  I removed the chicken meat from the bone, removed the tenders and sliced the breasts into medallions per a recent post from a blogger buddy (I used the bones to make broth)  After looking at several online recipes, I settled on one from Once Upon A Chef and adapted it a little to suit our needs.  Check out the site for some great how-to shots and these finished shots.

Chicken Marsala – Adapted from Once Upon A Chef

Ingredients:

·      2 pounds chicken breasts

·      Buttermilk to coat

·      1 cup all-purpose flour

·      1 tsp Salt

·      1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper

·      1 tsp garlic powder

·      1 Tbsp dried parsley

·      1 tablespoon olive oil

·      3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

·      20 oz sliced bella or button mushrooms (we like extra)

·      3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

·      2 cloves garlic, minced

·      1 cup chicken broth

·      1 cup dry Marsala wine

·      1 cup heavy cream

·      2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

·      About 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with water to thicken sauce

Directions:

1. Remove the chicken from the bones, separate the tenders (cut them in half crosswise), and slice the breasts into ¼” slices on a bias. Add to a bag and pour in enough buttermilk to coat it all and store in the fridge for a few hours.

2. Place the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bag and shake to mix well. Add the chicken to the bag and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (I used a stainless pan and added more oil several times for my three runs of chicken).
4. Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. 5. Transfer the chicken to a plate, loosely tent, and set aside.
6. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. 

7. Add the shallots, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, wine, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you’re going for a thin cream sauce; it won’t start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time). Rather than reduce the sauce by half (I wanted the sauce), we added some cornstarch mixed with water to thicken it. 

8. Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. 
9. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through, 3-4 minutes. 
10. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.

We sided it with Chef Lea Ann’s Cheesy Creamy Tangy Microwave Cauliflower from her Cooking On The Ranch blog.

Both the chicken and the cauliflower were big hits and I would use this recipe again.  Cindy had never eaten either dish and raved about both.

Maybe I can fix this letter color thing by the next post.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/24/19 event date