Chicken Marsala

September first was a special birthday for SIL, Pat, and we made her the meal of her choice - she picked Chicken Marsala.  Several years ago, we had made the dish from an adapted Carrabba’s recipe and all loved it, so we used it again.

Chicken Marsala – Adapted from Carrabba’s Restaurant

The Ingredients:

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast (it makes enough sauce for 5-6)

To taste - salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried parsley, dried marjoram, garlic powder (note 1)

½ stick + 1 tbsp butter, divided

1 slice Benton’s country ham, 1/8" thick, diced (or prosciutto)

½ cup onion, minced

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced (we like lots of them in our dish)

½ cup Marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp fresh parsley

3-4 tbsp heavy cream

1 tbsp Kitchen Bouquet, mostly for color

1 tbsp olive oil

Note 1:  The original recipe called for making up this spice blend - 1¼ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground black pepper, ½ tsp. dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp. dried parsley, ¼ tsp. marjoram, ¼ tsp. garlic powder – but I just sprinkled some of each on to each breast.

The Process:

1. Begin by prepping all ingredients, then pound (we used the jaccard) chicken down to about 3/8” (more or less to your liking).

2. Sprinkle seasonings on both sides of chicken and dust with flour.

3. Add a little olive oil and 1 tbsp butter to a properly heated skillet and sauté chicken on side one until lightly brown and flip.

4. Then add ham and onion around the meat and when meat is lightly browned but not quite done, remove it and keep warm.

5. Add ½ stick butter and when melted, add mushrooms, and garlic.

6. Mix corn starch and chicken broth.

7. After mushrooms cook down, add chicken broth, wine, and Kitchen bouquet and cook until thickened.

8. Stir in parsley and cream.

9. Taste and add S&P.

10. If not thick enough (and it wasn’t for us), add and cook pinches of the dusting flour until desired thickness is reached.

11. Nestle chicken back into the sauce, spoon some on top and cook to desired doneness - about 160F for us.

12. Add potatoes to plates and top with chicken and sauce.

The Sides:

Bev had bought some purple potatoes at the Amish market and after looking around on the web, we decided pretty mashed potatoes was a good way to use them.

Plus she made a pretty and tasty salad.

The Verdict:

The chicken was once again delicious and the potatoes tasted just like any others.  This will forever be our go-to marsala sauce recipe.

One of Pat’s favorite things to do is go for a boat ride so after supper we headed out in the pontoon for a pleasant evening cruise, getting in a little before dark – my lights aren’t working.  Once again, I got some driving help from 1st mate Romeo and this is one giant swan.

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

9/1/20 meal date