Remember how much I love mushrooms? Yeah… Combined with my love of Italian food, this particular recipe is stellar!
Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp Essence*
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-1/2 inch thick, and cut in half crosswise
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 3 c sliced baby Bella mushrooms
- 3/4 c Marsala wine (sweet or dry)
- 1 c low sodium chicken stock
- Salt and ground pepper
Emeril's Essence
- 2 1/2 Tbsp Paprika
- 2 Tbsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder 1 Tbsp each:
- Black Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Thyme (makes almost 3/4 c of the seasoning – store in an airtight jar with the rest of your spices, and find other things to use it in!)
Directions
- In a shallow bowl or plate, combine the flour and Essence, stirring to combine. Quickly dredge the chicken halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove excess.
- In a large, heavy skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add 1 Tbsp butter, and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, and tent with aluminum foil.
- Add 1 Tbsp of the remaining butter to the pan and add mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges, and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Lower the heat to medium, and return the chicken breasts to the pan. Continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve!.
I don’t remember when I first found this recipe. I feel like it was around the time that I found a bunch of recipes through the Food Network website, as a result of finding myself hanging around that TV channel for ages. It may also have been instigated by my reading a Jennifer Crusie novel by the name of Bet Me (one of my favorite of hers), since Chicken Marsala is a featured food in that book.
In any case, found this recipe, got all excited about making a *gasp* Emeril Lagasse recipe, and acquired the ingredients to go about making it, despite the fact that MM is not as much of a fan of mushrooms as me…
For such a tasty recipe, the effort is surprisingly simple. And relatively quick as well, though there’s some time taken up in the form of gathering all the ingredients and getting them prep (pounding the chicken, slicing the mushrooms, making the Essence if you haven’t done so already).
At the end of the day, pounding the chicken can be cathartic. Have a bad day at work? Take it out on a chicken breast. Stub your toe in the morning which killed the rest of your day? Use a rolling pin on a chicken breast and make it PAY.
As for what to pair with it – you have a bunch of options. Head for mashed potatoes to cover with that tasty sauce. Go straight to a green veggie if you want, like fresh green beans or peas with Pancetta. Or, get yourself set up with some Dijon Roasted Potatoes (write up/recipe coming soon).
Or, just eat two servings of this. Seriously. No one will judge you. Promise. I may, or may not have done this… 🙂
Enjoy!