Ah, a mushroom lovers dream: Chicken Marsala. If you haven’t had it before, its lightly pan fried chicken cutlets in a savory mushroom and Marsala wine sauce. You can serve it over pasta, or with roasted potatoes. We had potatoes this time, but that’s mostly because I already had another pasta dish on the menu for the week.
This recipe appealed to me for 2 reasons. 1) It’s an Emeril Lagasse recipe and I like to think he knows what he’s talking about. 2) It seemed much simpler than other Chicken Marsala recipes and with less ingredients. The dish is easy and quick enough to make on a weeknight, but it’s also fancy enough for company.
Marsala wine can be found just about anywhere, but make sure you get sweet Marsala and not dry Marsala. I got my Marsala wine for less than $5 at Trader Joe’s.
Chicken Marsala (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs cajun spice mix
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and black pepper
Chopped chives or green onions, for garnish
In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and cajun spice and whisk to combine. Quickly dredge each chicken breast in the mixture and shake off excess flour. Place on a plate and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot, but before it starts smoking. Add 1 Tbs of butter and heat until hot and melted. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side and cooked almost throughout. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add remaining TBS of butter to the skillet and add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are brown around the edges and have softened. Add Marsala and bring to a boil. Stir, making sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until wine has reduced by half. Add chicken stock and cook until sauce thickens slightly. Lower the heat to medium-low and nestle chicken in the sauce. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes, until chicken is cooked throughout. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives or green onions and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted slightly from Emeril Lagasse
