Chicken Marsala for Sportsfan

This recipe is by request and I have to assume the “cook” reading this is a newbie to the kitchen. If not, sorry dude – no offense intended, I just want this to go perfectly for you. I am giving you EVERY step in detail which may make it seem intimidating, but this is a super easy recipe and will impress your lady, or whatever.

Shopping List

• Chicken breasts – boneless and skinless
• Salt and pepper
• A little flour in a bowl
• Olive oil
• Sliced mushrooms (button or cimini (“baby portobellos”)), big container, maybe 8oz
• 2 gloves garlic (smashed and pureed)
• Cooking Marsala (about 3 ounces in a glass – don’t pour out of the bottle!)
• Butter, about 2 Tablespoons
• 2 Tablespoons of flour
• 1 Quart Chicken stock (in the soup isle)
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped

Step 1

• Read Steps 2 and 3 before you do anything
* Get everything listed above ready and within reach before you start
• If the chicken breasts are a lot thicker on one side, put them in a plastic bag and pound them with a hammer (or meat tenderizer if you have one) until it is relatively uniform. Don’t pound it too thin, but you want them to cook evenly. Anything between ¼ and ¾ inch thick is good.
• Get a large sauté pan
• Get a wooden spoon
• Get a pair of tongs
• A clean plate
• A match or lighter

Step 2

• Preheat a large sauté pan over high heat with nothing in it. Don’t use “non-stick”. You want the pan to be HOT, really HOT.
• Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. You eat both sides so season both sides.
• Dredge them in the flour and shake off the excess. Set them aside.
• Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the sauté pan (still on high heat) and swirl it around to cover the bottom. You want the bottom coated, but we are not deep frying here.
• Add the chicken breasts. Once they are in don’t touch them – let them sear. If you try to reposition them they will stick and tear. Let them be.
• You can lower the heat to medium high at this point.
• After a few minutes, with tongs, flip the chicken breasts over IF they are a nice rich golden brown.
• Do the same thing on the other side. If the pan gets dry, add a little oil around the edges and swirl it around with the chicken still in the pan.
• When browned on both side, and NOT cooked all the way through, pull the chicken out and set it on a clean plate.
• Add the sliced mushrooms. They will act like sponges so you may have to add a little olive oil periodically. Continue to stir them with the wooden spoon. Try to scrape up any brown bits of chicken that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. The mushrooms may “release their water”. That’s normal, continue to cook them until all of that water is cooked off and the mushrooms start to brown.
• Add the smashed garlic and keep stirring. Don’t burn the garlic. As soon as you can smell the garlic move on to the next step.
• TURN OFF THE HEAT
• Add the Marsala to the pan
• Carefully ignite the Marsala with a lighter or match. You want the flavor of the Marsala wine but not the alcohol.
• Turn the heat back to high and add the butter and 2 Tbl flour when the flame goes out. Really stir-up the bottom of the pan to work lose all the stuck stuff – all that stuff is incredible flavor for the sauce.
• The mushrooms should look kind of gloppy at this point – all good!
• Slowly add about 2 C of chicken stock while stirring to avoid lumps.
• When it comes to a boil add the chicken back into the pan and lower the heat to a simmer
• Simmer for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring and keep checking the sauce for thickness.
** Check the sauce – if it’s too thick add a little more chicken stock. If it’s too thin just reduce it a little more.
• Taste the sauce for seasoning and throw in the chopped parsley.

Step 3

Place Chicken breasts on a plate, spoon the mushrooms over the chicken. Spoon the sauce on top of and around the chicken.

Serve it with a simple mixed green salad and some steamed veggies.