Making chicken Marsala with my own twist for my sweetie

My sweetie, Nan, loves chicken Marsala and orders it every time it appears on an Italian restaurant menu. Since those restaurants are so good at making it, and because I don’t normally stock Marsala wine, I’ve never tried making it; until now.

I bought a bottle of real Marsala wine, not cooking wine, and began searching for a recipe. I found one created by Daniel Gritzer, Serious Eats’ editorial director. As usual, I made it my own by making all sorts of changes. Here’s what I did.

Classic chicken Marsala uses chicken breasts cut into cutlets. I went with less expensive skinless, boneless chicken thighs. This was not just about price, though. Chicken breast, if heated to too high a temperature, becomes dry and tough. Chicken thighs are far more forgiving and deliver more flavor.

Gritzer used cremini mushrooms, a button mushroom relative. I found some shiitake mushrooms on sale and, due to their excellent flavor, went with them.

Gritzer used unflavored gelatin to give his sauce body. Since I had no gelatin and didn’t want to buy any for a single recipe, I used cornstarch to give my sauce body.

I used half the olive oil that Gritzer used, and switched from shallots (tasty, but expensive and sometimes difficult to find) to yellow onion.

At the end, Gritzer used butter to enhance his sauce’s looks and flavor. His warning about the sauce breaking after the butter’s addition led me to avoid that possibility.

Using my recipe version, I began by stirring together the Marsala wine with chicken broth and cornstarch and set it aside.

Next, I seasoned both sides of my chicken thighs with kosher salt and ground black pepper. After heating olive oil in a hot skillet, I browned both sides of the thighs and transferred them to a dinner plate.

Then, I added onion, garlic, and thyme to the skillet and sautéed the onion until it was soft and translucent. In went the Marsala mixture, which thickened slightly when it came to a simmer. Perfect.

I slid the thighs and the accumulated juices back into the skillet, spooning some sauce over each thigh. When they were hot, I served my thighs over some spaghetti. I added sautéed green beans I made with almonds to the plate and served it.

I meant for this to be a surprise; however, the aroma of the cooking chicken brought Nan to the kitchen early, where she discovered what I’d been making.

How did Nan like my chicken Marsala? She said it looked as good as any she’d had in a restaurant and tasted even better.

Success.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

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Chicken Marsala

1 cup dry Marsala wine

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 pounds, organic preferred)

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced*

1/2 medium yellow onion, minced

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

Whisk Marsala, broth, and cornstarch in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and, when hot, add chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a dinner plate.

Add onion, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they release their juices and are slightly softened, about 8 minutes.

Pour the Marsala mixture into the skillet and bring to a boil, whisking and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until slightly thickened. Add and stir in soy sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Lower the pan’s heat to medium-low, return the chicken to the skillet, plus the accumulated juice. As the sauce returns to a low simmer, spoon the sauce over the thighs and cook until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Using a digital thermometer, make sure the thighs reach 165°F.

Serve, spooning sauce and mushrooms over each thigh. Makes 6 thighs.

Nutrition values per thigh: 266 calories (48% from fat), 14.2 g fat (3.6 g saturated fat), 6.8 g carbohydrates (6.2 net carbs), 1.6 g sugars, 0.6 g fiber, 27 g protein, 83 mg cholesterol, 798 mg sodium.

* White button mushrooms or Cremini mushrooms may be substituted. Stems do not need removing, just trim ends before slicing.

— Don Mauer