Chicken Marsala
2-2½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons butter, divided
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
Sprinkle of garlic powder
⅓ cup olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
½ cup chicken broth (or more, to taste)
¾ cup Marsala wine
¼ cup dry sherry
¼ cup heavy cream
Pound chicken breasts to about ¼-inch thick.
In a pie plate or shallow dish, mix together flour, salt and pepper. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture. Set aside to rest and allow the flour to adhere. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the dredging flour.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter till foamy; add mushrooms and lightly salt them and sprinkle with garlic powder. Sauté until they release their liquid and are softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, melt remaining butter with olive oil. Add chopped garlic and sauté on low until the garlic is softened but not brown. Place chicken in the pan and lightly brown on both sides. Remove chicken.
To the oil and butter in the pan, add the 2 tablespoons reserved flour and stir until the flour is cooked; it will be slightly golden. Stir in chicken broth and wines and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened and the alcohol is cooked out of the sauce, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and stir; the sauce should nicely coat a spoon. If the sauce looks gummy or too thick, add more broth or cream.
Slip in the cooked chicken so that both sides of the chicken are coated with the sauce. Add the mushrooms and heat through. Serve with angel hair pasta or rice.
Serves eight.
Cook's note: The technique for pounding, flouring and sauteing the chicken can also be used for chicken parmesan, chicken piccata or chicken al limone.