INSTAPOT CHICKEN MARSALA

Traditional Chicken Marsala recipes call for pounded chicken breasts. I chose here to use small, boneless chicken thighs, and braised them in my Instapot. Thighs really have more flavor and are juicier than breasts, and they work well in Marsala. The rest of the ingredients are pretty faithful to traditional marsala recipes. About 18 minutes in the Instapot cooked them fork tender.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lbs of boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• Flour

• Olive oil

• Unsalted butter

• 4-6 ounces of white mushrooms, 1/4 inch slice

• 3 tbsp shallots, minced

• 1 garlic clove, thin sliced

• 1/2 cup Marsala wine

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

• 1 tsp demi-glace

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• Chopped parsley

Directions:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper then dust with flour.

• Heat Instapot on Saute. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Add the thighs without crowding and brown them on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove thighs to a plate.

• Add 2 tbsp of butter to the Instapot then add the sliced mushrooms. Saute, stirring, for about 7 minutes until the mushrooms lose their liquid and start to brown. Add the shallots and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.

• Add the Marsala and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping the bits off the bottom. Add the stock and continue scraping the bottom, bringing to the stock to a simmer. Hit Cancel on the Instapot.

• Add the browned thighs back to the pot and nestle into the mushrooms and liquid. Seal the lid and set Pressure Cook to 18 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

• To cook the rice, add 1 cup of jasmine or other long grain rice to a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to simmer over high heat, then lower heat, stir the rice, cover, and cook about 12 minutes. Stir the rice a couple times. When rice is done, fluff with a fork, crack the lid, and add 1 tbsp of chopped parsley. Keep warm.

• Remove lid and carefully remove the thighs to a plate with a slotted spoon, they will be very tender and may fall apart. Keep warm.

• Pour all the liquid and mushrooms to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mi the cornstarch into 2 tbsp or water in a small bowl. Add to the simmering sauce and let it thicken. Add the demi-glace. Cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and swirl in 1 tbsp of butter. Taste and reseason if necessary.

• To serve, plate some rice, then a chicken thigh, then the sauce and mushrooms. Garnish with chopped parsley