THE BEST CHICKEN MARSALA

I call this the ”best” Chicken Marsala because it is not quite as heavy as some recipes. Why? Because the sauce is thickened slightly with a cornstarch slurry rather than heavy cream. It is still the same great, Marsala and mushroom favored sauce, just a little lighter in texture and taste.

One of the keys to the best flavor is to brown the pounded breast pieces in a little oil and butter in a stainless steel skillet so you get the benefit of the browned bits from browning the chicken. Also, be sure to brown the mushrooms before adding the shallots and garlic so you don’t burn the garlic. The pan is then deglazed with the Marsala then the stock.

Chicken Marsala is derived from the Classic Veal Marsala. But over the years, chicken has become preferred due to the simple facts that veal cutlets are more difficult to source and chicken is more flavorful and juicy than veal.

Serve as a stand alone entree with a side vegetable or serve over rice, potatoes, or as I did here, angel hair pasta (capellini).

This version serves 2-3 people.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (8-10 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast

• Kosher salt and black peper

• Flour

• Olive oil

• Unsalted

• 5 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, thick sliced

• 1 small shallot, peeled, diced

• 2 small garlic cloves, peeled, thin sliced

• 1 fresh thyme sprig

• 1/2 cup Marsala wine

• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock

• 2 tbsp cold butter

• 1/4 cups chopped parsley

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

• Butterfly the chicken breast and flatten a little with the palm of your hand. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and shake off the excess.

• Heat a medium stainless steel skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add 1 tbsp of butter. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breast a brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Do not cook them all the way yet. Remove from the skillet to a warm plate, cover with foil, and keep warm.

• Lower the heat to medium low and add another 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Add the sliced mushrooms and let them saute until browned, about 6-7 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the Marsala and simmer until mostly reduced, scrapping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the stock and thyme sprig and simmer for 5 minutes.

• Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch in 2 tbsp of cold water and add to the simmering sauce. Let the sauce thicken a little then add the chopped parsley and stir in. Add the chicken breast back to the skillet and cover. Lower the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Turn off the heat. Add the cold butter and allow to melt, stirring until combined

• Baste the breast with the sauce and mushrooms and serve hot by itself or with rice or pasta.