Chicken Marsala

This is one very, very delicious chicken recipe. Served with simple sides like mashed potatoes and green beans, it really does taste like a million bucks. Definitely a 'serve it for company' kind of meal!


Chicken Marsala

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 small boneless chicken breasts (two large breasts butterflied in half)
3 tbsp unsalted sweet cream butter
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small sweet onion, finely minced
12 oz white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 1/4 cups Marsala
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream (milk is also acceptable)
Salt
Pepper


In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and pepper. One at a time, coat both sides of each chicken breast with the flour, and set aside. Reserve any flour that doesn't stick to the chicken, you'll use it later.

In a large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 1 1/2 tbsp of the butter with the olive oil. Working in batches, cook the chicken about 2 1/2 minutes on each side, or until there's a nice golden-brown sear. The chicken doesn't have to cook all the way through, if your chicken breasts are too thick to get done in that time it's okay. Remove the chicken to a plate for a moment.

Add the remaining butter to the pan to melt, then add the onions. Saute until the onions are translucent (this shouldn't take long), then add the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms saute until they've not only softened, but have begun to caramelize on the edges. It should smell really nice and almost beefy at this point, and the mushrooms should have rendered back out most of the butter/oil that they soaked up when they first began sauteing.

A little at a time, stirring constantly, add the flour mixture that you didn't use to coat the chicken to the mushrooms and butter in the pan to make a roux. Leave it long enough to cook the flour in the roux (about 2-3 minutes tops), then add the Marsala and chicken broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits and stirring them into the sauce. Add the oregano, stir, and allow the whole thing to simmer for a moment. Return the chicken to the pan, cover it, turn the heat down to low, and allow the whole thing to simmer for 30 minutes.

When you're ready to serve, remove the chicken to your serving bowl. Add the 1/2 cup cream to the sauce, and turn the heat up to high. Stir and simmer for five or so minutes to allow the sauce to thicken, then taste and adjust seasonings. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the serving bowl, and serve immediately.

Serves: 4