Chicken Marsala
Thank you, Cheesecake Factory! Well, yes there are the many varieties of cheesecake but there is so much more to be thankful for….the avocado egg rolls, the brown bread, mac and cheese balls and Chicken Marsala, an Italian-American creation that hits all the notes that want hitting for my appetite.
This is not meant to be a copycat recipe but a springboard to hopefully greater depths in terms of flavor. Thus the addition of bacon and shallots. If you love this dish and have a hankering for it but no time to create it, get thee to a Cheesecake Factory and enjoy their lovely rendition. Do you remember the early days of CCF when an hour’s wait was not uncommon? Thanks to the fact that many more have sprouted up, we can often walk right in and sit right down to the business at hand - enjoying delicious food!
BUT CCF was not the first. Chicken Marsala (not to be confused with the Indian dish of Chicken Masala) was created in a convulated fashion by French-influenced, Italian immigrant cooks, trying to create a favorite Italian dish with ingredients available in America. So it should be labeled as American Italian or vice versa. Don’t you love assimilation in the kitchen!
As elegant as it is delicious, this entree easily takes center place at parties, buffets, dinners or from the skillet for a family meal. Just add a crusty loaf.
Golden fried chicken breast cutlets, shallots and mushrooms in an Italian rich wine sauce……Magnifico!
Chicken Marsala
1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded ¼-inch thick or sliced in half horizontally
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces diced bacon
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 medium shallot, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup Marsala wine or other robust red wine
3/4 cup rich chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped (can use dried, but reduce by half)
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon
1/3 cup prepared basil pesto
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
-Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag. Seal bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Shake extra flour off each piece of chicken and set aside.
-Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the prepared chicken in the pan, and brown, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 2 - 3 minutes per side. Move the chicken to a plate and set aside.
-In the same pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the shallots, garlic, thyme and tarragon, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Next, add the broth, Marsala wine, heavy cream, and another, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pinch of black pepper.
-Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently, uncovered, until the sauce reduces by about half and is slightly thickened about 10 minutes.
-Stir the pesto into the sauce and add the chicken back to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes.
-Spoon the sauce and arrange the chicken onto a platter. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Flour chicken then pan fry until golden, a few minutes on each side.
Fry the chicken on each side until golden brown.
Tender chicken and mushrooms in a rich velvety wine sauce - what could be better!
