I know a lot of people who have never really had food cooked in wine, and all they can say is “I just don’t really like my food to be cooked in wine.” They can’t really tell me why that is, other than that perhaps they’re somehow afraid of the moral ramifications of eating food that has some kind of alcoholic content… or they don’t like the taste of wine… or some other excuse. I will tell those people right now though. You don’t know what you’re missing out on! There are a few things I have discovered recently. One is that I LOVE any kind of meat that has been cooked in wine sauce. I’ve made Boeuf Bourguignon several times now just because I love the richness of the sauce with the red wine in it. Also, every time I make pot roast now, there’s always wine in the gravy. It just adds so much to the flavor.
That aside, one of the other things I’ve realized recently is how much I LOVE Chicken Marsala! I didn’t know what I had been missing all my life until finally I ordered it at a restaurant and I was hooked. At that point I thought, “I have GOT to know how this is made so I can make this at home.” After reviewing several recipes and deciding what things I would mix and match, I came to what yielded the picture shown.
If you don’t know what the dish is, allow me to elaborate. Chicken Marsala, first and foremost, is not like most other stereotypical Italian dishes. It’s not a tomato-based main dish, nor is it slathered in marinara or some kind of cheese-based sauce. It’s a pounded chicken cutlet that has been lightly dredged (flour or corn starch coated) and sauteed with some olive oil, butter, and garlic. Then, it’s smothered in a rich, sweet, savory, delicious wine sauce and (my preference) mushrooms. I prefer to serve mine over pasta, but you can also have it by itself or over mashed potatoes, what have you. I will say though, you can’t use just any kind of wine for the sauce. It really does need to be Marsala wine, or it’s not Chicken Marsala! You can usually find it in stores. I got mine at Anderson’s General Store (where there are about 2,345,735,432 different kinds of wine), but a store like Trader Joe’s would be a good place to look; you can look just about anywhere that has a great wine selection. There’s almost always someone there who will be able to help you find what you’re looking for. Also, most Chicken Marsala recipes call for a little sherry. I omitted it, because I seldom cook things that require it.
One more thing before we get started: if you don’t know what “butterflying” is, here’s a tutorial video. The step the video does not include that will be necessary for our purposes, is that you do need to cut the breasts completely in half. Also, to pound out a chicken breast, I suggest putting it on the cutting board, covering it with plastic wrap, and using the flat side of a meat hammer to pound it flat. If you don’t have a meat hammer, either a rolling pin or something flat and heavy (like a frying pan) will work.
- 2 large chicken breasts, butterflied, halved, and pounded or rolled to 1/4″ in thickness
- 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. of oregano
- 4 Tbs. butter
- 4 Tbs. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 C. sliced Crimini (baby bella) or portabello mushrooms
- 3/4 C. Sweet Marsala Wine
- 1/4 C. Chicken stock (or sherry…or both)
In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and oregano. After pounding your chicken, evenly coat it in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. This will create a silky, light coating on the chicken and help to thicken the sauce slightly. Next, in a large frying pan, melt the butter into the oil. Sautee the chicken breasts for a few minutes on both sides, until they are golden brown on each side. Add in the garlic and sweat until it’s really fragrant. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate. Pour in your mushrooms, Marsala, and stock and/or sherry. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (this is called de-glazing). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook the mushrooms until tender, and sauce is slightly reduced. Then, return the chicken to the pan and simmer, covered, until all is heated through. Serve over buttered pasta or mashed potatoes, or whatever catches your fancy. I would go for a good buttered farfalle (butterflies/ bowties).
The Un-Snooty Foodie 