Chicken Marsala

Adapted (barely) from Comfort Food Fix

Andy has been begging me to make chicken marsala, a childhood favorite (though I believe my mother-in-law used turkey cutlets in a recipe for veal marsala). In her latest cookbook, Ellie Krieger lightens up an old favorite by using very little flour, oil and butter. I served this alongside wide egg noodles for the boys, but I enjoyed mine over a bed of sauteed spinach. This is hearty food that isn’t heavy. I believe it’s won a permanent place in the dinner rotation.

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2″ thickness
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 pound sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup Marsala wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Flat leaf parsley, chopped (for serving)
  • Place the flour, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon each of the kosher salt and black pepper in a large zip top plastic bag. Toss gently to mix. Place two chicken breasts at a time in the bag, then shake to coat. You should have a little of the flour mixture left over. Reserve it for use in the sauce.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken breasts just until browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and set aside on a place. The chicken will be raw in the middle, but you’ll finish cooking it later with the sauce.
  • Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet, then cook the chopped shallot for just a couple minutes or until soft but not yet browned. Add the mushrooms to the skillet, stirring often. The mushrooms will begin to release their water after about 5 minutes. Add the reserved flour to the mushrooms and stir for 1 minute to coat. Add the marsala wine to the pan, turn the heat up to high and bring the mixture to a boil. When the wine has reduced by half (this will happen quickly, so watch closely), add the broth to the pan along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to boil for a couple minutes. It will start to thicken slightly.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan, spooning mushrooms and sauce over it. Reduce the heat to medium. Allow the chicken to cook for about 10 minutes, or until it’s no longer pink inside. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep it warm while you let the sauce thicken up just a bit more, another few minutes. Add the butter to the pan, swirling gently.
  • Serve the chicken topped with sauce, mushrooms and garnished with chopped parsley.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

7 responses to “Chicken Marsala”

  1. Royce says:
    January 6, 2012 at 11:52 am

    Is there any problem using boneless chicken cutlets that are already closer to 1/2″ thickness? Or does pounding the chicken help it in any way? (You can tell that as a vegetarian cooking for a carnivore family, I’m a bit of a novice). Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Roberta Sokol says:
    January 6, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    Here’s the recipe Andy remembers fondly: 2# turkey cutlets-pounded to 1/4″, 1/2 c. flour, 4T.(1/2 stick) butter or margarine, 1+1/3 c. dry Marsala, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 2 envelopes instant beef bouillon (low salt). Dip turkey cutlets in flour to coat lightly. Saute over medium heat, part at a time, turning once, in part of the butter in large frying pan, til lightly browned. Remove from pan, keep warm. Stir Marsala wine into frying pan, scraping up all browned bits, and stir in pepper and bouillon; simmer 2 minutes. Return turkey to pan, cover and simmer 5 minutes, spooning sauce over cutlets. Serve over egg noodles. Serves 8 (or family of 5 when 2 are teen age boys!)

    Reply
  3. Michelle says:
    January 10, 2012 at 1:42 am

    Made this tonight! Delish!!!

    Reply
  4. Kate Townsend says:
    January 12, 2012 at 12:24 am

    That’s a keeper! Love all the ‘extra’s’ you described! … marsala wine reduction will happen fast (it did) … adding butter at the end made it even more delish! Yummy Yummy!

    Reply

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