i love chicken marsala. i grew up eating it a good bit as a child. it was another one of those "special" meals that my parents made us. this weekend in georgia was absolutely gorgeous. fall is officially here. this meal reminds me of fall, so i thought i would kick off the first brisk evening of the new season with this dish. i think one of the reasons i love this meal so much is because while cooking it, the house smells amazing. this is also a great dish for company because you can prep everything before hand (actually, you could cook it earlier in the day and reheat when guests arrive - not preferable, but doable). start by either slicing your chicken breasts in half, horizontally, or pound one breast out. chicken breast are so darn big these days that i find slicing them in half gives a healthier, more reasonable portion. pounding it out will sometimes leave you with a chicken breast the size of a dinner plate. but, it's your call. slice a ton of mushrooms, however many you like. i used 2 pounds to serve with 4 breasts. heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. you could add a tablespoon of butter if you like ( i like, but i don't). while the oil is heating up, salt and pepper the chicken and dredge in flour. coat evenly, but lightly. put the chicken in the skillet and cook 3 minutes per side. remove the chicken to a plate. add a bit more oil and add the mushrooms. cook until they get nice and brown - about 5-6 minutes. now the good stuff. marsala wine. add 3/4 cups of marsala wine and reduce by half. this should take about 5 minutes. scrap down any brown bits. once the wine has reduced, add 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth and let thicken for 3 minutes. add the chicken back into the pan. make sure to nestle the chicken in the mushroom mixture. reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through, another 4-5 minutes. garnish with fresh, chopped chives. i served these with mashed red new potatoes. chicken marsala has to be served with mashed potatoes. no ifs, ands, or buts about it!
