CHICKEN MARSALA RECIPE
I’ll start with two boneless & skinless chicken breast. Which I’m going to generously season with salt & pepper on both sides. If your on a dietary restriction-just work with the pepper.
My mise en place, which is everything I’ll need to cook this dish are the following: I’m a flat heavy bottom sauce pan that’s large enough for two chicken breasts. I’m preheating the pan on medium to high heat.
Every stove/oven heats differently, so I would recommend spritzing some water into the pan to check the pans temperature.
If the water evaporates immediately then it’s good to go.
I need plenty of heat in this pan so the chicken cooks evenly, doesn’t stick to the pan and ultimately gives me a beautifully browned appearance.
NOTE: If the pan begins to give off smoke lower the temperature on your stove or remove it immediately to reduce the pan’s temp.
You’ll need any oil with a high smoke point such as a canola or safflower-corn oil is ok as well.
A good indication that the oil is ready for sautéing is when the oil warps- where it almost looks like liquid mercury.
Gently place the chicken into the pan so the oil doesn’t splatter at you. Just wait a few minutes and then pick it up to see if the browning is taking place. Because this is a thick piece of chicken lower the heat so the chicken doesn’t brown too quickly, which equates to burning and under-cooked poultry.
If this is your first time it’s important to stay in the kitchen, more preferably by the stove to monitor the cooking progress. For an inch thick piece of chicken, such as this-I would recommend at least 7-8 minutes for each side.
Also, remember that after the chicken is cooked there is some carry over cooking that takes place, so you don’t want to over cook the chicken to the point where it’s tough and dry. When it’s properly cooked. It’s juice & tender.
Avoid adding anything acidic to the chicken. Although it will tenderize the meat- it won’t brown and have a nice appearance.
Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest. Don’t cut into this chicken until your ready to serve. So much pressure builds up in the chicken that the juices will pour out if you immediately cut into it the minute it’s out of the pan.
By resting, the pressure goes down and the juices spread through the meat and as a result give us a juicer chicken.
Let’s take a peak into the pan. I’m going to use the left over fat to sauté the shallots in. This fat has plenty of flavor.
Now add the mushrooms last.
Minced shallots and mushrooms cook pretty quickly, so don’t let this get to dark or overcook.
After a few minutes I’m going to use a cheap wine to deglaze, such as pinot noir or savnigion blanc. You don’t need any expensive wine for deglazing. I’m going to scrape the remnants from the pan.
Now, for a sweet Marsala wine. I’m going to reduce this sauce so were almost left with a layer of color on the pan. I’ll add a bay leaf & oregano- you can also add thyme.
Now, lets add about 1 or 3/4 of a cup or heavy cream or half & half. If you don’t have heavy cream you can substitute it with 1/2 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of butter.
I want to keep the flavor essence and too much liquid or cream will drown out the flavors. I’ll add the chicken back in and taste. Add some salt or pepper to taste.
Ok, let’s plate this delicious dish. I’ll add some minced parsley to the top to garnish and I’m ready to serve this with a roll of spaghetti or linguine. If your on a dietary restriction, you can opt for broccoli rabe, carrots or mixed greens with vingerette.
