Saturday, July 25, 2009

Chicken Marsala

Last week I started experimenting with cooking with wine.  First, I made my incredibly flavourful Rustic Mushroom and Cream Cheese Tart using white wine; then I made a Zabaglione with lots of sweet Marsala wine (which you will get to see in the upcoming iYellow Wine Club August Newsletter); and finally, I made a comforting Chicken Marsala.  I loved the sweet yet bold flavour of the Marsala and wanted to try and make a savory dish with it.  I have eaten Veal Marsala many times and absolutely love it! I love any dish with lots of sauce, and a Marsala sauce is really something special! I had never prepared veal before so I decided to take things one step at a time and start with chicken.  Turns out I enjoy Chicken Marsala just as much as veal! The chicken was tender and juicy with each bite filled with lots of sweet Marsala sauce and tasty mushrooms.  I couldn't get enough! For some beginner cooks this may seem complicated, but it is actually very simple.  Just take it one step at a time.  Trust me, when you taste the end result, you will see that it was all worth it!

Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
about 1 cup flour (for coating chicken) plus 2-3 tbsp, reserved
1-2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, pureed 
about 2 cups mushrooms, sliced (I used Mini Bella Mushrooms)
3/4 cup Marsala 
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
olive oil (for frying)
salt and pepper, to season
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Rinse and paper towel-dry chicken breasts.  Pound each breast flat using the flat side of a mallet.  You may want to fold over a piece of plastic wrap around the breasts to keep your work station clean and safe from cross-contamination.

2.  In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high for frying chicken.

3.  In a shallow dish, mix 1 cup flour, dried oregano, and 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp pepper.  Dip the chicken breasts into the flour mixture to coat.  Transfer chicken to skillet and fry about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. You will need to do several batches in order to fit all the chicken in the skillet.

4.  When all the chicken is cooked, transfer to serving dish and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.  

5.  Add butter and garlic to the skillet  and cook until golden brown.  Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and darkened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in reserved 2-3 tbsp flour (add flour amount depending on how much mushrooms were used).  Cook and stir for another 5 minutes, allowing flour to cook and mixture to thicken.

6.  Add the Marsala and stir, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan.  Continue to cook until liquid had reduced and thickened, about 8 minutes.  Add the stock and simmer for 5-7 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly. 

7.  Remove from heat and add sage.  Season with salt and pepper. Let sit for about 2-3 minutes allowing sauce to thicken up.  Remove foil from chicken and pour sauce over. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over chicken and sauce and serve.

13 comments:

The imPerfect Housewife said...

You are such a doll - all this food looks FABULOUS!!!!!!!! I'm impressed that you're so young and making dishes like that - you go, girl. You are SO marrying my son - I can't wait to tell him! Just wanted to pop by to tell you that I'm having my first giveaway and you're entered once already for being a follower. That's it and have a great weekend ~

T-24 said...

this looks amazing. great photography as well.
wish i was there to try it, it looks fantastic

theUngourmet said...

This is one of my favorite dishes. I've never made it but if I'm out and I see it on the menu I order it!

Yours looks so fabulous!

Danielle said...

Imperfect Housewife: Thank you so much! Your comment is amazing and made my day! haha you are too cute!! I was in a rush when I first read your comment yesterday and quickly checked out the giveaway and it looks great! But as great as the giveaway is, I loved your old photos even more! haha they are amazing! I love looking through my mums old photos from the 70's she looks just like me but with "groovier" clothes!

SISTER: Thanks so much!! It tasted soooo good! I think you would have really liked it!! And it's so funny because I think this is the best photo that I have taken myself of my food and I only took 4 and was like "oh hell im going to just take the picture right here I'm too hungry to fix it up and try to make it all look pretty" haha I should be lazy more often!!

The Ungourmet: Thank you! It really tasted just as good as in a restaurant! You should make it at home, it is simple and I was so proud that it turned out so well after!!

Summer Athena said...

your "about me" photo is absolutely gorgeous. what a pretty lady inside and out and a good cook TOO. ;)

this dish looks fabulous.

Carol {Everyday Delights} said...

Mmmm love chicken marsala!

Unknown said...

haha I found another foodie blogger with the same name as mine so of COURSE I had to check it out! :)
I love Chicken Marsala! It looks wonderful...I can almost smell it.

La Bella Cooks said...

Oh heavenly! Chicken marsala is definitely one of my all time favorites and I never tire of eating it. Yours looks fantastic. I love your blog! Thanks so much for commenting on mine recently.

Mahmood Syed Faheem said...

The mushroom dish looks so yummy. Your blog is very nice. The images are very beautiful. God is Great. Best wishes.

http://www.thedynamicnature.com

Creative Classroom Core said...

Those ingredients sound like they would work so well together! Yum!

Love the new profile pic! You are gorgeous! :)

Pretty Zesty said...

This is one of my favorite dishes!

Anonymous said...

Wow, this looks absolutely delicious. As does everything else on your site.

Danielle said...

Thanks to everyone for all the lovely comments!

My new profile pic is thanks to the very talented photographer Nicolett Jakab. Check out her work here: http://www.nicolettjakab.com/