Chicken and Mushroom Marsala

I wanted to come up with something special for dh's birthday dinner. It was harder than usual to come up with a menu because dd was having a first grade friend spend the night. A picky first grade friend. When I saw the recipe for Chicken Marsala over at Smitten Kitchen, I know that was exactly what I was looking for. Dh and I would love the mushroom sauce and the kids could have their chicken plain with no extra work on my part. Woohoo!

I'd been wanting to make Chicken Marsala for quite awhile. In the past when I made it, I usually just used whatever red wine I had on hand. (Not really Marsala, I know.) Recently a new fancy-schmancy wine shop opened up here in town. The first thing I did was ask the owner for a good Marsala. It had been in the pantry for awhile and this was the perfect time to break it out.

The recipe was simple and tasty, though it seemed a little more labor intensive than my usual recipe, it wasn't bad. The sauce was a little thinner as well. Since we really enjoyed this dish, I'm including both recipes.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala
Gourmet, June 1995

Serves 6

3 whole boneless chicken breasts with skin (about 2 1/2 pounds),
halved
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced thin
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet heat oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown chicken in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a large plate as browned.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until Marsala is almost evaporated. Add broth and chicken with any juices that have accumulated on plate and simmer, turning chicken once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter.

Simmer mushroom sauce until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until butter is just incorporated. Spoon mushroom sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Teresa's Chicken Marsala
Recipe By Teresa

4 chicken breast -- boneless
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon oregano
4 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon pepper -- freshly ground
1 cup portabella mushrooms -- sliced
1/2 cup Marsala wine

Pound chicken between two sheets of waxed paper until a uniform thickness. Combine flour, pepper, and oregano and blend well. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until bubbling lightly. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess. Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side or until lightly brown. When turning the breasts to the second side, add the mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 2 more minutes. Stir the mushrooms. When the chicken is browned, add the wine around the chicken pieces, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.