Lost Recipes: Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala has always been one of my favorites, likely because it was one of the "fancy" dinners my mom would make. Breaking out the Marsala wine was an occasion in our house and a break from the stand-by meals that were no less delicious, but much quicker to make on a weeknight. I remember thinking we were so gourmet when she'd put this dish on the table some Saturday nights :)

A long time ago, when I spent much less time in the kitchen than I do these days, I made a delicious Marsala. I don't know if it was the same recipe my mom used or where I might have found it, but I was pretty impressed with my re-creation of this sometimes family favorite. Unfortunately, I was terrible at saving recipes when I used them less frequently so that particular chicken Marsala may never see the light of my kitchen again.

I'm sure I've used several different recipes for Marsala since then, with varying levels of success. A few months ago I experimented with yet another, but never got around to recording it here (despite the fact that it may have been the best I ever made!). I came across the photo a couple weeks ago and for the life of me, I couldn't remember what recipe I'd used ... again. And then I was browsing my recipe box on foodnetwork.com and found what must have been the one!

I'll be hanging on to this recipe adapted from Tyler Florence ... and I'd suggest you bookmark it, too!

Chicken Marsala
Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

All-purpose flour, for dredging

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

4 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced

8 oz. crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Place chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound with a mallet until about 1/4-inch thick. Place flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper; mix with a fork.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Dredge both sides of chicken cutlets in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Carefully lay cutlets into the pan and fry 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove chicken to large platter to keep warm.

Lower heat to medium and add prosciutto to pan drippings; saute 1 minute. Add mushrooms and saute until browned and  moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour Marsala in pan and boil for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add chicken stock and simmer 1 minute to reduce sauce slightly. Stir in butter and return chicken to the pan; simmer gently, about 1 minute, to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper before serving. (I served mine over buttery, cheesy polenta and it was amazing!)