Chicken Marsala = heaven

This was really good, despite some self-inflicted Lance obstacles. They are humorous, so I'll share, much to Lance's chagrin :)

The funny thing about all of this is that I only asked Lance to start the chicken while I went grocery shopping. I didn't think that he would go beyond the chicken flattening and flouring. But he had done much of the cooking by the time I got home, much to my surprise. I was surprised namely due to the fact that the recipe is a little more "involved" that I would typically assign to my dear husband :)

The recipe calls for 2 cups of mushrooms. I had purchased mushrooms much too early and they were starting to turn slimy. By the time Lance picked through the suitable ones, he had about 1/4 of a cup left. Not exactly 2 cups worth. But what struck me as funny is the fact that Lance knew I was at the grocery store - grocery shopping. He could have called me to pick up some more mushrooms. Needless to say, our Chicken Marsala was woefully short of mushrooms.

Lance didn't know was shallots are. He was under the impression that the white part of a green onion was called the shallot. Lo and behold, shallots are an actual ingredient! Luckily for Lance shallots are a cross between garlic and onion. No major harm there.

Despite a few problems, this dish was so good (I think it was probably the bacon!) I plan on making it again some Saturday - with all of the ingredients!

Laura’s Chicken Marsala
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices of bacon, chopped
2 cups white or cremini mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. minced shallot
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine (sweet)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 lemon, juiced
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place large heatproof dinner plate on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees. Meanwhile, pound the chicken breasts to a 1/2 inch thickness in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pat chicken breasts dry. Place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Working one piece at a time, coat both sides of chicken breasts with flour. Shake to remove excess flour, and set aside.

Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes. Place floured cutlets in single layer in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven to keep warm.

Return skillet to low heat and add bacon; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until bacon is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and shallot and saute for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, and cook until paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add marsala and chicken stock, and increase heat to high. Scrape browned bits from pan bottom, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken in the oven; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Return chicken breasts to pan and simmer in sauce for a few minutes.

Great served with pasta and a green salad or veggie.