Chicken Marsala and the Glory of the 'Shroom

Last Friday Carey and I began a more-than-treacherous journey to York, PA to visit Kelly and Chad (Kelly is Carey's sister and Chad is her fiancee/my very close friend). We left Downtown at about 3:45 PM and eventually arrived at their house at 9:30 PM. The journey usually takes approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes but we were blasted by the snow storm that paralyzed the entire eastern seaboard which resulted in a painfully slow pace across Pennsylvania on the turnpike. We thought about canceling the trip, but what kind of friend would I be if I let a little precipitation come between us? To make a long story short, we arrived safely on Friday night, stayed up entirely too late and drank entirely too much but had a really great time. The following day (after shoveling more snow than I care to mention), I was given the privilege of making dinner for the four of us. Thankfully Kelly had all of the necessary ingredients for a timeless classic - Chicken Marsala.

I have never made this dish, and to be honest, I never order it when I'm at restaurants because I've never had a version that knocked my socks off. As it turns out, though, this dish isn't meant to deliver the bold flavors that I seek when diving into new culinary adventures. I think that I have been selling myself short because each bite of the final product grew on me and by the time I was done with my first serving I wanted more.

Strangely, my first bite of the final product resulted in a request for salt. I know that I tasted/seasoned the layers of flavor as I cooked but I felt as though there was something missing. It wasn't until I recognized the intention of this classic before I appreciated the subtle flavors of mushroom and wine.

To digress for just a moment, I'd like to discuss a rule in economics called The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, which can best be illustrated by consuming candy bars. If you love chocolate, I will assume that you love Snickers bars. When you eat one Snickers, you love it and want another, so you unwrap that second chocolaty treat. After two, you still like them but not as much as you did before your first; you may eat a third, but that third Snickers doesn't taste as good as the first. The fourth definitely doesn't taste as good as the first and the fifth makes you sick. This is The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.

I think that my experience with Chicken Marsala broke the aforementioned rule. Each bite left me wanting more, mainly because of the hint of compounded and well constructed flavors created by the earthy ingredients. I only stopped because I like to think I have manners and I'm still trying to lose a few pounds.

There are countless methods on the internet to make this dish and I couldn't tell you which is best/worst/easiest/most difficult. I can, however, tell you how we had it and I will give it a solid 3 out of 4 stars. The breakdown goes a little like this:

• Prepare boneless/skinless chicken breasts by beating the meat (that's what she said) to approximately 1/2 of an inch
• Dredge said breasts in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, dried oregano, cayenne pepper) and let sit for about 30 minutes
• Heat skillet to med-high, add EV olive oil and about 1 T butter
• Brown chicken in hot oil/butter mix, about 4-5 minutes on each side (set aside in baking dish and place in oven to keep warm)
• Drain excess oil from skillet, keeping the 'bits' on the bottom of the pan
• Deglaze pan with another T of butter, add shallot (season with salt and pepper) and sautee until tender
• Add a flavorful mushroom (sliced), such as baby 'bellas, cremini, oyster, or shiitake (more than you think you need as they will cook down), sautee until they release their moisture and begin to brown
• Add about 1c of Marsala wine (or a mix of white wine that you may have on hand and some cooking sherry), cook for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off (taste, and season again with salt and pepper if necessary)
• Add about 1c chicken stock (in a box is fine but you know how I feel about homemade!)
• Add another 2T of butter and let the liquid reduce by about one half (if you want, you could probably add some heavy cream or half and half at this point)
• Obviously you want to taste/season as necessary here
• Place your chicken breasts on a platter and top with the pan sauce/mushroom mixture
• Top with freshly chopped parsley (because parsley makes it fancy)

I think that Carey, Kel and Chad enjoyed it; I'm definitely craving it now after writing about the experience. Although this dish is easy, it is one that has multiple steps so I probably wouldn't jump into it after work on a Tuesday. I do think that it would be good to serve a crowd with a good starch, a steamed veg and maybe a salad, which is how we enjoyed this dinner. If you do decide to make it, I would recommend looking through a few recipes because there are SO many variations out there (I'm sure most are better than mine). I'd love to get some suggestions from the few people who may read this post - This one probably has plenty of room for improvement.

Try it, though, and enjoy the glory of the wine and the 'shroom!