After the entire 3 seconds that I thought about it, I was on my phone, looking through recipes. I wanted to make something really yummy and comforting, especially since it was the last day of September and the weather was cold and rainy. I wanted something filling and delicious as well; but, not too rich and decadent as to where you can't stand up when you're through; (worst feeling ever) especially, since we were planning on seeing a movie afterwards. Chicken Marsala came to mind. Yes, it's a cream-based sauce with hearty mushrooms served over pasta, but it's also elegant and not overly starchy. It's a simple, yet extremely tasteful and the ingredients are based mostly off of things found in the pantry. Settled. Chicken Marsala it is.
Now, my usual style of cooking includes a bit of inspiration from an original recipe and my take on what could make it even better. I'd save a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis a while back and thought it to be the perfect base to cook from. I hadn't made this version before and I wanted to make it extra delicious for Jack. So, I ran out to the grocery store on my lunch break and drove up with the goods when I got out of work. I decided I didn't want to tell him that I was even making anything, because I wanted to surprise him. Next was time to "wow."
First, I began my mise en place. I peeled the outer layer of skin on my vidalia onion and began dicing the entire thing. I used a medium onion because I love how robust its flavor is. The sweetness also acts as as a nice balance against the creaminess of the mascarpone and meatiness from the mushrooms. Next, I minced 2 garlic cloves, (because, let's face it, garlic makes just about everything better) and I chopped up about 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley. I didn't use a measuring spoon, just grabbed a small bunch of leaves from the top. I don't find it necessary to exactly measure out fresh parsley because it adds such freshness and vibrancy, especially to creamy or more decadent dishes.
Next, I prepared the wet ingredients. I measured out 1 cup of Marsala wine (more on the drier side to bring out that robust flavor), 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and 8 oz (or 1 tub) of mascarpone cheese.
Finally, time for the main ingredient: chicken. I purchased a 1.17 pound package of organic chicken breast (though you can certainly use more) and found that it was a perfect ratio to the sauce and pasta. I rinsed and trimmed the chicken, pat it dry and began to flatten it out. When you are making a chicken dish, especially something that requires even cooking, I always like to pound down the chicken. I think that it creates a more even thickness and allows everything to cook at the same time and same temperature. That way, you don't have 1 or 2 pieces burning while the rest are still raw. Just makes it easier, but that's me. After pounding the chicken, I sliced each breast crosswise into 1/3 pieces. This just makes the chicken cook faster and allows your guests to get healthy bites of chicken throughout their dish, rather than eating one large piece.
Now that the preparations were done, it was time to cook!
I heated about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large sautee pan over high heat and added the chicken. I let it cook about 4 minutes on each side, when it was a nice brown color. In this step, I used high heat because I love to get a crispy golden skin on my chicken while it is still juicy and moist on the inside. Some people would rather their chicken be tender all around without any crispness, which is delicious as well. If that's the case, just turn the heat to medium high and cook for around 3 minutes per side. This step does not cook the chicken thoroughly, as it is finished in the final step by simmering in the Marsala; however, it acts as a preparation for the breast to later absorb all of the creamy goodness.
After cooking the chicken, I removed and set it aside and allowed it to cool a little. In the same pan, I added more olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Over medium-high heat, I added the onions and sauteed until they were tender, around 2-3 minutes.
Next, I added the garlic and mushrooms and sauteed until the mushrooms were tender and their juices evaporated, around 12 minutes. Now the kitchen was smelling amazing. The sweetness of the caramelized onions mixed with the pungent garlic and earthy mushrooms was mouth watering.
