Chicken Marsala

I'm writing about chicken marsala today - one of my absolute favorites to cook. Probably because when I first moved in with Evan I was expanding my recipe repertoire and this was one of my first big accomplishments.

It's funny how Evan always compliments my cooking (except for one fateful experiment with salmon that we laugh over) and says it is "awesome", I can tell when he actually LOVES something. No one else in the world would probably notice, but I do. He eats a little quicker, but takes little breaks between bites to savor it. :) It makes me happy to see him enjoy it. But I digress!

I made my own recipe (as I often do) after looking up a lot of different recipes online and seeing what works best. Loosely based on the Olive Garden chicken marsala recipe, but much healthier. (No breading, no oil, no butter.)

If anyone tries these recipes, I used to coat the chicken with flour or cornstarch before searing them. It helps it brown and probably makes the outside a little crispier. But since I cook pretty healthy, I try to eliminate unnecessary calories so away the breading went. It probably isn't a huge amount of calories I'm saving, but we've learned to enjoy it without the breading. Maybe if its your first time cooking chicken marsala, or you want it to be more authentic, stick with the breading. (I also omit the butter at the end of the recipe to thicken up the sauce for the same reason.)

Another way to use braising!

What You'll Need:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
3/4 bottle marsala cooking wine
1/2 cup flour (optional)
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
1 pound sliced mushrooms
Parsley, to taste
Whole wheat linguine
Pam cooking spray

How You'll Do It:

1. Slice the chicken breasts in half, pound out to even thickness. Dredge chicken in flour, set aside.
2. Heat salted water in a pot, cook whole wheat pasta according to directions.
2. Spray Pam onto deep skillet, heat over high-medium heat.
3. Add chicken and sear on each side for about 3 minutes, until the chicken is browned on the outside.
4. Remove chicken to a plate, add mushrooms and sauté in more Pam for a few minutes.
5. Add the marsala wine, and the chicken back to the skillet. Heat to boiling and then lower heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. A few minutes before its done, add butter to the sauce and stir.
6. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley. Then, enjoy!

I bet this dish would be fantastic with risotto instead of pasta...gotta remember that for next time!

If you are going to make chicken marsala for company or a pot luck or something, maybe use something variation of the Olive Garden recipe. It packs a lot of calories, but it will earn rave reviews. But for a quiet dinner at home, this hits the spot and keeps the calories to an acceptable level.

In other news, another one of our friends is engaged! SO much happiness going around. My engagement ring is being resized in Altoona currently, so I feel strange without it. Unfortunately, the jewelry store in our town isn't equipped to cut through platinum so it had to be sent off. Can't wait to get it back!!!