[bold] GREG'S DELICIOUS & SUPERIOR CHICKEN MARSALA [/bold]
[bold] INGREDIENTS [/bold]
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each)
1 cup all-purpose flour
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-1/2 ounces pancetta (about 3 slices), diced into pieces 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 medium clove garlic , minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tsp. tomato paste
1-1/2 cups Sweet Marsala
1-1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice (from 1 small lemon)
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, softened
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
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[bold] PROCEDURE [/bold]
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat until very hot—about 3 minutes.
3. Trim chicken breasts if necessary and then pat them dry.
4. 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 with flour. Lift breast from tapered end and shake to remove excess flour; set aside.
5. Add oil to hot sauté pan and heat until shimmering.
6. Place floured cutlets in single layer in sauté pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven.
7. Return sauté pan to low heat and add pancetta; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.
8. With slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a plate lined with paper toweling.
9. Add mushrooms to sauté pan and increase heat to medium-high; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes.
10. Add garlic, tomato paste, and cooked pancetta; sauté while stirring until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add Marsala; return pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from pan bottom, until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes.
11. Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley.
12. Pour sauce over chicken and serve at once. [You could also return the chicken to the pan if it needs additional warming.]
I love to serve this with angel hair pasta cooked al dente. Once the pasta is drained, return it to the pan, add some butter, some olive oil, some good sea salt and freshly ground pepper, some finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and some chopped parsley.
Enjoy!