Rich Chicken Marsala

There are some good weeks, some bad weeks, and I’ve had my share of both in the past month. But the way I look at it, I need to have some bad weeks in order to really appreciate the good weeks. It’s easier said than done, but last week was definitely one of my best weeks. For one, I got an employment offer from another firm with an offer I just could not refuse and one my current employer could not match or beat. It was a bittersweet decision because I really enjoy the team I’m on and the firm I’m currently with. However I’m excited about the changes ahead starting at the end of next month. Secondly, teaching culinary classes on weekends have been really successful with sold out classes on a regular basis – sometimes well over a month in advance of the class date! And because good things come in threes, the third is having friends spot a blurb about me with my picture in a national magazine, Cooking Light. It’s great to get noticed when I least expected it lol. So in honor of Cooking Light magazine, this Chicken Marsala is a delicious recipe which I adapted from them. A rich and silky mushroom wine sauce flavors chicken breast on top of a bed of pasta…

I first got word that my mug shot was in the October 2013 Cooking Light magazine via Facebook. After one friend posted about it, several other friends sent me messages letting me know they saw my picture and links to my website. It was a great surprise!

I am a big fan of Cooking Light magazine and their recipes so it only seems fitting to feature a recipe of theirs that we enjoy. I prepared the recipe with a few tweaks to suit our tastes but in general, the changes are nothing drastic. It’s a favorite at our house and we love it over pasta, potatoes and sometimes even rice!

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic 
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten free flour blend
• 3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 4 cups cooked {gf} fettuccine 
• 
  
• Place one chicken breast half in a  gallon sized storage bag. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken to a 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining chicken. 
• Transfer pounded chicken to a platter and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to your tastes. 
• Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge seasoned chicken in flour.
• In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add butter, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Cook until softened. Remove mushroom mixtuer and set aside.
• Add butter to the now empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add pounded chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
• Add the mushroom mixture to pan with the chicken and stir to coat. 
• Add broth and Marsala, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup. 
• Add half-and-half, butter and season with salt and pepper to taste, stirring until the butter melts.
• Serve chicken with sauce over pasta or potatoes.