Thursday, March 5, 2015

Chicken Marsala a la David Lebovitz @LucyBurdette




LUCY BURDETTE:  If you're like me, when you're having company, you'd prefer to prepare a lot of the meal ahead of time so you can visit with your guests instead of spending the night in the kitchen. I was trying to imagine such a meal when a David Lebovitz newsletter popped into my inbox with Chicken Marsala as the headline. Eureka! My photos are not as beautiful as his and I doubled the mushrooms, but other than that, I think my rendition was similar. We enjoyed both our guests and the meal!

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 12-16 oz mushrooms, stems trimmed and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons (total) olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons (total) unsalted butter
  • 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • about 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock or water
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 2/3 cup Marsala wine 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 or more tablespoons chopped parsley

One at a time, flatten the chicken breasts by placing them in a large Ziplock bag and pounding them with a rolling pin. Dredge the cutlets in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper and set aside. Melt a tablespoon of butter and one of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the first few cutlets until brown. Don’t crowd the chicken or it won’t brown—do this in batches if you don’t have a large pan. Add oil/butter as needed.

  

Set the chicken aside while you melt another teaspoon or two of butter and olive oil and sauté the mushrooms until they are well done and beginning to brown. Add the chopped garlic and cook the vegetables a few minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water or stock. Add the marsala. Combine the chicken, mushrooms and garlic in a bigger pot, add the liquids and bring to a simmer. Let this cook about ten minutes until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick.  (You can make the recipe ahead to this point and then heat it again.)

 

Five minutes before serving, stir in the vinegar and garnish the dish with chopped parsley. Taste to see if it needs salt or a bit more butter. Serve over egg noodles or good quality pasta.  And maybe something green on the side...Bon appetit!


If you crave an occasional taste of Paris, as I always do, you can read David Lebovitz's blog and sign up for his newsletter here.


Don't forget: July will be here before we know it, bringing the sixth Key West food critic mystery, FINAL RESERVATIONS. You can pre-order it here.





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13 comments:

  1. Chicken Marsala looks delicious! It makes me hungry just looking at the pictures.

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  2. I love your books and can't wait for Fatal Reservations. I love Chicken Marsala and the recipe looks delicious.

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    1. You're too sweet Robyn! Let me know how yours turns out if you make it:)

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  3. Chicken Marsala is a winner! It puts together all sorts of wonderful things.
    How many is this supposed to serve?
    Nicely done.
    Looking forward to another book trip to the Keys.

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    1. Thanks Libby! I'm bad about saying how many servings...but this fed four of us with a little bit left over--mushrooms and gravy, the best part. We had a big salad too.

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    2. Thanks That sounds about right.
      I'm with you--make plenty of mushrooms and gravy!

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  4. Love the Fatal Reservations cover, Lucy - and you can't go wrong with chicken and wine!

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    1. thanks--I'm very lucky with my cover artists. And so true about wine and chicken:)

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  5. That picture of you always cracks me up. I love the cover of Fatal Reservations. Especially since I can hear ice pinging on the windows. I'm with you about making something that allows me to spend time with my guests. So much more relaxing and fun!

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  6. Chicken Marsala ius one of my favorite foods. I can still remember the day in 1969 when I first had it. Oh man! Thanks for this terrific version, Roberta/Lucy.

    XO

    MJ/VA

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