Chicken Marsala

Talk about a skillet full of comfort! Golden brown chicken cutlets, simmered in a luxurious, creamy, Marsala wine sauce. Studded with mushrooms and scented with thyme and garlic, this classic dish needs to make an appearance in your home. Soon.

Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian-American dish made with golden, pan-fried chicken cutlets, mushrooms and Marsala wine, a fortified wine with caramelized/nutty nuances. The chicken cutlets are first dusted with flour, so they help thicken the Marsala wine sauce with ease. That means there's no need to make a butter-flour roux first; the golden brown, flour-coated chicken does the job of thickening the silky sauce! And those mushrooms.. they add a richness and earthy quality that's 100% unrivaled.

This dish makes great use of pantry staples too. Marsala wine, broth and milk make up the bulk of the sauce, which is also scented with garlic and thyme. If you don't have Marsala wine, you can substitute white wine or vermouth. If you don't have fresh garlic, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced dried garlic. If you don't have thyme, you can use oregano (it changes the flavor, but still works great).

About the mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms because I think they're more flavorful than button mushrooms. That said, you can choose any mushroom variety you prefer.

About the chicken: If your chicken breasts are large (like 8 ounces each), use TWO and halve them horizontally to form 4 thin/flat fillets. If your chicken breasts are closer to 4 ounces each, pound each one to roughly 1/2-inch thickness.

Chicken Marsala

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, halved horizontally or pounded to 1/2-inch thickness (see note above)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, divided
8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional

In a shallow dish, combine the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat both sides. Shake off excess flour and set aside.
Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the chicken is golden brown and just barely cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broth, Marsala wine, milk, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and bring to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and incorporating them into the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes (don't worry if the sauce seems thin, it will thicken when the chicken comes back). Return the chicken to pan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through.
Top with parsley and serve.
Serves 4