Chicken Marsala

There comes a time when you learn a recipe and the food turns out tasting as good as what they serve you in one of your favorite restaurants. Or perhaps they're not the same but you, in your not-so-humble opinion, believe they are.  And you do it again and again. Then you begin to wonder why you still need to order the same things anymore.  Tradition?

This is a recipe by Tyler Florence which I revised to include alternative ingredients just in case you don't have them at hand when you feel like cooking and to add an optional hint of acidity from lemon juice.  It really works without it but sometimes depending on your preferences you might prefer a little kick to it.

Chicken Marsala*

Ingredients:
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts  (or boneless skinless chicken thighs - about 1 1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced, or a handful of bacon bits (optional)
8 ounces porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved (cremini or button mushrooms will work)
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock (beef stock works also)

2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

If using chicken breast, put the chicken pieces in between pieces of plastic wrap on a cutting board and pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a sufficient amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto or bacon bits to the drippings in the pan, sauté for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and sauté until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through.  Adjust taste with salt and pepper as necessary.   Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.  In our house we like to serve it over rice.
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*Slightly revised Tyler Florence recipe