Chicken Marsala

Serves 4 to 6. Best served with potatoes, rice, or buttered noodles.

Inspired and Stolen from America's Test Kitchen

  • 2 1/4 C. dry Marsala Wine

  • 4 tsp unflavored gelatin

  • 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

  • kosher salt and pepper

  • 2 C. chicken broth

  • 3/4 C. all purpose flour

  • 1/4 C. vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp

  • 3 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

  • 1 lb. cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin

  • 1 shallot, minced

  • 1 T. tomato paste

  • 1 garlic clove, grated

  • 2 tsp. lemon juice

  • 1 tsp. oregano

  • 3 T. butter

  • 2 tsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

  1. Bring 2 cups Marsala, gelatin, and porcini mushrooms to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and vigorously simmer until reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, cut each chicken breast in half crosswise, then cut thick half in half again horizontally, creating 3 cutlets of about same thickness. Just be aware to have the cuts similar in size for the browning stage. Season each side with kosher and freshly ground pepper.

  3. Strain Marsala reduction through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the porcini mushrooms. Return Marsala reduction to saucepan, add broth, and return to boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium-high and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside.

  4. Spread flour in shallow dish. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, shaking gently to remove excess. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven or large sauce pan over medium-high heat until smoking. Lower heat to medium and cook in batches until golden brown. 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, flip and cook until golden brown on second side, 2 to 3 minutes. Set cutlets aside, and repeat with 2 tablespoons oil for each remaining batch.

  5. Return now-empty Dutch oven or large skillet to medium-low heat and add pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits, until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.

  6. Add cremini mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer cremini mushrooms and pancetta to bowl.

  7. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil and shallot to pan and cook until softened, 1 minute. Add tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

  8. Add reduced Marsala mixture, remaining 1/4 cup Marsala, lemon juice, and oregano and bring to simmer.

  9. Add cutlets to sauce and simmer for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through simmering. Transfer cutlets to platter.

  10. Off heat, whisk in butter and then stir in the cremini mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  11. Serve chicken, and spoon sauce over chicken, top with parsley. You may also add chicken back to the Dutch oven as your sides are wrapping up.

This recipe can be a tad tedious, but it's worth it. It helps if you have a Sous-chef on hand to chop and prep. It really streamlines the process. The transformation that happens through some of the stages of this recipe are interesting to witness. The extraction of flavors you pull from the porcini mushrooms as you reduce the marsala wine mix. The morphing of the cremini or Baby Bella mushrooms as they release liquids, evaporate, and shrink to a golden brown. It really comes out in the dish. I substitute fresh oregano that the recipe calls for, with dried oregano. I love fresh herbs, but I feel oregano is one of the few exceptions. Dried oregano is more potent, and I typically use it vs fresh. Step 4 onward we use a Dutch oven so the splatter of the oil is not as bad, and the liquid level is higher for the chicken to sit in at the end, rather than having the chicken sit out and and serve. It can't hurt to have it sit a little and absorb some of the fun as well in case you are wrapping up your desired side. We've read pasta such as Cacio e Pepe, polenta, or roasted potatoes work. We like the basic white rice as it absorbs the marsala sauce.

~Michael