Chicken Marsala Two Ways
I have a new favorite pasta. Normally, I swing back and forth between tomato-based pasta dishes and olive oil or garlicky ones. Last night I took one of my favorite recipes for chicken marsala and turned it into a really good mushroomy bowl of pasta.

There is some magic that occurs when you mix mushrooms, butter, and wine. The flavor just can’t be beat. This is why chicken marsala, (or veal if you want to go traditional) is such a good dish. It seems so fancy—but really, it is simply good comfort food.

The recipe below is the marsala recipe I use when I want to do it straight. (I did add garlic to it). Last night, instead of pounding the chicken breasts into cutlets, I cut them into chunks and browned them before moving on to the rest of the instructions as written. I still added my garlic to the pan with the prosciutto and I may or may not have added just a bit more butter than was asked for.

When everything was all done, I spooned the marsala, sauce and all, over some lightly buttered pasta. It was a flavor bomb of umami awesomeness and a perfect start to the new month. Next time I make this I might try to double the amount of liquid and toss everything together.

Definitely try to get a decent bottle of Marsala wine. It will make all the difference.

Chicken Marsala Recipe
Adapted from Tyler Florence and the Food Network
Yields 4 servings

Here is our adapted version of the original recipe (with garlic!). You can also try it over pasta with the variation at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto
2 cloves garlic
8 ounces crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Prep the ingredients
Stem the Crimini mushrooms and cut them in half. Chop the parsley. Peel, crush, and chop the garlic. Thinly slice the prosciutto.

Prep the chicken breasts
Butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing them in half on the thin edge to make them half as thick. (There is a decent video here.)

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet until they are about 1/4-inch thick.

Make the breading
Put some flour on a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients with a fork to distribute evenly.

Cook the chicken
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 on each side, turning once, until golden colored (about 5 minutes on each side). 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 it warm.

Cook the prosciutto
Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan. Sauté the prosciutto to render out some of the far (about 1 minute).

Next, add the mushrooms and sauté until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated (about 5 minutes). Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.

Finish the dish
Pour the Marsala into 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.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer gently to heat the chicken through (about 1 minute).

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Variation
Chicken Marsala over pasta can be made with a few simple variations.

1. Rather than pound the chicken, cube it before dredging it in the flour.
2. Cook up some penne (or pasta of your choice) and spoon the chicken marsala over the pasta.