Chicken with Marsala mushroom sauce

Chicken with Marsala sauce

Adapted from “Fabio’s Italian Kitchen” by Fabio Viviani. No, the other Fabio. Not that there’s anything wrong with either of them.

OK, so I’ve made several versions of something very like this before. But does that stop me? No. Did I enjoy it? Oh, yes. Does it count as a new recipe? Technically, I guess, since I haven’t made exactly this one. But who cares if it’s derivative if it’s this tasty?

Ingredients:

2 T. butter

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

3 cloves garlic, smooshed

1 package shiitake mushroom slices

Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded a half-inch thick

½ cup flour

1 cup Marsala

¼ cup heavy cream

Method:

Melt butter in a skillet with some depth. Add thyme leaves, then garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté until golden. Remove from pan.

Dredge chicken in flour. Add enough olive oil to coat half the bottom of the skillet. Brown chicken on both sides. Add Marsala and cook until reduced by a third, which gives the chicken all the extra cooking time it needs. Add cream, and mushroom mixture.

Serve this with something to soak up the decadent sauce. I opted for risotto, but polenta or potatoes would work as well.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of this book, which is a pity, since it’s filled with possibilities. I sum it up as Italian family comfort food, and they are a people who take their comfort with appropriate seriousness and levity. Buy it here.