; Supermarket Serenade: Express Lane Chicken Marsala

Monday, September 22, 2008

Express Lane Chicken Marsala


The kids have been back at school for a few weeks now and activities seem to be picking up at an exponential rate around here leaving very little time for preparing dinner. While sandwiches are a frequent solution to meals on the run in our house, sometimes I like everyone to have a nice hot dinner.

The recipe I have for today is a basic recipe for chicken Marsala that I often vary; for example tomatoes are really tasty right now, so for a garnish-even though it's not typical for Chicken Marsala, I like to add diced fresh tomatoes and some fresh basil. When tomatoes aren't as good here in New England-say in the middle of January-I will leave off the tomatoes and basil and garnish with just a bit of fresh parsley, which is a bit more traditional. I have used pre-sliced mushrooms to save some time, but feel free to slice your own. Add a bagged salad from the produce department you you are all set with a hot, quick meal.

Express Lane Chicken Marsala includes ingredients that with the exception a few staples (e.g. pasta, flour, salt, pepper) can be found by shopping the perimeter of your supermarket. So load your basket (no time for a cart today) and let's get started.

One word about the wine...don't buy the Marsala wine in the supermarket! The kind of Marsala "cooking wines" they have available in the supermarkets are really not very good and they are very high in sodium. I think it pays to invest a few extra dollars in a nice quality Marsala wine from your liquor store. If you prefer to eliminate the alcohol, just substitute some fresh lemon juice or a good quality balsamic vinegar.


Express Lane Chicken Marsala with Quick and Creamy Peppered Pasta


4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (try to find the thin sliced ones unless you have time to pound them to 1/4 inch thickness)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup pre-sliced Shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 large tomato, small diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
Pasta:
8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons hot water from cooking the pasta
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pat the chicken breasts lightly with paper towels. On a small plate or piece of waxed paper, combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Coat both sides of the chicken with the flour mixture.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the Marsala wine and the chicken broth. Cook for about 3 minutes, then return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Arrange the chicken on individual dinner plates and top with the mushrooms and sauce. Garnish each serving with diced tomatoes and fresh basil, if desired.

Toss together the pasta, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, pasta water and pepper; serve the pasta with the chicken.

Yield 4-5 servings

14 comments:

La Bella Cooks said...

What a elegant and decadent meal. We love anything with marsala around here and the tomatoes make it so colorful (and tasty!). Usually, like you, I just top mine with mushrooms and parsley but I love the idea of the tomatoes as well.

Aunt Julie said...

Looks delish, as always! The Hubz and I are "empty nesters" now, so I think I'll whip this up and serve it with a nice bottle of wine! BTW, got a Great New Giveaway going on over at my place, to commemorate my 100th post--please stop by!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

This looks so good, especially with the extra tomatoes and basil.

The Blonde Duck said...

3 words: Yum yum yum.

That Girl said...

It's funny, going through my blogs today I'm seeing lots of chicken marsala and lots of apple dumplings. It must be the weather.

grace said...

your rendition of this dish makes me really wish i liked mushrooms. it looks so appetizing and fancy. i promise that if/when i ever covert to mushroom-loving, i'll make this dish. :)

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a wonder recipe!

Maria said...

I love anything express, esp. when it is this tasty! Basil is the best!

Aggie said...

This looks really good Veronica! Thanks for the tip on Marsala wine, I'll have to get me a good bottle!

Jenny said...

Looks incredible Veronica! Much better than the dinner we had tonight at my house. Love your pics!

Emily said...

I don't think I've ever had chicken marsala. Looks great!

amycaseycooks said...

I love chicken with a whole mess of toppings. This dish would have something to please everyone in my family.

Julie said...

That looks really yummy! I love any excuse to use some basil.

Anonymous said...

Ohh. Yummm. That's beautiful.

PS. Are you familiar with
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

I think you'll like it!