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