Chicken Marsala is one of my favorite chicken dishes.  It’s a traditional Italian recipe and a comfort food I can’t live without.  I love the mushrooms and the sweet taste of the wine along with the salty prosciutto. I’m sure everyone makes this dish his or her own way, but this is how I do it and everyone seems to love it.

See my “Cook’s Notes” on how to make this ahead of time for an easy dinner party dish.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds fillet and pounded thin)
• 1-8 0z. container of fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup of flour, for dredging
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 slices of prosciutto, chopped
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

On a cutting board, fillet each chicken breast and trim off any fat. Place two pieces of chicken at a time between two pieces of parchment paper as seen in photo below. Pound with a flat mallet, until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick.  Set aside and repeat until all the chicken is pounded thin. Put some flour in a shallow dish. Season each side of the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet lightly on each side with flour.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is nice and hot, brown a few cutlets at a time for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden. Once the chicken is brown, place the pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet with a rim, or a glass casserole dish. Continue until all the chicken is browned.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, sauté for a minute or two until browned. Add the mushrooms, season with a little salt and pepper and sauté until they are nicely browned on each side.  Turn up the heat and pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a minute so the alcohol cooks off. Then add the chicken stock and the butter.  Allow it to cook for a minute or two. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover with foil and place in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

Cook’s Notes:

Entertaining a large crowd:

I love to make chicken Marsala for large parties or family dinner parties. It’s such a yummy treat and everyone seems to love it.  You can easily double or triple the recipe. If I’m having a large dinner party I will usually make things ahead of time and refrigerate them.

You can sauté the chicken, place it in a baking dish or cookie sheet and cover it with foil. Then cook the sauce separately and set aside in a separate bowl. Refrigerate everything and take it out 20 minutes before company arrives. Then preheat your oven, pour sauce over chicken and cook for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Cooking tips:

Filleting and pounding the chicken into thin cutlets is a must for this recipe. When I make chicken people usually ask “how come it’s so tender and you can cut it with a fork?” This is because I fillet it and pound it. If you don’t have a kitchen mallet be sure to pick one up.  You can find them in the supermarket where they have cooking utensils. They usually come in wood or metal.