Chicken Marsala

Source: Once Upon a Chef

Ingredients

1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼″ thick
3 tbsp flour
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 (8 oz) package bella or button mushrooms
3 tbsp finely chopped shallots, from 1 medium shallot
2 cloves garlic, minced
⅔ cup chicken broth
⅔ cup Marsala wine
⅔ cup heavy cream
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving, optional

Method

Place the flour, ¾ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag; seal tightly and shake to coat the chicken evenly. Set aside.
Heat the oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a stainless steel pan for the best browning. Nonstick will work too, but you won’t get that nice golden color on the chicken.) Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Melt the remaining tbsp butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, and ¼ tsp salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, wine, heavy cream, thyme, ¼ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you’re going for a thin cream sauce; it won’t start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time). Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce has thickened a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.

Notes

If your chicken breasts are large, it’s best to first cut them horizontally to form four flat fillets, then pound them to an even ¼″ thickness.