Chicken Marsala

I bought some cheap Marsala wine from Safeway one time. For a while it sat in my pantry... I'd like to say I was letting it age--but that would only be half lying. The truth was, I always wanted to try a Chicken Marsala recipe. I'll confess: I've ordered the Chicken Marsala at Olive Garden. And part of me thinks, "If I can make Chicken Piccatta I can make Chicken Marsala! It's like making a different kind of sauce." So I grab my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, and I pull out the Chicken Marsala recipe. I finally tried it!

Chicken Marsala

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 oz each), trimmed
salt and pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 oz. pancetta, chopped fine (I used the substitute of 3 slices of bacon chopped fine.)
8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups sweet Marsala
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces and chilled
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Spread the flour in a shallow dish.

2. Pound the thicker ends of the breasts as needed. Pat dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Dredge through the flour to coat and shake off any excess.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken and cook until light golden brown on both sides., about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm in the oven.

4. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the pancetta and mushrooms. Cook until the pancetta is crisp and the mushrooms are brown, about 10 minutes.

5. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Cook until the paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the Marsala, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 8 minutes.

6. Stir in the lemon juice and any accumulated chicken juice. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time. Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.

(Pictured) I served the chicken marsala with some frozen spinach and mozzarella ravioli, with jarred sauce.