Wednesday, March 3, 2010

7. Chicken Marsala

Tonight I picked a recipe I knew would appeal to my husband's taste. He likes anything cheesy & creamy. After watching Mrs. F's Monday Mingle, she piqued my interest with her mention of Giada's Chicken Marsala. After looking at the recipe, I was sold. Off I went to the grocery store to acquire the needed ingredients to whip up a tasty meal for my love.


Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine


I took the opportunity to snap a few photos of my previously mentioned apron & whisk I bought at Maison et Jardin. Both were just too cute to pass up, and every time I pull them out I love them more.


The pattern of lollipops actually hide pockets! I loved that.


 I think the detail of the waist band is adorable.


A bird inside a whisk. Seriously, who thinks of this stuff? Way cute.

On to the recipe. I had to improvise with a couple of changes simply because I couldn't for the life of me find mascarpone cheese at my local grocery store. They have a reasonable sized section of different cheeses, but I was having a hard time finding it this time around. I was sure they'd had it before, but alas I stood in the deli with phone in hand Googling alternatives to mascarpone. The most relevant post I came up with was actually making this same recipe and they suggested sour cream or yogurt. I picked up sour cream, and threw in some soft fontina cheese I had in the fridge at home. It was still very good.


Chicken brest sliced then seasoned with salt & pepper.


In to my new Circulon skillet to brown.


Whole grain linguine on to boil while the onions, mushrooms & garlic simmer away in the Marsala wine.


Sour cream, dijon mustard & fontina cheese have been added and is reducing away while the noodles are strained. The browned chicken is also in here finishing up it's cooking time.


And here it is ready to serve. A pile of linguine with a generous topping of marsala sauce with chicken and chopped italian parsley. The taste was heavenly. Very easy to put together. I plan on making it again. Enjoy!


Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

2 comments:

Francis said...

might have to try this, sounds yummy!

Kate said...

Your husband is a very lucky guy to come home to such a yummy meal! :)