One-Pan Chicken Marsala

When I first met my husband he was living in New York and I was living in Toronto.  When I would go down and visit he would cook amazing meals for me, one of which was a mouth-watering chicken Marsala.  I later found out that the few recipes in his repertoire were all he had and his uncle had to talk him through the recipe step-by-step by phone while he was making it.  14 years later and I have yet to enjoy another elaborate meal prepared by hubby, but that chicken Marsala has always stuck with me.

Here I have kicked it up a bit inspired by the Cheesecake factory’s Madeira chicken and added asparagus and mozzarella cheese.  The best part about this dish is that it’s cooked in one pan so super-easy clean up.

For the chicken

2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and  pounded to 1/4-inch thickness

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp oil

kosher salt  

For the mushrooms

1 lb brown mushrooms, sliced thin

 2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp oil

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

For the sauce

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup cooking Marsala

1/2 cup heavy cream

kosher salt and pepper

To Assemble

1 lb asparagus, woody ends snapped off, and ends trimmed neatly

1 cup shredded mozarella

For garnish

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped  

For the asparagus, blanch in skillet and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process; set aside.  Wipe skillet dry and return to medium heat.

For the chicken, season with salt and pepper.  Add butter and oil to skillet and when foam subsides add chicken to skillet.  Cook approximately 4 minutes per side without moving.  Remove chicken to plate and set aside.

For the mushrooms, return skillet to medium heat, add butter and oil to skillet and again let foam subside.  Add mushrooms and cook moving around until golden brown and they start to squeak.   Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the sauce, add Marsala scraping up bits from bottom of skillet.  Add chicken stock and reduce to half.  Add cream and simmer until thick (sauce should coat spoon when ready).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add chicken to pan and coat with sauce.  Top chicken with prepared mushrooms and asparagus and sprinkle mozzarella over top.  

Broil 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.