Chicken Marsala Sans Mushrooms.

My mom made this Chicken Marsala probably once a week as I was growing up, and it is so delicious that I just had to share. Traditionally it is served with mushrooms, but if you’ve been reading along you will remember my dad doesn’t eat mushrooms (they are not a food, they are a fungus), so this Chicken Marsala came freshly plated on Monday or Tuesday evenings sans mushrooms.

It never came on Thursdays because that was pasta night. And as far as I know, still is pasta night at their house. I never participated because I am not a huge pasta (or tomato sauce) fan. I prefer to get my lycopene in other forms – like Bloody Mary’s.

For once in my life I followed her recipe exactly.

That is, until I remembered a Chicken Marsala dish that I had one night in college at a tiny restaurant on Mount Washington. I don’t remember the name, but I remember the food. So I had to add my personal touch to the dish.

Begin with chicken TENDERS. Tenders people – not breasts.

For some reason I find this raw meat a bit more offensive than my previous post.

I love this meat tenderizer. It is from Pampered Chef and I received it as a wedding shower gift.

Please go order one of these now. It tenderizes meat like nothing I’ve ever seen. And no, Rachael Ray – smacking the meat with a frying pan does NOT tenderize the meat, at least not in my experience. Not like this guy.

The key is to tenderize BOTH sides.

So hit it once, then flip each piece over and hit ’em again. They get very, very thin.

I created a mixture of flour, salt, pepper and my boyfriend, smoked paprika.

The smoked paprika was my addition to the recipe, but it didn’t add as much smokiness as I anticipated.

I added 3 whole garlic cloves to my skillet, along with about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.

I  probably would have minced the cloves, but per my mom’s suggestion I added them whole. I am so glad I did.

Dredge both sides of the chicken tenders in the flour mixture.

You want to add a thick coat of flour so some residual flour stays in the pan – it helps to thicken the sauce later.

Saute for about 2-3 minutes on each side, just to brown the chicken.

Then remove and let drain on a paper towel.

To make the sauce, I add Marsala wine and some chicken stock.

Also, a few additional teaspoons of flour may be needed to thicken the sauce.

On a side note, check out that garlic.

What a beauty! Not as yummy as these, though.

Additions of the Marsala and chicken stock, and my favorite ingredient…

Cinnamon! A few years back I had this dish and it had a hint of cinnamon in it. It was amazing. Amazing enough for me to still taste it.

Let the sauce come to a boil so it can thicken a bit.

Then begin layering the chicken back in the skillet.

After baking for about an hour, it comes out so tender and juicy. 

When I lived at home, the hour that the chicken was baking was the longest. hour. ever.

The house smelled so good and I was always starving as usual. I wish time went that slowly as we got older, don’t you?

I’m sure that mushrooms would be a delicious addition, but I just can’t imagine the dish with them. Possibly because this is a comfort dish for me?

I must say I am suprised that I have never added mushrooms, since I carmelizes a plethora of them every week.

Enjoy!