The Dish
Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian dish made with Marsala wine. Chicken Marsala was one of my favorite dishes. My favorite recipe for this dish was made at a former restaurant in Shavertown, PA called Yesterdays.
The Marsala sauce was so rich and savory, it was like no other I had prior to that date. 
As good as this recipe was, Valarie continually improved her version from crock-pot chicken Marsala recipes to thicker and darker sauces from combinations of recipes from Giada De Laurentiis and TylerFlorence. The big game changer came when we added the prosciutto. I always said the difference between a good recipe and a great recipe is that one stand out ingredient. For this recipe, that stand out recipe is the salty prosciutto. Proscuitto is an Italian dry-cured ham.
History
Food historians trace the dish back to 19 th century from English families living in Western Sicily where the Marsala grape is grown and produced. A Marsala wine is a fortified wine made in Sicily. Marsala is most commonly used in cooking to create rich caramelized sauces. Chicken Marsala is a version of a scaloppini dish (small scallop) or thinly sliced meat which could be chicken, veal or beef.
Cooking technique
The chicken is cut thinly and tenderized with a meat mallet. The chicken is then dredge in the flour
before sautéing. Once cooked, it is pulled from the pan and cooled. Once all the chicken is cooked, the
prosciutto is add to the remaining liquid in the pan. It is sautéed fro 1 minute to render some of the fat.
Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned. Pour the Marsala into the pan and boil down for a few
seconds to boil off the alcohol. Add chicken stock and simmer. Stir in the butter and add chicken back to
the pan. Follow the recipe for complete directions and serve on potatoes or rice.
Why we make it
This dish is a crowd pleaser and always looks and smells so fabulous once plated. The flavors of the
mushroom, Marsala wine and sautéed chicken all come together for a memorable dish. This dish is
relatively easy and forgiving and brightens up any dinner or party, especially for a group with a more
sophisticated palate looking to explore new flavors. This dish is always well received and highly
recommended.
Ingredients
- 4 skinless, boneless, cut length wise, chicken breasts
- All-purpose flour, for dredging about 1 cup
- 1 Tbsp Sea salt (extra for seasoning)
- 1 Tbsp Ground black pepper (extra for seasoning)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced, then chopped
- 10 ounces mushrooms, sliced thin
- 3/4 cup sweet Marsala wine (Florio)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
Trim chicken breast & cut length wise for thinner slices. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a
cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they
are tender& thin, about ½ inch thick. Put flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper; whisk
together.
Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both
sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the
pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces
don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep
warm.
Lower the heat to medium, add more oil if needed and add the chopped prosciutto to the
drippings in the pan. Saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Add the mushrooms and
saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season
with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out
the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in
the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 3-4 minutes to heat the chicken
through. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.