Chicken Marsala 

This chicken Marsala recipe rivals your favorite restaurant's version.  The recipe has several steps but it is well worth the effort. Outstanding with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Helpful Hints

- Pancetta is an un-smoked Italian bacon.  The released fat is what gives this chicken Marsala its deeply satisfying flavor.  Look for pancetta in your grocers deli case.  If not, use the same amount of regular bacon, thick sliced, reduced sugar, if available.  Cut slices into a small dice

- Use a mixture of wild mushrooms for better flavor

- If you cannot find Marsala wine, use dry sherry or Madeira.  

- This dish can also be made with turkey, veal or pork cutlets.  

- Meat used can also be pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness (scallopini).  Flour and cook as directed, except reduce cooking time to about 2-3 minutes per side.  

Chicken Marsala
Serves 4

1 cup all-purpose flour
4 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned 
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 ounces pancetta (about 3 slices), cut into small diced
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups sweet Marsala wine
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, or as needed
Additional salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and softened
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate.  Season both sides of dry chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.  Working one piece at a time, coat both sides with flour. Shake to remove excess flour.  Set aside. 

Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. 

Add oil to hot skillet and heat until shimmering.  Place floured cutlets in single layer in skillet and cook 
until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a plate and rest in a 200 
degree oven as you prepare the rest of the dish. 

Reduce skillet to low heat and add pancetta or bacon.  Sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits and prevent sticking.  Cook until pancetta is brown and crisp about 4 minutes.  With slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel lined plate and drain well.   Allow oil to remain in pan in order to cook the mushrooms. 

Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high.  Stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom,  until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes.  

Add garlic and tomato paste, and cooked pancetta or bacon.  Cook and stir until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.  

Off heat, add Marsala.  Return pan to high heat and scrape browned bits from pan bottom (deglaze).  Lightly boil sauce until it is slightly syrupy and reduced by about one-half, about 5 minutes.   

Return chicken cutlets and any accumulated juices to pan, tucking them into the sauce.  Add lemon juice.  Whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time.  Add small amounts of chicken stock to assure that sauce is not too thick and that the cutlets are generously coated.  

Season Chicken Marsala to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley.