Balsamic mushroom chicken marsala

One of my goals (I daren't say resolutions) for this year is to stop ordering so much take-out and get back to what I really enjoy: cooking. I've never actually made chicken marsala before, so this seemed the perfect recipe to kick-off my new year plans!

Recipe

from Half Baked Harvest

2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
2-3 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
¾ cup dry marsala wine
¾ cup heavy cream
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Combine flour and garlic powder in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken in the flour mix, pressing to adhere.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Add 1 tbsp butter and allow butter to brown around chicken, about 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet.

To skillet, add 2 tbsp olive oil and the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden. Add 2 tbsp butter, shallots, garlic, thyme, and a pinch each of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook 4-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the balsamic vinegar. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms have caramelized. Spoon half the mushrooms out of the skillet and onto the plate with the chicken.

Pour in wine and broth. Cook 10-15 minutes until reduced slightly, then pour in the cream. Add the chicken to the skillet and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Spoon reserved mushrooms over the chicken. Top with fresh thyme or parsley.

Musings

A few notes on preparation: Didn't have shallots, so I substituted in chopped white onion. I also could only get white button mushrooms and not cremini.

It was so pleasurable to cook a full, hearty meal for myself to start off the new year. There's always something almost meditative about chopping and prepping everything and so satisfying about digging into a delicious meal you've made. And indeed, this was divinely good--creamy and packed with flavour, and when paired with mashed potatoes. Perfection! In future, I would love to try this with cremini or a mixture of mushroom types for an even stronger mushroom flavour.