I Dream of Chicken Marsala

So the trouble with living with an 11 year old foodie is that her sweet nature and belief that anything is possible often bleeds into my cooking. Often, she eats something in a restaurant and actually thinks I can magically recreate it at home (see Book'em Dano Pu Pu Platter). Today's case in point, Chicken Marsala. I ordered it at a restaurant when we were on vacation in Glen Arbor (which Good Morning, America voted Most Beautiful Place in America, btw) and the Julia child preceded to eat most of it. Ever since, she's been asking me to make it at home. Then, as if fate, I discovered that I had already clipped a recipe for Chicken Marsala out of my beloved Gourmet Magazine and had stuck in the back of my recipe book, apparently for future reference. Now, one cannot maintain ones girlish figure eating too much of this, as the butter and heavy cream contents can add 10 pounds with a blink of the eye. But, in moderation, it is a dream come true. This version matched the restaurants bite for bite. So, I guess you can say that Julia's wish is my command.

Before he was a oil baron bad guy, Larry Hagman was an officer and a gentleman on I Dream of Jeannie. It's a classic tale, really. Military boy meets jewelled bottle, boy rubs bottle, boy meets girl (Barbara Eden) from bottle and takes her home where she lives as his scantily dressed servant. And all of this worked before Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The antics of astronaut Major Tony Nelson, his girl Jeannie, his best bud Capatain Roger Healy and their annoying psychiatrist Dr. Bellows entertained us for four seasons from 1965-1970, until Master and Jeannie got married and then nobody wanted to see them living without sin and the show was cancelled. Just about the catchiest theme song in TV history though, if you ask me.

The Recipe:

1 3/4 cups chicken broth (use fat free, trust me)
2 tblsp finely chopped shallot
5 tblsp unsalted butter
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used cremini)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour (I actually used a little extra to thicken the sauce)
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 pounds total)
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tblsp dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 200 degrees. bring broth to boil in a 2 quart saucepan over high heat and then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in a 10 inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken into 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin (or the bottom of a genie's bottle). Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in one layer. Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 12 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute chicken, turning over once until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream and mushrooms, bring to boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons wine. Serve with pasta.
Serves Major Nelson, Major Healy, Jeannie and Dr. Bellows