Skinny and Sweet Chicken Marsala

Here was my dilemma: after perfecting a recipe for Chicken Marsala for the Julia child (see I Dream of Chicken Marsala), I realized that every time she asked me to make it that the heavy cream weighed on my heart and mind. There had to be a better, lighter method. And voila! A quick trip to foodtv.com gave me just what I needed. A recipe (courtesy of Tyler Florence) that omitted the deadly ingredient entirely. Yes, a little bit of butter was the substitute, but all in all easier on the waistline. Additionally, this one relied upon sweet Marsala wine (while the other demanded dry).  But how do I achieve a thicker consistency you ask so the sauce adheres to the chicken and the pasta? Well, I ad lib and shake in a little flour at the end, stirring constantly and bringing the sauce to a boil for a few extra minutes. From all outward appearances it even looks the same as the heavy cream version. And, it fools even the most discriminating palates every time. You can't taste the difference

Lily Tomlin, native Detroiter, comic genius.  And, to continue the great movie quotes I use at least once a day, we travel to 1980 and 9 to 5. Workplace comedy ensues when three women who are barely gettin by (Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton) are pitted against their male chauvinist pig boss who is all takin and no givin. In my favorite scene Tomlin puts rat poison instead of artificial sweetener  in the boss's coffee "accidentally" due to a shopping error by Fonda who says: "It looked just like  Skinny  and Sweet except for the skull and crossbones on the label".  Leading Tomlin to lament that this will cost her her job : "I'm no fool. I've killed the boss, you don't think they are going to fire me for a thing like that?" You would think she'd deserve a fat promotion, she wants to get ahead but the boss won't seem to let her, I swear sometimes that man is out to get her.

The Recipe:

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts 

All-purpose flour, for dredging (and shaking/thickening)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin

1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

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 about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

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(like you would a mickey) 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 and 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 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with linguine.

Blogger tip: This is a great dish to make ahead and serve for large gatherings or dinner parties where you want all of your attention on your guests. Cook the chicken as described above, but layer in a baking dish. Make the sauce (I usually double the recipe) and pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to serve. Preheat oven at 350  and reheat for 20 minutes.