Chicken Marsala

I tried this recipe out of the 'American Test Kitchen' cookbook I received this Christmas as a gift. It was delicious! I did not have pancetta which would most likely make the sauce even richer. My additions are in parenthesis.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each)
• 1cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• Table salt
• Ground black pepper
• 2tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2ounces pancetta (about 3 slices), cut into pieces 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide
• 8ounces white mushrooms , sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1medium clove garlic , minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2cups marsala wine (sweet)(I added less marsala and 1/2 cp chicken broth)
• 1 1/2tablespoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces, softened
• (2 Tbsp of marscapone for richness)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place large heatproof dinner plate on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes. Pat chicken breasts dry. Meanwhile, place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper; working one piece at a time, coat both sides with flour. Lift breast from tapered end and shake to remove excess flour; set aside. 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. Using tongs, 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 heated plate and return plate to oven.(I baked the thicker cut chicken breasts in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes to finish the cooking)
2. 2. Return skillet to low heat and add pancetta; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel--lined plate. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and cooked pancetta; sauté while stirring until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Off heat, add Marsala; return pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from pan bottom, until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time (and marscapone). Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.