Creamy Chicken Marsala

Here is my interpretation of Chicken Marsala. The heavy cream adds a bit of richness and texture to the sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb total)

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 medium shallot

3 Tbsp unsalted butter (Divided)

5 oz Cremini mushrooms

½ dry or 3/4 tsp fresh sage (Divided)

1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp dry Marsala wine

1/3 cup heavy cream
½ tsp fresh lemon juice

PREPARATION:

Thoroughly wash the breasts removing any fat and adhering film. Gently pound the breasts into evenly thick ¼” between pieces of wax paper using a meat pounder; Pat dry and season with pepper. Pour flour in a small paper bag and shake the pieces one at a time shaking off the excess flour. Place them on wax paper in a single layer (So they don’t stick together)

Peel and finely chop the shallot Wash the mushrooms shaking off the water, trim and thinly slice. Wash the sage, shape off the water, strip leaves from stalk and finely chop. Juice the lemon.

COOKING:

Prepare an Aluminum foil ten. OR warm the oven just to 200 deg, rack in the middle position.

Set a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat add the broth and bring to a boil. Boil uncovered, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 8-10 minutes

Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, add 2 Tbsp of butter and continue heating ‘till it just starts to bubble. Add the shallot and sauté until they begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, ½ teaspoon of sage and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, until “liquid mushrooms give off” is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat add 1Tbsp each of oil and butter until foam subsides, then sauté the chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer the chicken breasts to a heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, and then put platter in oven to keep warm. Alternately tent the platter with Aluminum foil while the sauce is prepared.

Deglaze the skillet with 1/4 cup wine bring it to a boil over medium high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, mushrooms and cream reduce heat medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and 1Tbsp of wine and ¼ teaspoon sage.

Ladle the sauce over and around the breasts. Garnish with sprigs of Sage chicken with sauce.