Easy weeknight dinners: Chicken Marsala with local mushrooms
“Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom.”
This week the star of my local Farmers Market was undeniably the mushroom! Portobello, Shiitake, Morel, Oyster, Maitake, Crimini….all that and more! In case you missed it, mushrooms will be at their peak here in NYC until early Fall. Besides being delicious and versatile, mushrooms can help you regulate blood pressure, reduce leg cramps (better than a banana!), and maintain a healthy weight. Perhaps most important, mushrooms contain very high levels of Selenium, a mineral that may help drastically reduce the incidence of prostate cancer when eaten regularly! If you are a man over the age of 40, eat some mushrooms tonight!
CHICKEN MARSALA WITH LOCAL MUSHROOMS: Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (pounded thin), salt and pepper, 1/2 cup Flour, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 cup of Marsala wine, 1 cup of chicken stock, 4 cups of roughly chopped assorted local mushrooms, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, and 3 Tbsp unsalted butter.
Combine the flour with a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper in a shallow bowl. Mix with your fingers. Season each side of your chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then coat them in the seasoned flour and set them aside, shaking them off to remove excess flour.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and 2 Tbsp of butter. Brown the cutlets on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. You can do this in two batches if your pan is not large enough for all 4 cutlets at once. It is important not to overcrowd the pan, your cutlets should not be touching!
Remove the chicken and set it aside. Add one Tbsp of butter to the pan and saute the mushrooms, stirring, until they are golden brown. Add the Marsala wine to the pan slowly, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and cook 3 minutes more. Reduce your heat to low and return the chicken to the pan. Add some freshly chopped parsley to the pan and taste to adjust your seasonings. Simmer just another minute or two until the flavors come together.
Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.
Easy weeknight dinners is published every Tuesday at noon.
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