I’ve had a pin to “Chicken Marsala” on my Pinterest “Low Carb Eating” board for quite some time – without linking to a recipe, much to the disappointment of other Pinterest users. I feel very remiss about this and will not rectify this omission. No excuses!

I’ve had a Haddock Marsala recipe up for a while, and though it’s quite similar to the one for Chicken Marsala, it’s a bit different in certain respects. Haddock is also a rather “fishy” tasting white fish and not to everyone’s liking. But that’s where the Marsala variation can really help and I recommend giving it a try as a way of introducing more fish into your diet. Anyway, on to making Chicken Marsala!
[GARD]
This recipe is very simple to prepare (the only kind  I deal with). The most challenging part is preparing the chicken so it’s thin enough and that’s the secret to a successful Chicken Marsala recipe. Fortunately, there are some dead simple ways for achieving this. There are three ways to go about obtaining the desired state of thinness:

1. Pound the heck out of rather small (already thin) piece of chicken breast. I use a rolling pin. Place the breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and position the breast at the edge of a counter and then pound away being careful not to turn it into pate. I’ve since broken off one of the handles of our rolling pin thus rendering it useless for baking purposes. The upshot is that it’s more like a mallet now, which is perfect for pounding purposes.
2. Purchase prepared chicken fillets. Convenient, but you pay a premium for the convenience.
3. Use chicken tenders. These don’t require any additional thinning, but you will need to use more than one in order to comprise a full serving. This is my preferred method.

As I mentioned in the Haddock Marsala recipe, there is a flour coating applied to the meat. You’re welcome to omit it. It’s just a personal preference to use a coating to seal in the juices and it also provides a thickening agent for the Marsala sauce when de-glazing the pan. But leaving it off will not detract from the recipe. You’ll just need to simmer the Marsala wine a bit longer and perhaps add a touch more butter in order to help with the thickening process.

Ingredients:

• Half a small chicken breast pounded thin or 3-4 chicken tenders
• 1/4 c chopped fresh white mushrooms
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 c Marsala wine

Ingredients for optional coating:

• 1/2 c white flour
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt or powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika

Directions:

(You may skip Steps 1-2 if you’re opting out of the flour coating)

1. On a large plate add flour, garlic salt, black pepper, and paprika. Sift together with a fork.
2. Coat both sides of the chicken with the flour mixture. I find a  large soup spoon helpful in the coating process.
3. Heat butter and olive oil in a medium sized stainless steel saute pan.
4. Once butter and oil are sizzling, carefully place chicken in saute pan.
5. Cook approximately 6 minutes per side or until the coating or meat without coating is well-browned.
6. Remove chicken to a plate.
7. Add chopped mushrooms to pan and saute until soft – approximately 2 min.
8. Reduce heat on the pan and pour in Marsala wine. De-glaze the pan with a wooden spoon.
9. Let mushrooms and wine simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Add a small pad of butter if not using a coating.
10. Carefully add back chicken and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Spoon the wine over top chicken to create a glaze.

Serve with a vegetable side such as Parmesan Broccoli Bake or steamed green beans.

Servings: 1