Chicken With Mushrooms And Marsala
Yield: 2-3 Servings
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; ideally no more than one pound, total (see notes about size)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sweet butter
lobe of 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 pound brown or white mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth and finely sliced
1/2-1 cup Marsala
about 2 tablespoons créme fraïche (to taste), homemade or commercially purchased
fresh lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper
See Notes for preparing this dish in the oven.
In large, heavy sauté or frying pan with a lid, heat the butter and olive oil together. I used a Staub “Everyday” pan, which is 4 quarts.
Once the butter is melted, add the shallot and garlic. Stir, cooking gently for about 3 minutes. Do not allow to brown. Turn down heat if necessary.
Add the mushrooms, stirring to coat with oil and butter. If the pan is dry, add a little more oil. This will take 5-10 minutes, but the mushrooms will give up a lot of moisture. Keep the heat low, stirring often. When the mushrooms start giving off liquid, turn the heat up a bit to encourage evaporation. This is the longest part of cooking this dish, so be patient.
Once the liquid has mostly cooked away, add the chicken and pour over the Marsala. The wine should come about 1/4 a way up the chicken; the amount you’ll need depends on the size of your pan. Err on the side of more rather than less. Salt and pepper generously. Set the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pan and cook, turning the chicken after about five minutes. Give it a gentle stir as well.
Depending on how large the chicken pieces are, the dish will be cooked through in 10-15 minutes. Chicken is done with juices run clear and there is no evidence of pink meat.
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Ladle some cooking juices into a small bowl or measuring cup. Add some lemon juice and créme fraïche, tasting. Some people like a tart dish, others a creamier version. If you’re unsure about doing this in small bowls, add small amounts to the larger dish until it tastes balanced to you. Taste for salt and pepper as well.
Serve immediately with pasta, green salad and good bread to mop up the sauce.
Refrigeration/Freezing: surprisingly, Chicken with Mushrooms And Marsala improved with time, holding beautifully in the refrigerator for three days. I say surprisingly as chicken generally doesn’t keep well. The creamy sauce means it likely would not freeze well, with the mushrooms going limp and the sauce losing flavor.
Notes: Ideally your chicken breasts are small enough to prepare the dish stovetop. If your chicken breasts are larger, preheat the oven to 300F. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the breasts to the pan and pop the dish into oven for 20-25 minutes, covered. Check after ten minutes: you may need to turn to chicken over or add a little more Marsala.
If you don’t have créme fraïche, you could substitute heavy cream, milk, sour cream, or half-and-half. Take care to keep the pan sauces below the boiling point, so the sauce does not break.