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Chicken Marsala recipe

Who knew I (or more to the point, Paris) was so ahead of the curve? Last year, when I wrote about the preponderance of purple populating Paris, a few readers pointed out that the color orchid was named The Color of the Year by tastemakers, Pantone.

Chicken Marsala

And recently, I made Marsala-baked pears, only to find out that, yup – this year, Marsala is the color of the year. So if you’re interested in finding out what the color of the year is going to be for next year, keep an eye on this blog.

The other night I invited some friends over for a very “family style” dinner. I’ve been utterly swamped so wanted to make something that I could pretty much prepare in advance, that I could put together at the last-minute, and didn’t involve too many dishes.

Chicken Marsala

So I made spaghetti and meatballs, which I explained to my French guests was “Italian-American” fare, not really Italian, as you wouldn’t find Italians in Italy serving meatballs on top of plates of spaghetti. Due to the massive influx of Italians that immigrated in America, Italian-American cooking takes cues from both cultures. So pasta and meatballs it is.

I’m not sure if chicken Marsala is something you’d get in Italy, but it’s popular in America, and is even easier to make than spaghetti and meatballs. And only requires one pan. Even better, in this age of everyone wanting a dish that are fast, easy, and not too rich, chicken Marsala checks all those boxes.

(And I suppose it could be frozen, but it’s so easy, and so much better when freshly made, why would anyone want to?)

Chicken Marsala

Pounding the chicken breasts into paillards, thin pieces of meat, helps them cook quickly and evenly. And there’s more surface to absorb the burnished Marsala glaze. Putting them in a plastic bag helps makes clean up easier.

Once you season the breasts, a quick dredging in flour is all that’s needed before frying them up in a big skillet. The finished dish has mushrooms, a bit of stock, and a good pour of Marsala. The final flourish is a sprinkling of chopped parsley. (Which I use a lot of, so perhaps “parsley” will be the color of the year next season.)

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala

If you can’t get Marsala, substitute dry sherry. I serve this with wide noodles, but it’s also good with rice or orzo.
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 1/2 pound, 680g), cut in half crosswise
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 to 10 ounces (230-280g) button mushrooms, stems trimmed and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons (total) olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons (total) unsalted butter
  • 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • about 1/3 cup (50g) flour
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) chicken stock or water, 80ml
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 2/3 cup (160ml) Marsala wine, preferably dry
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • Put the chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap, or in a sturdy zip-top freezer bag, and pound them with a rolling pin until they’re 1/2-inch, (1,5cm) thick. Put the pieces in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • In a wide skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over high heat until the butter starts to sizzle. Add the sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook – stirring occasionally – until the mushrooms are seared and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic to the mushrooms during the last-minute of cooking.
  • Scrape the mushrooms onto a plate and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel to remove any bits of garlic. (If not, those bits will burn when frying the chicken.)
  • To sauté the chicken, spread the flour onto a plate and dredge half of the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off most of the excess. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add chicken pieces so they are in a single layer; don’t crowd them in the pan. (If you have a very large pan, you can sauté them all in one batch. But I use a 10-inch/23cm skillet, and do them in two batches.)
  • Sauté the breasts, turning them over midway during cooking, until they are browned on each side. (They don’t need to be completely cooked through at this point.) When browned, remove the chicken pieces to a separate plate and heat another 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan, and sauté the rest of the chicken.
  • While the chicken is cooking. Stir the corn starch into the stock or water until it’s completely dissolved, then mix it with the Marsala.
  • When the second batch of chicken is done and removed from the pan, pour about one-third of the Marsala mixture into the pan, scraping the pan with a wooden or silicone spatula to scrape up the browned bits, then add the rest of the Marsala mixture, as well as the mushrooms and chicken pieces.
  • Cook the chicken and mushrooms with the sauce over medium heat, turning the chicken pieces over occasionally, to make sure they’re well-basted in the sauce, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in another 1 tablespoons of butter, the balsamic vinegar, and chopped parsley. Taste the sauce and season with more salt, if necessary.

Notes

Serving: Chicken Marsala is best served with warm, with wide noodles or another pasta. Mashed potatoes would work well, too.

Chicken Marsala

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107 comments

    • Jean | DelightfulRepast.com

    David, I made something similar the other night but added a bit of cream. My husband liked it except for the fact that I had used boneless skinless thighs. So next time, chicken breast AND noodles. I like the look of your noodles and I DO have a tendency to overlook noodles and overuse potatoes.

    • Rebecca @ Bring Back Delicious

    I like these types of recipes because it’s pretty much just pantry ingredients except for the mushrooms, which are generally common enough you can find them at most grocery stores on your way home. And wha la, an easy weeknight gourmet dinner.

    I’m generally not a big mushroom fan for texture reasons but I appreciate the earthy flavor. So I end up chopping them up into thin slices and sautéing them until slightly crisp. Definitely worth trying if you feel like you’re missing out on a good dish because you’re weird about mushrooms!

    • Sara

    I’ve tried a handful of chicken Marsala recipes in search of my go-to recipe for this. I’m still on the hunt, and can’t wait to try your recipe. Thank you for sharing your lovely blog and hard work!

    • V

    So David….how do you prepare and store your mushrooms?

    Do you wash them to remove the dirt? Or do you feel that it adds to the dish?

    • elaine

    We are having guests for dinner this coming Sunday. This is the perfect dish. Thanks so much for your wonderful blog and excellent recipe,
    I also just read your blog regarding Paris after the troubles. Thank you for your “level headed” comments.. You brighten my day.

    • ClaireD

    Like Sara, I’ve tried a handful of recipes for this trying to find the one I like best. My problem has been that most of them called for a flour slurry to thicken the sauce and I don’t like the taste of the flour. I love chicken marsala and will make this dish this weekend. Thank you.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I’m not a huge fan of floury sauces either, which is why I use corn starch for a thickener. (I also like the glossy sheen it gives the dish, too!)

    • Millie | Add A Little

    So delicious and flavourful!

    • Cherry Jones

    I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your prose, photos and recipes. You help all of us who cannot live in Paris vicariously get our “fix”. It inspires me and makes my day.

    Thanks, ,
    Cherry

    • Peter

    It’s always a good thing to read a recipe for a favorite dish and realize (learn) a few new things. In the case of your chicken Marsala recipe, the addition of corn starch instruction gave me an “Aha!” moment as I realized it might be the means of achieving an improved, thickened sauce. One ingredient highly appreciated in all of your recipes is your relaxed manner, which somehow translates into my sense that the dish will be less formidable and a joy to prepare -and to savor, of course. Many thanks. I’m going to keep an eye out for the announcement of the next year’s color and if it’s “parsley” hope that you’re properly credited as an interior design savant as well as chef.

    • The Prestigious School

    Looks delicious! I have to say, though, that I hope mushroom is the next color of the year because I look better in neutrals.

    • Renee

    Love chicken Marsala and have not made it in ages. What a good reminder-thank you! This looks wonderful with all the mushrooms and would be perfect right about now. I am also quite fond of the color. I think it may be the best color year since Mimosa!

    • Gina

    This is why your THE best David! Reading your blog is like mental travel. I get a daily good dose from you. Love your blog

    • J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats

    In Brazil there is a restaurant called Vienna that serves one of my sister’s favorite dishes – Beef Marsala with Creamy Fettucine Carbonara. I don’t think its how marsala or carbonara really should be made and it makes even less sense served together and considering the restaurant is called Vienna but….it works.

    • sylvia steadham

    I am new to your Email – signed up after reading your book The Sweet Life in Paris – I love your travel stories and recipes and books. From time to time I see a particular recipe that does not look to complicated on this siteand would like to print it out. I cannot figure out how to do this – or if it can be done.

    If it is possible – please advise and tell me how to go about it –

    Thank you very much – Sylvia

    • Lynn Ziglar

    Just lovely recipe. Makes my day as chicken is such a good after too much sugar at Christmas food. This is sooo easy and is absolutely delicious.
    most cheerfully,
    Lynn

    • Marika Ujvari

    Greetings from Windsor, Colorado!

    Can I use boneless, skinless thighs instead????

    The dish looks and sounds spectacular!!!

    Thank you!
    Marika

    • Gerlinde

    This chicken Marsala reminds me of the Jägerschnitzel ( Hunter’s cutlets) we have in Germany. Pork is used instead of chicken and the meat is breaded.

    • soozzie

    So — is this make and serve fresh or in advance?

    • lizzy

    Why didn’t I think of putting chicken into a plastic bag before I pounded it — all these years and the light finally goes on — ha! thanks David!

    • Melanie

    This looks delicious! I’m thinking of making this for a large group on Saturday… is this something I can make in advance and warm up in the oven or would it dry out?

    • Judy Gee

    I own a restaurant in upstate NY & just forwarded your beautiful chick marsala recipe to my talented chef with the question WHY DO WE HAVE TO USE BREASTS? (I have a running discussion with him.) I admit to having a longtime bias against that part of the bird. Seems like folks use the breasts for only 2 reasons:

    1.They are low fat. (But then they proceed to fatten them up with cheese, bacon & all sorts of other rich & fatty foods)

    2. They are essentially without character of either taste or texture so they can be used as a BASE for more interesting ingredients. (Sort of like Play Doh.)

    That said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog (been following it quietly for years) & especially admire your photographs that practically leap off the page.

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    V: I just wipe the mushrooms clean with a kitchen towel. I don’t wash them.

    Melanie: The only way I would make this in advance is to do everything through cooking the mushrooms and chicken, before adding the sauce. Then do that step right before serving.

    Marika: Yes.

    sylvia: There is no print option because when I started the site, that didn’t exist. And at this point, I’d have to go back through nearly 1200 posts and reformat them all individually. You can cut and paste the recipes into a program like Word, and print them out. Or use a site like printfriendly.com

    • Querino de-Freitas

    I don’t eat meat…but whenever I have guests for a meal…..I use boneless chicken thighs,,cut off any fat cut the thigh in half…..its much tastier than breast I am told ..so how can I dis-agree …I will be making your marsala chicken…Thanks…….Querino de-Freitas,,,,,,

    • Ilaria

    A brief comment from Italy….
    As you suppose, of course spaghetti with meatballs is a tipical dish from Lilli and the Tramp, more than from our daily kitchen,
    As per chicken marsala, in our home food tradition we have “scaloppine al marsala”, prepared by roasting white meat coated with flour, salt and pepper in butter, and simply deglazing it with marsala.
    I will catch your idea and prepare your yummy recipe tomorrow. But please… Hope you don’t mind if here in Italy we won’t use pasta as a side dish…
    Ps I’m enjoying your lovely book

    • LaDonna

    The easy way to print a recipe is:

    1. Highlight the entire recipe
    2. Click “print”
    3. Click “selection”
    4. Click “OK”

    And there it is, printing!

    • hans susser

    Great, classic, old fashioned dish that proofs once again that old does not necessarily mean out-dated :-) Good stuff!

      • Gina

      I totally agree. It’s not old. It’s classic and classics will never be out of date.

    • hans susser

    Great, old, fashion, classic dish that proofs once again that old does not necessarily mean out of date :-) Good stuff !

    • Wendy

    Love the recipe, even though have not made it. Just reading, I even learned something new, the idea of having the skinless chicken breasts sliced in half and to pound them thinly for cooking purposes.

    May I say a thank you to the fabulous butchers of the world! My dad was a British butcher and apprenticed as a teen so when immigrating to Canada, was one of the most popular in a market where he worked. After retiring, my dad assisted ranchers with their stock of meat for their own families for the winter months with proper sectioning of cattle. Just a bit of background for those readers who’ve never given thought to the skills required for a trained butcher in a market.

    A suggestion about the recipe: I usually use herbs mixed with the flour before dredging the chicken for cooking and would definitely add cranberries to the extra ingredients for that extra pop of flavour with the mushrooms.

    Happy New Year, David – albeit a bit late. Always love reading your newsletter. Thanks!

    • Cindy

    So yummy looking! I love eating it but I haven’t made it yet! Thanks for sharing.

    • Jan

    Wow! What a blast from the past!
    Chicken Marsala was always such a popular dish. Thank you, must do it again.
    Not sure about the meatballs though David. Maybe it was a song that put me off.
    I have to confess I have never eaten them, but I’m not American.

    • Marketmaster

    I love the Marsala color, although I’ve read some snarky comments about it. Looking forward to Parsley next year.

    Alton Brown, on his old TV show, thoroughly debunked the idea that you shouldn’t wash mushrooms in water. I couldn’t find the video of the show, but there is a transcript at http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season2/Mushroom/MushroomTranscript.htm

    If you have dirty mushrooms its a lot faster to wash and drain them instead of trying to wipe or brush all the dirt off.

    • Philip

    I’ve never been a fan of Chicken Marsala (or the veal version) because it’s always been too sweet. The addition of vinegar in your recipe will probably change that for me- looking forward to making it, albeit with boneless, skinless thighs. .

    • Annabel

    Not, of course, to be confused with the British national dish Chicken Tikka Masala (Which is, of course, “masala”, not “marsala”, but you wouldn’t know it from reading recipes!).

    • Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

    Apparently there are quite a few dishes we believe to be Italian but aren’t. But what the heck!! I’m 100% Italian and still enjoy the Italian-American version. Of course my tastes in food is quite catholic– as long as it’s good. Your recipes are excellent – at least the ones you’ve posted. I’ve made a few that ended up in the never to be mentioned list. I used to make turkey cutlets Marsala so I’ll use your recipe for my next chicken dish. Grazie!

    • Msrguerite

    The photos that accompany your pieces are so good, and the first two were especially so. I could taste that glossy sauce and those well-browned mushrooms. And I could smell that garlic when it hit those beauties in the pan.

    • Sandra Alexander

    Retro a go go! Can’t wait to try!

    Here’s another way to keep David’s fabulous recipes to hand:
    Highlight the recipe
    Copy (control C)
    Open a new Word document
    Paste (control V)
    Save to a folder called “The Great DL”
    Print, or even better –
    Copy the folder into Dropbox
    Place iPad on kitchen bench
    Open folder and then recipe
    Cook
    Eat
    Wipe sticky fingerprints off iPad

    • Tim

    I suspect this is an Italian-American dish rather than Italian.

    1. I remember buying chicken breast at a butcher’s stall in Rome. The butcher automatically took the breasts to a cutting board, put his hand on top, and proceeded to slice the breast horizontally into several slices, starting at the thick end. My wife and I sttod there watching with our jaws dropped. We had never seen than done before. It sounds dangerous as hell, but if you have a very sharp knife you can feel it moving through the meat under your hand and tell if it’s getting close to the surface. That’s how we do it at home now. I’ve never cut myself. I think the pounding is American. But this is basically chicken scallopine with a Marsala sauce.

    2. The flour or corn starch is not very Italian. An Italian cook would reduce a sauce, the same way a French cook would.

    But if it works for you, why not? It sounds delicious.

    • Silvia Chung

    Love the plate with the blue clovers almost as much as the chicken marsala dish you made here!

      • Gina

      It’s all about the aesthetic, isn’t it?

    • Kathleen

    I never knew marsala was a color. But it figures, if champagne is a color, if burgundy is a color, coffee, chocolate, vanilla and more. That makes us cooks artists with vibrant palettes and palates! :)

    • SUZANNE VADNAIS

    David, can this be made ahead and reheated gently when guests come ?

    • T. J.

    Thank you for the inspiration and the recipe, David. I made it tonight. Delicious!

    • LoriMc

    Thank you for this week’s post, David. I love using Marsala very much, and have devised a few recipes over many years — however, I’m looking forward to using the Chicken Marsala recipe you have provided, not now, but in the winter months here in Southern Australia! It’s a heat-wave right now. I will also try the Marsala pear recipe too. Lori.

    • Carren Stika

    OK… I’m not going to say once again how much I love this blog. I’ve said it before (many times) and I THINK it every time I read a post. So, what I will say this time is that the photography is SPECTACULAR! I mean, look at these pictures!! I find myself almost moving forward to my laptop screen to smell that steam rising from the pasta. Just amazing. So much talent every which way you look.

    So, now, having said all of that… I must add, I love, love, love this blog!!! Oops! See, I said it again! I can’t help it. It’s what I keep thinking and saying out loud each time I read each post!

    • Michele

    Thank you, David, for this wonderful recipe! I made this for dinner tonight- and received rave reviews from my family. I recently finished your book, “My Paris Kitchen”. I really enjoyed the stories and recipes. I am slowly working my way through the recipes and re-reading the book while doing so.

    • Suzy

    Gorgeous photos and now I am hungry!
    I make this for myself probably more often than I care to admit. Love your recipes and your blog….probably my favorite. Thank you for writing about the breads of Paris and Eric Kayser, sharing your knowledge and life.

    • ronniereyes

    I took one look at those pictures, checked the pantry and the fridge, had everything I needed, went to work. Its a dish I often order in restaurants and was incredibly happy to see how simple it was to prepare, not to mention how delicious it turned out. Thank you

    • Catherine

    Thank you for your wonderful blog and Facebook updates about life and food and cooking and Paris and everything!

    I will definitely try this. I have always made Scaloppine di vitello alla marsala or limone or vino bianco or vermouth. And sometimes with funghi. I have never used chicken. As you say it may be American Italian – rather than Australian Italian.

    Re the thickening agent – I have found that flouring the meat is sufficient and reducing the liquid before returning the meat to the pan. Would that work with your recipe also?

      • Jan

      Re thickening agent. I agree with Tim and Catherine.

    • julia crookston

    Hi David – your blog is always a bright spot when it lands in my in box but today was so resonant for me….Chix Marsala was a mainstay at The Washington Square Bar & Grill where I started, the first ‘fancy’ dish I ever ate and the first one I ever made. But it was the perfectly sauteed mushroom photo that really did me in – remembering the mountains of sliced sauteed mushrooms for the lunch time pizza station at C.P. – always with a little of that gorgeous caramel color, juicy with the sprinkle of hand chopped dry garlic……you whipped me right back to Shattuck Ave 1978…sweet.

    • ella

    Thank you very much for sharing with us your hard work.
    I hardly can wait to make this recepie next week.

    Thank you,again!

    • jwg

    Define “crosswise” please. Through the middle so as to make two thinner pieces or across the middle the short way?

      • Wendy

      The cut is parallel to the longest part of the chicken. Not vertical a cut through just half the chicken breast, as then the chicken would still be as thick for cooking. Hope that explains the word for you.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Crosswise vs. lengthwise is making the cut across the chicken breasts, as opposed to lengthwise, down the length of the chicken breasts.

    • Bebe

    David, printwhatyouwant.com just redirected me to 4 or 5 pages of ads, sequentially. Weird. Never did get the printing site.

    Better to use http://www.printfriendly.com. Very clean and reliable. You enter the page url. Your article comes up in Print Preview form. Then you can easily delete photos or anything else you don’t want. Sometimes I don’t use the overall image remover option at the top, but click on the individual images I want to delete. They disappear. I just printed this off. Worked beautifully.

    Just bought a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale. You are right on the mark with this recipe.

    • Diana Leon

    I’ve made a version of this for years and prefer to use chicken thighs pounded out between plastic wrap. They have so much more flavor than breasts and are more forgiving if slightly overcooked. It is quick and yet makes an elegant meal. Love your blog and thanks for all your hard work giving all of us this treat.

    • Pamela

    David,
    I read the recipe this morning and ended up making it tonight for dinner because I needed something quick-30 minutes and c’est ici! I have made this dish many times but your additions, ie cornstarch, garlic and balsamic vinegar put it over the top. I love reading your posts and receiving your recipe’s. Thanks so much.

    • leslie @ definitely not martha

    This looks so good. Chicken marsala is definitely one of my favourite dishes. It’s so simple to make, but it tastes delicious and appeals to almost everyone. Definitely must be served with noodles.

    • Paddy

    Keep them coming David … sounds like a “go to” to me. Who would want S&M over this fab recipe? HINT: When I buy fresh mushrooms I cook and freeze ASAP so they are available for any dish needing mushrooms..

    • Penny

    Perhaps someone else asked the question~~~what to use in place of Marsala should one not drink alcohol. Thanks.

      • Lynn Ziglar

      Can you strike a match as with Cognac and burn off alcohol? Marsala has a unique taste..

      • Wendy

      There are both red and white non-alcoholic wines manufactured.

    • BelleD

    @Lynn Ziglar, you can burn or simmer MOST of the alcohol off, but there will always be a very small amount of alcohol left in the food. It’s a myth that you can boil/burn off all the alcohol.

    I’ve read that white grape juice or sherry vinegar is be used as a substitute for marsala wine, but I’ve never tried either.

    • Matea

    I think I found what I’m making for dinner tomorrow!! :)

    • Lena

    Thank you!! Your recipe turned out beautifully tonight. Used your suggested substitution of sherry and it was fine. I’ve made this dish using various recipes and they always turned out meh. Your method is the first that really worked for me. So happy!

    • Kari

    This looks so good! I can’t wait to try making it!
    Kari

    • Noah

    does this mean that your crusade against balsamic vinegar is over?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I love balsamic vinegar (the real stuff) but find the bottled supermarket vinegar, which is basically vinegar of colorant and sweetener in it, not all that appealing on salads because it’s syrupy and sweet and tends to overwhelm. (In France, one of the ingredients in it is considered a toxic substance.)

      However it works well in sauces when you want a little body, some thickness, and a touch of acidity. So I use it sparingly.

    • Susan

    Now, I feel just the opposite about thickeners for savory dishes; I prefer flour. It might make it cloudier, but there is a slippery, gelatin like mouth feel when using corn starch in sauces/gravies. Plus, it doesn’t absorb butter or oil well. I’ve tried it a few times and just can’t get used to it.

    • Catherine

    Susan – re thickening – please see my comment up the thread – and also further up one from Tim. We suggest the more traditional methods deployed by Italian cooks for a long time.
    It is worth noting though that the beautiful gloss in David’s dish can only be achieved by using cornstarch or cornflour.

    • Suzanne

    D

    • Susan

    Catherine, The method of dredging the chicken in flour is exactly how I thicken Chicken Marsala. Additionally, I swirl a little butter into the sauce just before I pour it over the chicken. It slightly thickens it, if needed, and otherwise, gives it a slight sheen. I use the flour dredged meat method in several recipes as it allows the flour to caramelize well with other flavors before any additional liquid is added. It’s an often used method in the US for stews and such. Thanks for responding!

    • Shay

    David, love this recipe, but is there any way to print the recipe without printing the whole article?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      That’s answered here, in a previous comment. – dl

    • Jen

    I just made this tonight and my husband loved it. I used sherry and Himalayan Pink Salt only because I had it on hand. I was a bit heavy handed on the sherry (always am) so I couldn’t have any – I’m expecting. But I look forward to trying it in the future! And I think next time I’ll add a side of sauteed zucchini noodles. Perfect recipe!

    • Amy

    This was far above and beyond any other chx Marsala recipe I’ve ever made. I followed it to a T and it was absolutely to die for. Thanks for sharing!

    • Zoe Willet

    In answer to your musing, I remember eating chicken with marsala during my Junior Year in Firenze, plus a recipe for it was in a little Italian cook-book I picked up back then (mid-50’s).

    • Ken

    Hello David,

    I am using up all my leave, planning for the Le Cordon Bleu 5 weeks Cuisine or Pastry intensive course. Just wondering if you have any other recommendations on short courses in Paris? I have checked out the tours and classes you have already mentioned here, they tend to be day classes. Thank you so much for your time and great work, love it!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      No, I don’t know any other short-term courses in Paris. Lenôtre (where I went to school) offers pastry classes at their school in Plaisir, which is a train ride away.

    • Peter

    Great and timely suggestion. Made it last night and it’s as good a marsala as I’ve had. Think it’s all that butter, which along with eggs, have finally gotten their official reprieve. Not that it stopped us all these years!

    • Lynn Ziglar

    Yes, it is delicious….
    Funny at my Atlanta neighborhood wine/ liquor store…owner wanted to come to my house for dinner. My husband would have been very surprised. Of course I was buying a bottle Dry Sack and a very good bottle of Marsala for this dish. Publix had 2 for $11.00 Marsala and it was clear…hmmmmmm…No. So amused and thanks you for the great recipe. Love your blog..not to be missed.

    • Danita

    Perfect timing on the post as I had all of the ingredients on hand except the wine so I substituted dry sherry. I halved the recipe for two and served with yukon gold mashed potatoes. Very good. Loved that it was so quick too. Home from work at 6:15 on the table by 7.

    • Arthur in the Garden!

    Yum! My favorite!

    • Jody

    By strange synchronicity, this is my Valentine`s Menu for me and my husband…..planned several weeks ago.

    Weird timing, eh ?

    • Scott

    I made this last night as an early Valentine’s Day dinner for my man and I – it went over well! Definitely saving this recipe to make again in the future.

    • Bindy Barclay

    Love the colour jokes… emerald was the colour before Orchid…
    Have you seen http://whatcolourisit.com.

    • Lynne

    You remind me to make this again! I usually tweaked it by using with turkey cutlets, more in your face flavour-wise. Looks nice ;)

    • Rachel

    my first try at one of your recipes, it was a real winner, thank you!!!

    • William Brown

    Hey,
    Another great recipe but could I ask (slightly off tangent) if there’s going to be a follow-up to your excellent book “My Paris Kitchen”?

    Sorry didn’t know were else to put the question!

    • Joan Sheman

    Thank you for the wonderful Chicken Marsala recipe. We made it last night on valentine’s day midst a raging blizzard here is the Boston area. I used chicken cutlets and cut them in half which worked rather well. Next time we are going to double up on the sauce as we prefer a little bit more. For dessert we served marbled mint chocolate pudding with white and dark chocolate, fresh raspberries and lemon icebox cookies and of course the appropriate wines.
    I have made loads of your recipes and they are all superb. One is the Italian almond cookies for my gluten-free friends and of course baci di dama..

    • Heidi

    Made this tonight and it was perfect. My husband loved it. It’s nice to have something new and simple to put in our regular rotation. Thank you!

    • Bebe

    I made it last night with boneless skinless chicken thighs (on hand). Pounded, they work fine, though they are not as tidy-looking as breasts. As someone mentioned, they are more forgiving of a little longer cook, which thickens the sauce. There was no need for cornstarch (which I found I was out of). The flour from the dredging was more than sufficient.

    Next time I will make more sauce. And use more mushrooms. I may also try crimini mushrooms for a little earthier taste. (Our local Italian restaurant made both veal Marsala and chicken Marsala with sliced portobello mushrooms until the price went sky high. Dish was not quite as good with regular button mushrooms.) Having made it with dry Marsala, may try the sweeter kind. With the balsamic vinegar, it might make a richer, fuller-flavored sauce.

    Served it with mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus.

    This is a great dish. Thank you!

    • Sheila Dey

    I tried this recipe last night and everyone in my family loved it. I will make it again. Thank you.

    • Nigel

    Like so many, I adapted this recipe. I used pork tenderloin medallions and since I am in Torremolinos, a local sweet wine called called Malaga Virgen by Pedro Ximenez. I served it with my version of Pommes Anna. Thank you for an excellent recipe. Sadly there was no parsley at the local Dia, but I did use beautiful fresh mushrooms from another market. Delicioso.

    • Hannah

    I made this tonight for my family including my somewhat picky 6-year old eater. We gave her chicken (fully cooked) but with no sauce and asked if she wanted to try with sauce. Well, she did and ended up dunking all her chicken in the sauce after all. Winning recipe! Thank you.

    • Deborah

    I find that the coated paper used by many butchers in the US makes a great medium for pounding meat and saves on the plastic. Plus, it can be composted! And, I am all for parsley being the “color of the season”. It seems to grow in bushes in my garden so I use it alot as well.

    Thanks

    • Jan Vrana

    Wow! This looks delicious! And comforting!
    Can’t wait to make it!
    XO
    Jan

    • lisa

    This was a tasty dish! I followed the directions precisely with one exception– I substituted the flour for gluten-free flour to accommodate an allergy. The sauce turned out lovely and I was surprised at how tender the chicken came out. We served it with mashed potatoes and asparagus on a snowy night in Colorado. Thank you for sharing this recipe and all of your helpful directions, lisa

    • Kyle

    This was a great recipe and the instructions exact and easy to follow. It was just delicious. Thanks David. À Septembre!

    • Don

    I’ll be making this tonight.

    David, you’d probably be amused by a dish that’s extremely popular in Rochester, NY. It’s called Chicken French, and ever since I can remember it’s been on every single wedding reception buffet in and around this city. Most people from Rochester have no idea that the rest of the world doesn’t know about this dish, but I used to travel and discovered that it is truly a local dish.

    They take a pounded chicken breast and season with salt and pepper. The chicken is dredged in flour and then put through an egg wash of eggs and parmesan cheese. The chicken is browned in butter and oil on both sides and then removed from the pan. Then, in the same skillet over medium low heat, you melt some butter, stir in some garlic, sherry, fresh lemon juice and a little chicken base. The chicken is then returned to the pan with the sauce and cooked through.

    I’ll never forget the first time I told a group of friends that chicken French was local to Rochester. Nobody had a clue, and nobody knows where it came from.

    • Phillip || SouthernFATTY.com

    Great go-to for a comfort meal! Looks delicious. Cheers–

    • Lisa

    I’m attempting a juice fast today – I should never have clicked on your newsletter – the photos are too good, and chicken marsala is one of my favorites! Your recipe looks really good and easy and comforting. Making it soon!

    • Patti Smith

    Love to cook & love your postings. I agree fresh cooked food is great but frozen “dinners” in my freezer are good too. I work as a nurse (12 hour shifts) little containers of left overs are essential. i take them to work & my hubby & stepson eat them when I’m at work & not able to cook. Today is refill the freezer day–mostly soups but will make this recipe soon. Thanks & have a great time in NY?

    • Bonnie N

    Hi, David…I made a chicken marsala recipe last week using a combination of recipes. I try to make it once a month or so. My marsala must have been wrong as the dish was a bit sweet and I had to cut the finished product with a bit of lemon juice. These recipes certainly do vary with how everything is put together but the ingredient list is fairly basic. I love chicken marsala and now I have another’s viewpoint on construction. Thanks so much.

    • Amanda

    You truly are a seer of the next big trend. When I bought my copy of “The Perfect Scoop”, I read with wonder about speculoos & loved the idea of making ice cream with a speculoos ribbon. Now Trader Joe’s carries cookie butter & speculoos cookies – turning them into a common food to find here!!

A

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