Cancel those Olive Garden reservations right now: it’s about to get Italian up in here.  Chicken cutlets, mushrooms and Marsala wine join forces in this elegant dish, which was a Friday night staple at my house growing up. Chicken Marsala was one of my dad’s favorite Shabbat dinners to cook. His other gourmet go-to’s included sun-dried tomato stuffed chicken breasts, hamburger soup, lemon chicken, BBQ chicken, and Mexican flank steak (to name just a few).  Most dads don’t step foot in the kitchen— let alone pound out chicken breasts, delicately pan fry them to perfection and finish them with a mushroom wine reduction sauce. This dish is a labor of love, something that became clear to me only when I whipped it up myself. But I would expect no less from my dad, whose tremendous love for his family shined through in his cooking. This chicken marsala is rich, delicious and tastes straight up restaurant quality. Pairs well with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, lemon-garlic green beans or a nice green salad—  make sure to cook this for someone you love.

Chicken Marsala 

This recipe is based off of the Veal Scallopine Alla Marsala recipe from The New York Times Cookbook.

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

10 oz mushrooms sliced

1 cup Marsala wine

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp margarine

Pound chicken breasts until about 1/4 inch thick. Season flour liberally with salt and pepper and mix with a fork. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Shake the excess flour off the chicken, place in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until golden. Remove to a plate. Lower the heat and add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes or so until nicely browned. Pour in the Marsala wine and let cook for a few seconds and then add the chicken stock and margarine. Let the sauce reduce for a few minutes. Place the chicken back in the pan and let everything mingle for a few minutes while the chicken heats through with the sauce.