Best 3 Chef Johns Chicken Marsala Recipes

CHICKEN MARSALA

Steps:

• Place the flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag; seal bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.
• Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a stainless steel pan for the best browning. Nonstick will work too, but you won't get that nice golden color on the chicken.) Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, Marsala, heavy cream, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you're going for a thin cream sauce; it won't start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time). Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
• Note: If your chicken breasts are large (like the ones in the photos that are about ¾ lb. each), it's best to first cut them horizontally to form four flat fillets, then pound them to an even ¼-inch thickness. If you pound large chicken breasts without first halving them, they'll be huge. Of course, you could also pound them thin first and then cut them in half vertically; the only drawback is that they'll lose their natural shape (which, admittedly, is not a big deal!).

CHICKEN MARSALA MILANESE

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap, or a cut-open zip-top bag, and use a meat pounder to flatten the meat to about 1/4-inch thickness.
• Season chicken on both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and transfer to a large plate. Sift flour over both sides of the chicken until the surface is completely coated. Transfer to a clean plate.
• Brush away any excess flour from the plate. Sprinkle about 1/4 inch of panko onto the surface of the plate.
• Pour the egg over the floured chicken and use a brush to paint evenly over the meat. Flip and repeat on the other side. Once chicken has been thoroughly coated with the egg, pick up each piece with tongs, letting the excess egg drip off, and place on the plate of panko.
• Generously sprinkle panko over the top of the chicken and press in with your hands or tongs. Flip the chicken over, and sprinkle more panko over the top. Repeat until the chicken is well breaded all over.
• Sprinkle a light coating of the Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of the chicken and press lightly into the breading with your hands. Flip and repeat on the other side.
• Transfer to a plate sprinkled with more panko. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until you're ready to pan-fry.
• To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over high heat; add the mushrooms and a large pinch of salt. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes.
• Pour in Marsala and lemon juice and use a spatula or spoon to scrape any caramelization from the bottom of the pan. Pour in chicken broth and raise heat to medium-high. Season with black pepper and cayenne and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it reduces and thickens slightly. Keep hot until needed or let cool and reheat when needed. Before serving, some freshly chopped parsley can be stirred in.
• Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breaded chicken to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve immediately with Marsala sauce underneath or spooned over the top.

THE BEST CHICKEN MARSALA

Steps:

• Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Cut two 12-inch sheets of plastic wrap.
• Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, making 6 roughly equal pieces; they should look like large chicken tenders. Place one sheet of plastic on a clean cutting board. Put a chicken piece in the center of the plastic and top with the other sheet of plastic. Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet, starting in the center and working your way to the edges, until the chicken is 1/4 inch thick and 6 to 8 inches long. Transfer to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Liberally sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Mix the flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of pepper in a shallow bowl or plate. Dredge the cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 1 minute. Sear 3 cutlets until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cutlets to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and sear the remaining 3 cutlets until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. It's ok if the chicken is not completely cooked through; it will finish cooking in the sauce.
• Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the same pan and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until the mushrooms are slightly softened and just beginning to release some liquid, 3 to 4 minutes. (The mushrooms will soak up the oil quickly and dry up the pan; that's ok, more liquid will release as they cook longer.) Add the shallots and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Pour in the wine and 1/2 cup water. Return the pan to high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid reduces by a third and starts to thicken, 6 to 7 minutes. Whisk in the butter and continue whisking until it is melted and the sauce has thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the cutlets and any accumulated juices to the pan and cook, flipping halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a platter and stir the parsley into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with more parsley.