Drunken Chicken Marsala

This is my first time having ever made Chicken Marsala. And not that I'm surprised in reference to my own culinary abilities, but it was quite tasty. I even ate my leftover over zucchini noodles today (making it "healthy"... nice try Amy). But it was worth every last creamy wine infused bite. It was decedent and rich without being too over powering. As usual my husband was impressed with a "new" dish and my ability to do anything. Well, not anything. I can't speak for my singing ability; among other things. Anyway, since nap time for the children is wining to an end, I will spare you what I (and only I most likely) believe to be witty nonsense that tickles your insides. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (traditionally done with chicken breast, that will work too)

16 oz of mushrooms, crimini or mini portabella (I like a lot, you could use less)

1 package golden tomatoes

6-8 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 cups Marsala cooking wine

2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

5 tbsp of butter, divided

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

a little more salt and pepper, garlic powder and flour for dusting

1 tsp cornstarch (dissolved in 1 tbsp water)

parsley for garnish

Instructions:

1. Clean and cut your mushroom caps into slices that are roughly 1/4 inch thick. Add them to a large sauté pan with 3 tbsp butter. Allow them to cook down for 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic half way through, at/around 5 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally.

2. After the mushrooms have cooked down, add the Marsala wine. Reduce the heat to a medium/low and allow it to reduce down for 15-20 minutes.

3. While the sauce is reducing, pound out your chicken. As I mentioned above, I used boneless/skinless chicken thighs. The dish is traditionally made with chicken breasts, you could use either.

4. Once pounded evenly, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. You will get a lot of flavor from the sauce, so don't worry about making it perfectly seasoned.

5. After you have added the seasonings. Sprinkle it with a little bit of flour on both sides. You're just looking for a light coating.

6. In a separate pan, melt the other 2 tbsp of butter and pan fry each side of the chicken until brown. This may be 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way since you will finish it off in the oven.

7. Once the sauce has reduced for 15-20 minutes, add the cream, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and the cornstarch (mixed into 1 tbsp water) to your sauce. It should begin to thicken.

8. Add the golden tomatoes to the sauce and stir for an additional 5 minutes.

9. Pour the sauce over the pan with the chicken and place in the oven at 350 degrees for roughly 8-14 minutes. The thickness of your chicken is a big determining factor, so use a meat thermometer to verify that the internal temperature is 165-170 degrees.

10. Once your chicken is cooked and the tomatoes have begun to "wrinkle" pull the dish from the oven and serve. We put ours over orzo, but you could do polenta, mashed potatoes or any other vegetable.

Enjoy!