Chicken Marsala

This is one of my favorite dishes that I used to make before I met Brit. I think it might have also been the first dish I made for Brit after we started dating. Cooking it is fairly simple, it's full of some awesome flavors, and it was about time I made it again for the two of us.

Chicken Marsala
(adapted from a June 1995 Gourmet magazine recipe)

Serves 3-4

1.5 lbs chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
3.5 tbsp butter, divided
1 onion, diced
3/4 lbs mushrooms, sliced
3/8 cup marsala
3/4 cup chicken broth

Clean and cut the chicken breasts down to a quarter of their original size, pat dry, and season all over with salt and pepper.

Over medium-high heat, melt a tbsp of butter with a tbsp of olive oil and brown the chicken. Be careful not to cook the chicken for too long. Once the chicken is done, remove with tongs to a plate and set aside.

In the remaining fat in the pan, cook the onions and mushrooms until all of the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated. Add the marsala and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add back the chicken, any drippings on the plate, and the stock. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, turning the chicken once, until the chicken is cooked through.

Use tongs to remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Increase the heat on the pan, reduce the stock in half, and then add the remaining two tbsp of butter. Reduce the heat, stir until the butter has melted, and serve.

We served the chicken with a side of brown rice (seasoned with salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano) and steamed broccoli (seasoned with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper). The onions, mushrooms, and broth were poured liberally over everything and we dug in quite excitedly.
This was probably the best version of this dish I have ever made. The chicken was so incredibly tender (I've over-cooked it before), the mushrooms capture the marsala flavor so well, and the broth is such an excellent sauce.