Nonna's Kitchen 2 - Chicken Marsala

The Preamble:
I don’t actually know when I learned to cook. I definitely didn’t have any formal training, and I don’t have any specific memories of asking my mother or my grandmother (Nonna) how to do things. And yet somehow, by the time I was away at college, I knew how to make three or four different tomato sauces, a fair risotto, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs and the homemade egg pasta featured in the last issue. I could roast a chicken, and when most of my friends were living on beer and pizza, Ramen noodles and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, my quick go-to dinner was spaghetti with broccoli, a recipe that will appear in the next issue. It was great with cheap beer!

Fast forward twenty years. I’m an adventurous cook now, and I’m always trying new things, swapping ingredients from other cultures into the traditional family recipes I grew up with. Sometimes the results are fantastic, sometimes they’re not, but they’re almost always edible. I suspect the reason for this is that my cooking tends to be more technique-based, rather than closely following a specific recipe. I learned how to do just a few basic techniques, like sautéing, roasting and making basic sauces, and discovered early on that rigidly following a recipe is totally unnecessary. This week’s recipe – Chicken Marsala – is the perfect example of a dish that can become something entirely different just by altering a few of the ingredients. Bear with me; it will all make sense soon enough!

Chicken Marsala is my family’s preferred version of the traditional Italian classic, Veal Scaloppine, where thinly pounded cutlets of veal are quickly sautéed and served with a light sauce. My family stopped eating veal ages ago, when I was in grade school. At the time, I assumed it was because it had become politically incorrect to consume small cows immobilized in tiny pens and stuffed with who knows what to give the appearance of being milk fed veal. In retrospect, I think it was probably because we couldn’t afford to actually buy veal after my Grandpa Vandeberg stopped raising cows. No matter – this entire family of dishes is fantastic with chicken, but you can substitute veal if you prefer it.

You can prepare the chicken for cooking in a number of ways. The traditional method is to start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts that you butterfly open, then cut in half, then pound to ¼” thickness between plastic wrap with a meat mallet. I think this is just waaaay too much trouble. I also think the resulting pieces are too large; I prefer to serve a platter covered with smaller pieces of chicken so each person can choose how much to eat, rather than serving four equally large cutlets. If I’m feeling especially lazy, I’ll buy chicken tenderloins, the little strips of white meat attached to the back of the breast and sold for big bucks. The prep is easy – all you have to do is cut out the little tough little tendon in each piece with a sharp knife, and you’re ready to cook. A less expensive method is to start with boneless, skinless breasts and slice them into ¼” thick cutlets with a sharp knife. I like my cutlets to be about the size of a large potato chip – say, 3” x 4” – but the actual size of the pieces doesn’t really matter, so long as you get things to a consistent thickness.

The Recipe:
Chicken Marsala
Serves 4 as a main course
Total prep and cooking time: approx. 30 minutes


Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breast cutlets, preparation as described above
3T extra virgin olive oil
5T butter, divided
1c Marsala wine
1c flour
1t each Paprika, salt, black pepper

After preparing your chicken cutlets, place the flour in a shallow bowl, add the paprika, salt and pepper and stir with a fork to combine. (You can use any number of spices to season your flour; try thyme or sage, poultry seasoning, Old Bay, whatever you like. I often add cayenne for a little kick – it’s all up to you!)

Melt the olive oil and 3T of the butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat, swirl to combine. The butter is for flavor, and the olive oil allows you to cook at a higher temperature without burning; this is especially important so the chicken can brown. Use any pan you wish; I prefer non-stick just because of the ease, but stainless is fine, as is cast iron. Dredge the chicken cutlets in flour, shake to remove the excess and sauté 2-3 minutes on each side, cooking in batches so that the pan is not too crowded. Don’t overcook, or the result will be tough and stringy – the cutlets need to be just barely cooked through at this point. Remove from the pan and keep warm while the rest of the chicken cooks – I put mine on a platter in the oven at 275 degrees. Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked. PLEASE, don’t try and do this with less fat, or with cooking spray to coat the pan – the result will be dry, floury and unappetizing. As a matter of fact, you’ll probably need to add a tablespoon or two of oil to the pan for the later batches to keep it from sticking.

When all of the chicken is cooked and warming in the oven, turn the heat under the pan to high and pour in the marsala. Bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half, so the remaining marsala has the consistency of maple syrup – this will take a couple of minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2T of butter to the pan, swirling to incorporate. (This gives the sauce a nice shine and a rich flavor.) When the butter is mixed in, return all of the chicken to the pan, turning so each piece is coated in the sauce. Cook the chicken in the sauce for 2-3 minutes or to desired doneness, turn it out on a serving platter and enjoy! Serve with the egg pasta from the last issue (make a fresh batch, please!) and vegetables and salad of your choice.

Variations:
The beauty of this recipe is that it is a basic template for an unlimited number of dishes. If you follow the basic technique of sautéing the chicken, then deglazing the pan with liquid to make a sauce, you can create just about anything! Here are some suggestions:
1) Substitute sweet Vermouth, sherry or white wine for the Marsala for a slightly different flavor.
2) While the chicken is cooking, sauté 2c sliced mushrooms in a separate pan with 1T butter or oil and some fresh thyme. After deglazing the chicken pan with Marsala, omit the 2T butter and instead add 1/2c cream or half and half, reduce to desired thickness, then toss with the mushrooms and chicken, garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
3) Chicken Piccata: After the chicken is cooked and warming in the oven, sauté one finely minced shallot and 2T rinsed capers in the pan for three minutes. Substitute the juice of one lemon and 1/2c chicken stock for the Marsala, cook to reduce before swirling in the butter, then toss with the chicken and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
4) Replace the Marsala with diced fresh tomatoes and minced garlic, garnish with fresh basil.
5) Replace the paprika in the seasoned flour with smoked paprika or ground chipotle, sauté 1 finely diced jalapeno pepper in the pan before deglazing with tequila and fresh lime juice. Not Italian, but awesome!
6) Use your imagination! Replace the Marsala with chicken broth, then add flavorings of your choice – sun dried tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini and pistachios all work quite well, as will just about anything else you try. Have fun with this…

Mangia, mangia, fatte grande!