Recipe: Chicken Marsala & Whipped Carrots

Yesterday was full of exercise.  I started the morning off with a 2 mile run at the gym followed by some stretching and brief ab workout.  I came home, showered and headed to an appointment which was conveniently located next to the local ice skating rink.  So, I popped in for a quick 45 minute skating session and came home to a 10 minute yoga video.

Needless to say I had my fair share of energy and heart rate boosting activity for one day which of course had to be followed by a ton of healthy foods (minus the two peanut butter balls I devoured).  Brendan and I stopped at Starbucks where I ordered my trusty Soy Misto (half coffee & half steamed soy) and reviewed my abroad essay.  We perused websites and cookbooks for a delicious dinner but were unsatisfied with any that we came across.  Instead we decided to hit the grocery store without a plan and hope that something came to us while racing the aisles. 

The result? Chicken Marsala.

This recipe is rather simple and requires few ingredients, so few that it only cost us $9 to make but tasted like a $20 meal from one of the finest italian restaurants in town.

Ingredients:

(Half if you're making a smaller portion)

Emeril's Chicken Marsala

1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp creole essence seasoning

2 (6-8 oz) chicken breasts, sliced length wise

1 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp unsalted butter

3 cups sliced shittake mushrooms

3/4 cup Marsala

1 cup chicken stock

Salt, Pepper and Chive to taste & garish

Directions:

(1) In a shallow bowl combine flour and essence, stir to combine.  "Dredge" the chicken breasts in mixture and shake to remove excess flour.

(2) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, do not allow to smoke.

(3) add 1 tbsp butter and cook chicken until browned on both sides (should take around 3 minutes)

(4) Remove chicken and set aside for later

(5) add 1 tbsp butter and add chopped mushrooms.  Cook and stir until golden brow.  Add Marsala Wine and bring to a boil and allow to reduce by half.

(6) Add chicken stop and cook until sauce has thickened.

(7) lower heat and add chicken breasts until they have fully cooked and sauce is thickened. Add remaining butter and dash salt and pepper to taste

For the Carrots simply wash, deskin (I didn't know that this was a requirement!), boil or steam add milk or water and butter and whip away.

Delicious!