Italian

Winter final kicked in with some cold temperatures, and Leigh loves mushrooms, so nothing better than a warm and hearty Chicken Marsala. Chicken Marsala is an Italian dish with pan-fried chicken, mushrooms and a cream Marsala wine sauce. It is actually a pretty simple recipe and cooks up quickly after doing a little prep work. Once again, I researched recipes and combined a few to come up with this version. In hindsight, I would suggest doubling up on the mushrooms and the sauce ingredients, especially if you’re going to serve it over pasta.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-inch thick
- You can also slice the breast in half first and then pound down to ¼-inch thick
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 (8-oz) package mini portabella or cremini mushrooms sliced
3 medium shallots finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving (optional)

Preparation:

Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 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 1 Tbs. olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 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.
- I split the chicken into two batches to allow enough spacing in the frying skillet. I then added 1 Tbs. olive oil when starting the second batch.
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 1/4 teaspoon of salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, wine, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 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, 10 to 15 minutes (until the sauce thickens and darkens).
- This is where I would suggest doubling up on the mushrooms and sauce ingredients if you are serving over pasta or rice.
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.

That is it, pretty straight forward and easy to prepare. We served this over a bed of angel hair pasta. It would be good with rice or on its own with a fresh vegetable side.

Leigh and I first tried Arancini at Amore Trattoria Italiana here in Grand Rapids, MI. We also had attended a cooking demonstration with Amore’s Chef Jenna on making Risotto. After the demonstration Jenna explained how they make their Arancini, but didn’t give the recipe out – We all have secrets! Once again I had the thought, ‘I can make these’ and set out researching how to put these together. I tested them out on the family, and they turned out fantastic. Everyone went back for more.

Ingredients

1 cup Arborio rice
3-4 cups of vegetable broth
4 Tbsp. salted butter (divided)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion (finely diced)
1-1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (divided)
2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts
3 Tbsp. parsley (finely chopped)
2 large eggs
1 cup fontina cheese (cubbed)
1-2 cups breadcrumbs (fine)
vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

Making the Risotto:

Sauté onions in extra virgin olive oil and butter for 3 minutes in a large skillet until they become translucent and tender.
Add Arborio rice, stirring for about 2 minutes to toast the rice.
Stir in 1 cup of vegetable broth, continue cooking and stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Gradually stir in the remaining broth 1 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup of broth. (20 minutes)
Add 2 Tbsp. of butter and 3/4 cup of grated parmesan and stir to thoroughly incorporate into the rice and onions.
Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool completely.

Arancini (Risotto Balls):

Beat eggs in a large bowl.
Add in the parsley, remaining 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts and thoroughly mix.
Stir in the cooled risotto and thoroughly mix all ingredients.
Cover and refrigerate rice mixture for at least 1 hour, or overnight. This allows the ingredients to set up and become firm.
Put breadcrumbs into a small bowl.
Scoop risotto mixture (I used a 1-1/2 Tbsp. scooper) and press a cavity into the risotto mixture.
Place the fontina cheese cube into the cavity.
Gently roll the mixture into ball around the chees cube.
Roll the ball in breadcrumbs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Note that this is very light breadcrumb coating.
Heat vegetable oil (3/4 inch deep) or in a fryer if you have one to 350°
Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; season with salt.

Note: At Step 9, you can freeze the Arancini to be cooked at a later date. I froze mine on the cookie sheet first, then vacuum sealed them frozen so that they held the ball shape.