Tag Archives: Recipes

Chicken and Mushrooms Marsala

Happy day before Thanksgiving!

And while the nation ponders the all-consuming ‘turkey’ issue (fried? roasted? covered? uncovered? brined?), I have something completely different on my mind. Chicken!

This dish (inspired by this blog post–thanks Amy!) incorporates many of my favorite things: mushrooms. Cream. Sweet wines. One-skillet meals.

Would you believe me if I told you that I’ve made it at least 4 times in the past 6 or so weeks? And that I made a sinfully delicious variation that we dubbed ‘Bacon Marsala’? And lemme tell you: for someone who has the food-blogger-like tendency of never making something twice (which, for the record, is a habit I had long before becoming a quasi-food-blogger-person), this is extraordinary.

It’s just so easy to make, uses such basic ingredients–and it’s so, so, so good.

Okay, less raving and more showing!

Ingredients

 (Serves 4)

2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS butter
1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb sliced cremini mushrooms
3 shallots or 1 red onion
4 cloves garlic
1 ¼ cups Marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas

Chop the chicken thighs into large chunks, trimming and discarding the fat.

Season and toss the chicken with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS of oil and the TBS of butter over high heat.

When hot, add the chicken, and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned (but not cooked through).

Remove the chicken to a plate.

I have to add here that when I’m in a hurry, nothing gets removed from the skillet. Everything goes into the pan at once, and it still turns out great.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium high heat, and add the mushrooms.

Cook the mushrooms until browned, about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mince the shallots and garlic as the mushrooms cook. You can use a red onion instead, if you have one handy (I’m very partial to this option). Or a white onion. Or a yellow onion. Whatevuh.

Add the shallots and garlic to the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper.

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the Marsala wine . . .

. . . and scrape up any brown bits. Simmer over medium high heat for about 8 minutes, until the liquid is reduced to about ½ cup.

Add the chicken stock, thyme . . .

. . . cream, and some more salt and pepper.

Bring to a gentle boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half.

Note: I usually ignore the ‘gentle’ part and boil it like crazy, and it hasn’t seemed to harm anything or anyone.

Return the chicken to the skillet . . .

. . . and simmer over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the frozen peas . . .

. . . and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes, until they are hot.

We’re about done here.

Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Mmmm! It smells so, so good guys (and I think I’ve officially maxed out my monthly allotment of the word ‘so’ as of this sentence).

Serve over rice or noodles!

The sweet Marsala is simply perfect with the cream and shallots. These leftovers are guaranteed to be in high demand, I can tell you that.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Chicken and Mushrooms Marsala

Delicious Thanksgiving sides

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d put together a little post with 10 ideas for Thanksgiving side dishes. I’ve ignored plenty of holidays on this blog–Halloween, for example, went by completely unremarked. And last year I don’t remember sharing a single Thansgiving-friendly recipe when November hit. It’s not even like I’ve fallen off the bandwagon, because to fall off it means you were on it at some point.

And I never claim to have been on any bandwagon, at any time.

So I’m trying to change–not too hard mind you (no pie-filled week like Tracy, no pumpkin-alicious recipes like Sarah), but the least I could do is put together a few of the delicious sides that have happened on this blog in the past. None are exactly traditional, but I think they’d be quite lovely if you’re looking for a little something different this year!

First up!

1. Roasted carrots with feta and parsley–my favorite thing is the roasty sweetness of the carrots. My other favorite thing is the salty, magical feta. And my other favorite thing is that it couldn’t be easier. The steps can be broken down as follows: roast. Toss. Consume.

2. Brussel sprouts!

Shredded. Pan-fried with bacon and nutmeg and a squirt of lemon juice at the end. You may remember this recipe from the cooking class I taught with my friend Cassia earlier this year–and for me, the brussel sprouts were one of the highlightiest highlights of that meal. This little pile of greens would go so well with a big hunk of turkey–if you’re of the turkey persuasion, that is. I’m more for the roasted chicken myself.

3. Creamy Parmesan orzo with asparagus! How I love that stuff.

4. This roasted potato and green bean salad that I LOVE (and I don’t break out the caps for just any old thing). It’s sweet and tangy and mustardy, with just the right amount of bitey vinegar on the tongue. I’ve made it twice, and eating it again would make so very happy.

5. A fruit salad with all fresh fruit (and lotsa berries, though that’s not exactly seasonal at this time), topped with a minty honey lime dressing.

6. Mushrooms drowning in melted fontina. *groan*

And it’s another super easy dish (score)!

7. Divine creamed corn. Easy, delicious, and not-from-a-can.

And all the food bloggers said. . . Amen.

Or at least this food blogger did.

8. Roasted green beans. They are so, so, so good. And you just toss them in the oven and let the heat do the work!

They truly are finger-lickin’, just as I dubbed them in the recipe.

9. Israeli couscous with spiced sweet onions, cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of cilantro.

It’s so colorful! The red and green reminds me of Christmas. And of course, it’s as tasty as all get out.

10. I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention one of the more traditional dessert type things which can also function as a Thanksgiving side–très Americain—

—Jello! With berries. And cool whip. And I’m not apologizing, either.

I mean, I can’t exactly apologize after what happened last year:

It was devoured by a pack of hyenas.

I mean . . . a pack of sisters. Right.

So! Do tell all. Have you all already planned out your Thanksgiving menus? Or–for my Canadian friends–were your Thanksgivings full of deliciousness and new culinary heights? Or old but still heighty culinary heights? And for my international friends, does the sight of Jello completely disgust you, or do you understand how necessary it is to the American soul?