la la la Chicken - aka Chicken Marsala

I can't help but laugh as I read my chosen title for this post. You guys must think I'm one strange cat but really it's not me that's crazy, it's my brother-in-law, Thomas. Yes Thomas, I'm writing about YOU! Thomas has chosen to make fun of my cooking endeavors, my blogging and every club and new project I seem to get myself involved in. I know it's out of love (most of the time) so I'm not too upset, in fact, it is kinda funny. A couple of weeks ago while I was at my parents' house, Tommy wanted to know, what I was making...was it la la la something or other. I know he was teasing me because I'm usually making something different from the usual and what he considered fancy so the "la la la" is his take on "a la" (like chicken a la fill in the blank). Anyway, to get to the point, this post is about la la la chicken or as I like to call it Chicken Marsala.

I've made Chicken Marsala multiple times. I've tried different recipes from different Chef's but nothing ever tasted the way I know it should taste. So this time I decided NOT to follow a recipe and just wing it. Well, I'm glad I did because it turned out perfect this time! The only problem is that I'm worried that I may not be able to give you an accurate recipe...bear with me, I'm going to do my best!

La La La Chicken aka Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

1 package thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 egg
flour
salt and pepper
Romano Cheese
1 package cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 package shitake mushrooms, cleaned, destemmed and sliced
3/4 cup Marsala wine
garlic - 3 cloves minced, 2 cloves cracked
fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup chives, sliced
2 scallions, sliced
1 small onion (or 2 shallots), sliced.
1 cup chicken broth
butter
Olive Oil


Directions:

• Season about a cup of flour with salt and pepper and set aside in dish. In a medium bowl beat one egg with salt, pepper and a little romano cheese. Dredge cutlets in egg mixture and then cover in a light coating of flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a saute pan. Saute chicken until lightly browned and set aside. You may need to add a little more butter and oil if the pan is dry.
• Add another tablespoon of butter and saute mushrooms with cracked garlic until brown. Remove from pan and set aside, discard garlic.
• Saute onions, scallions, chives and chopped garlic, add more butter if needed. Do not brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add some flour(approx 2 tablespoons) to make a roux (mixture of flour and butter that is a thickener), stir and let cook for about one minute. Add marsala wine. Let cook for about 5 minutes and then add the cooked mushrooms to the pan. Let simmer for about 5-10 minutes and add chicken broth (a little at a time) until you have enough sauce to coat chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. This shouldn't take too long to cook. It's ready when the sauce no longer tastes like pure marsala wine.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley and stir. Return chicken cutlets to pan just to heat through.

I hope this wasn't too confusing. I didn't measure anything so it was hard to write up this recipe. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me and if something is unclear let me know and I will fix it.

There are a few things I'd like to mention before I go. Any type of mushroom can be used in this dish. I used what we like but sliced portabellas can be used or even buttons mushrooms (although I don't know why anyone would use these ever). Use what you like, what you have on hand, what makes you happy. You get the idea. There is one universal rule that I'd like to share. Never rinse your mushrooms under water or soak them in water. This makes them rubbery. All you need to do is brush away the dirt with a cloth or paper towel and they will be fine to eat. Most mushrooms have edible stems. Just cut off a small piece at the end since it's dry and cut the rest of the stems along with the mushrooms. However, shitake mushrooms are different. Their ends are woody, tough and inedible. Just pop them off and slice the caps.

Egged and floured chicken sauting in butter and oil mixture.




Shitake mushroom before stem is removed.



Removed stem of shitake mushroom. Look how fibrous it is. You don't want to eat that!




Mushrooms and Garlic.



Chicken and Mushrooms simmering on the stove.