Carrabba's Chicken Marsala

For dinner on Saturday night, I made a recipe from one of my Christmas-gift cookbooks: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2. The recipe I chose to make was Carrabba's Chicken Marsala. I have always loved chicken marsala, probably mostly because I love mushrooms.

I don't recall ever actually having this dish at Carrabba's, so unfortunately I can't comment on how closely it resembled the restaurant version. It was an easy recipe, and delicious, but something I would probaby only make on a special occasion (it's not the healthiest).

Marsala sauce:

1/3 cup butter

1 slice prosciutto, diced

2 teaspoons minced shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 4-ounce cans sliced mushrooms, drained

1/4 cup Marsala wine

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Chicken seasoning:

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

4 skinless chicken breasts fillets

olive oil

1. Melt butter over low heat in a medium saucepan.

2. Turn heat up to medium-high to saute the prosciutto in the melted butter for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add Marsala wine, simmer for another 30 seconds or so, and then add drained mushrooms and black pepper. Simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

3. Dissolve cornstarch in chicken broth. Add broth to the saucepan and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Add parsley and cream to the sauce and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until thick. Remove pan from heat, then cover until needed.

5. Preheat grill on high heat. Combine ingredients for chicken seasoning in a small bowl. Use your thumb and fingers to crush the herbs and spices in the bowl to make a finer blend.

6. Wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap and pound with a kitchen mallet until uniform in thickness. Brush each chicken breast generously with olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning blend over both sides of each chicken breast and grill for 6 to 8 minutes per side or until done. Give chicken a one-quarter turn on each side while cooking to make criss-cross grill marks.

7. Serve entree by arranging each chicken breast on a plate. Spoon one quarter of the Marsala sauce over each serving of chicken and dig in.

Since it is winter and was dark out by the time I started cooking, I grilled the chicken on a grill pan on the stovetop. It actually only took about 3 or 4 minutes per side, probaby because the breasts were actually pretty thin, thanks to Jason, my chicken pounder. I served it with mashed potatoes and this wine:

It's called Root 1 and it's a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. I've always had an affinity for Chilean wines since enjoying Santa Ema a few years ago at Bravo with Jason's parents!