Chicken Marsala, Sorta

This recipe came about at the suggestion of Rob, who requested "Chicken Marsala over egg noodles.” Though I didn't follow a proper recipe for it, we were both very happy with the resulting dish.

Here's my non-authentic (primarily because I didn't use Marsala wine) version of Chicken Marsala (serves 2, multiply as desired):

Take thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets and slice them in half lengthwise. Put these in a Ziploc bag containing about a half-cup of flour, and a healthy pinch each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil if you have it.

Refrigerate this for a half-hour or so if you have time (or overnight, if you want to prep in advance), or just stick it in the freezer for 5 minutes, in a pinch. This will help the flour coating adhere.

Boil a large pot of salted water, covered (this is for the egg noodles).

Heat a large saucepan or skillet and melt a couple tablespoons of butter. When it sizzles, add as many chicken pieces as fit in the pan without touching. Resist the urge to crowd the pan -- that will ruin everything. Using tongs, flip the chicken pieces when the edges get white. This should just be a couple minutes a side because the pieces are thin; don't get squeamish and overcook them, or they'll dry out. (Disclaimer: Brooklyn Girls Cooking is not liable for any food-borne illnesses.) Note: Don't throw out the Ziploc with the flour mixture.

Transfer cooked chicken pieces to a plate and repeat in batches, adding about a pat of butter to the pan for each batch (nobody said this was health food). Let the chicken sit, tented in foil, for the next steps.

Add a little more butter to the pan--you heard me--and, when it's melted and bubbly, add a small diced onion. Stir and brown this for a few minutes, then add about 8 ounces sliced mushrooms. (I like creminis, but you can use whatever.) Sprinkle a pinch of salt, and stir to mix.

When the mushrooms start to soften, sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of the flour mixture, depending on how thick you like your sauce. Stir to mix this in and cook it for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally, until it gets paste-like.

Add about a half-cup of chicken stock, a quarter-cup of white wine, and the juice of half a lemon. Stir and turn the heat to high.

When it boils, turn down to a simmer, stir, and let it cook down for a few minutes. Once it thickens, turn down to low, and stir in a splash of heavy cream and a handful of grated Parmesan. Stir, add the chicken, and cover the pot, leaving it slightly askew to vent.

When your water boils, add about 8 oz. wide egg noodles and cook according to the package directions, probably 8-10 minutes. Ideally, you would want to time it so your noodles are done 2 minutes after you add the chicken to the sauce.

Big bowls are good for this; put some noodles at the bottom, place chicken on top, and ladle some sauce over it all. Grate some extra Parmesan on top if you're a cheese freak like me.

I served this with a simple spring salad, and it was delicious -- so good, I received a call from one of The Rob's friends the next day asking how to make it. Of course, I refused to say and insisted instead that he read this blog. A girl's gotta drive traffic, ya know.