Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner (Chicken Marsala)

Italian foods. We’ve all had it before, most of us like it … a lot, and more often than not, we’ve all over-paid for it.

Looking back at all the Italian places that I’ve been to, I can only recalled a couple of places that actually does a decent job of cooking authentic Italian foods. So why are we paying so much for Italian foods? I have no idea.  All I know is that most restaurants tried so hard to make their food sounds better than it actually is; a “touch of” this, a “dash of” that, and you’re well on your way to a disappointing-overpriced meal. To me, the simplest ingredients are usually the best way to go about cooking and eating your food; just give me something fresh and recognizable, with simple names, and simple means of eating it, and I’m good.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Italian foods; I think it’s one of those types of foods where less is more, and simplicities doesn’t mean you’re giving up complexities.  Chicken Marsala is a perfect example of this train of thoughts. You can make it relatively quickly, and it doesn’t cost a lot in terms of ingredients; Chicken Marsala when done right, can be a beautiful thing… and yummy as well.

So let’s get to it! Here are some things that you’ll need:

• Chicken (most people use chicken breast for this, but I like the chicken thighs. You just have to butterfly it to get it to be flat; easy enough.)
• All purpose flour
• Marsala wine
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Mushroom (optional)
• Garlic
• Onion
• Butter
• Olive oil

 Cooking instructions:

This dish requires a little bit of prep-cooking since you'll have to flatten the chicken breast/thighs a bit in order to get an even coating of flour to it. As mentioned above, I used chicken thighs for this dish since I found it more flavorful. I also added a little bit of salt and pepper before I coated the chicken; it helps bring out the flavor this way.

• With a pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and place chopped garlic and onion; cook them until they're soft, but not brown.
•  Add a teaspoon of butter to the pan, then add the chicken. Sear both sides until they're golden brown. 
• Remove the chicken and place on the side for now. I don't like to cook mine in the sauce since I like them crispy, it's a personal preference.
• Add a little bit of butter to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low.
• Add the rest of the chopped garlic and onions, along with sliced mushrooms. You should cook this for about 2 mins. 
• Add marsala wine and a tiny teaspoon of flour to help thicken the sauce.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

• With a plate of pasta, add a bit of the marsala sauce that you've just made over it.
• Place your cooked chicken on top, and add more sauce over the chicken. 
• Garnish with something green (I used cilantro since that's what I like with my chicken). 

This dish is about $12 to make, and you can make enough for two so I hope you guys make it and let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!