Chicken Marsala

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a heavy skillet. Melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until golden.

Then, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes. The mushrooms should be slightly browned and their juices evaporated.

Stir in the garlic, sage, and thyme, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring as needed so the ingredients don't burn.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a wide, shallow bowl. Stir until well sifted. Set aside.

Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, gently pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap until they are 1/4 inch thick.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Then, dredge the chicken breasts on both sides in the flour mixture. Shake excess flour off.

As each chicken breast is coated in flour, set aside on a baking tray.

Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium high heat in a heavy skillet. You may use the same one that was used for the mushrooms.

Once the butter mixture is melted and the pan hot, add half of the chicken and cook until golden, about 2 - 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and repeat on the other side.

As the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a large oven safe platter in the preheated oven.

Repeat cooking process with the remaining chicken. Then, add those cooked pieces to the platter, arranging all of the chicken so that it is in a single layer.

Add the marsala wine to the same skillet and cook for 30 seconds over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

In a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour into the chicken broth until smooth. This helps thicken the sauce without clumps.

Pour the broth mixture into the skillet along with the cream, lemon juice, and the reserved mushrooms (plus any juices).

Stir well and cook over medium heat until the sauce starts to simmer. Then reduce the heat to low and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If desired, season the sauce, according to your taste preferences, with additional salt and pepper.

Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer it to the skillet, spooning the sauce over the top.

Serve chicken plated with sauce and mushrooms along side roasted garlic mashed potatoes (our favorite) or a top fresh pasta, such as tagliatelle.

Garnish with fresh parsley.