Scratch That Itch Any Way You Can

The weather and attitude in the south has a way of forcing you to want to be outside for exercise, play, cooking, drinking.....everything really! It gets my wheels turning for what I can cook outside come the weekend. Of course that means that this past weekend.....it rained. I was not deterred though! I just needed to adjust on the fly. Saturday, after doing some research, I settled on a Chicken Marsala that I made on the grill in a cast iron skillet. Yes this certainly required a trip to the liquor store to get some Italian beers....I mean you have to have the right drink for your cooking activity.  It also meant that I needed to have the grill very close to the garage so that I could keep the rain from getting into the grill and food.

The Chicken Marsala was a great, hearty, very rich and filling dinner. Maybe not the best choice for the spring time and next time I make this dish, it will be in a cold winter month. It is good comfort Italian food! Thank God I had some Peroni's to help me at the grill! That made it all even better!! Something about a six-pack that makes everything taste just wonderful.

Since I had never created a Chicken Marsala before, I had to go out and find a recipe. I really like Giada from the Food Network for Italian food. So of course I went to her first. She is my perfect woman (sorry honey - I love you but come on....it's Giada!). As always when I cook something for the first time I stick to the recipe to a "T". The end result was a nice thick, creamy, very tasty mushroom sauce that the chicken ended in. Serving over a bed of whole wheat pasta added to the whole "comfort food" classification. Yes I said whole wheat pasta. I like it more than regular pasta. I would highly recommend this dish for a weekend cook where you can crack open a few beers or pour some wine, eat, and take a nap in your favorite chair. I have some ideas as to how to lighten this meal up a bit, but I am always fearful of doing that because ultimately you rob the food of important flavors that will leave you unsatisfied. I made sure to top off this meal with a slice of cheese cake just to make sure I was satisfied!

Here is Giada's recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
• 12 ounces dried fettuccine

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.