A chicken in each pot, that was Herbert Hoover’s campaign promise. He would lift the country out of the Depression and back to prosperity. Only the rich ate chicken then. Diners complained that the restaurants were serving fake chicken and beef. It’s hard to believe that the loss leader of all grocery stores today was once synonymous with luxury.
Today’s factory farming has changed all that. Every month or two, someone practically gives away deep fryers just to get you to walk into their store. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts sell for less than ground beef and offer a palette for a gallery of gourmet delights.
bake them. roast them. Grill them. Treat chickens like they’re still expensive and they’ll taste like they still are. Give up fried and fried chicken. Take it a step beyond fast food, for a grown-up taste sensation.
There are millions of ways to cook chicken. Entire books are written with nothing but chicken recipes. Google “chicken recipes” and you get thirteen million responses. Chicken teams with just about anything. Recipes vary in what you put in it, what you put in it, and how you cook it. Try some of the great poultry recipes offered at The Beer Budget Cookbook/The Taste of Champagne. Later, you can branch out to those thirteen million recipe websites. The rewards are worth the effort.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are many cooks’ favorite parts. They offer a blank slate, the beginning of many culinary masterpieces. You can fry them, bake them or roast them. They appear in soups, salads and spaghetti. You can even fake with them. It’s only fair since the veal was used to fake chicken not too long ago. Many great boneless skinless chicken recipes are adapted from veal dishes.
chicken marsala
There are so many beef recipes that work great with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but Chicken Marsala is a personal favorite. Chicken Marsala features the rich flavor of sautéed onions mixed with the taste of two sweet wines. Whether it’s an intimate dinner for two or four: I hope you enjoy Chicken Marsala as much as I do.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Flour
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 onion –sliced
2 garlic cloves — crushed
1/4 cup Chablis
1/2 cup marsala
Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4″ thickness. Cover with waxed paper and beat with a meat mallet. No mallet? Use a rolling pin. No rolling pin? A 750ml bottle of wine will do. Sprinkle both sides of each breast with flour, salt and pepper.
Sauté the onion and garlic in a large skillet with a little olive oil. Cook until onion is clear, not brown. Remove the mixture from the pan and deglaze with the Chablis. To do this on onion and garlic.
Reheat the pan and add a little more olive oil. Sauté the breasts and cook until done, about 4 minutes on the first side and 3 on the second. Remove from the pan and reserve on a hot plate. Deglaze pan with Marsala and return onion/garlic/Chablis mixture to pan. Cook to reduce the wine slightly, then pour over the chicken and serve.
