Giada’s Chicken with Mustard Marsala Sauce Dissected

Every now and then I like to pick a food network chef's recipe, make it and jot down notes for future reference. The notes help me recreate the dish later. The changes I make doesn't necessarily mean that there was a flaw in the recipe. I just have my own preferences when I cook. I usually like to make Giada or Ina's recipes because I usually have success with their recipes. I love Giada's Chicken Florentine recipe and Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables recipe.

I decided to make Giada's version of Chicken Marsala. I usually make my version of Chicken Marsala from memory but I found her recipe using mascarpone cheese instead of cream. I bought a little tub of mascarpone a few days ago. Wow the little tub was chock full of fat and calories! I worked off Giada’s recipe with some of my own variations. I like to dredge my chicken prior to frying and I like to finish it off in the oven. While the chicken finished in the oven, I made the mushroom marsala sauce and I nappéd the chicken with the sauce. I was a little skeptical (and the bf was more than a little skeptical) of the Dijon mustard but the end result was really good. The bf gave his stamp of approval.

Below is Giada’s recipe in regular font. I struck out the directions that I didn't follow and added what I did in italics.

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
seasoned flour (seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne and marjoram)
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
tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Directions

Flatten chicken breasts with meat mallet or rolling pin. It doesn't have to be thin like viener schnitzle but should be uniform. Pat dry, season and dredge in seasoned flour. 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. Transfer chicken to an oven-proof dish and cook in a 400 degree preheated oven until cooked through.

While the chicken cools cooks, 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. Simmer a few minutes until sauce thickens slightly. 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, pepper, cayenne and marjoram. Transfer cooked chicken breast on to serving plates and nappé with mushroom mascarpone sauce.

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.

I decided to make mashed potatoes instead of pasta.
I think the cup of mascarpone was a little too much. I think half a cup would have been plenty.
I decided to slice the onions in stead of chop them.

Marsala wine:
I keep a few fortified wines in my refrigerator. Madeira is pretty handy for deglazing and making a quick pan sauce. Marsala has a distinctive flavor and there is no real substitute when you want chicken marsala. You can sub a different wine such as sherry or even shaoxing but then you wouldn’t be able to call it marsala. You would call it chicken and mushrooms with sherry sauce or chicken and mushrooms with shaoxing sauce. I keep a bottle of marsala for the sole purpose of making chicken marsala and since it is fortified, it keeps for a pretty long time. I buy Florio brand marsala. It is a pretty good brand and is readily available in a well-stocked liquor store. Marsala cooking wine is also available but I cannot attest for the taste or quality since I’ve never cooked with it.