Recipe Review: Chicken Marsala

This year I hosted a New Years party, which isn't something that is out of the ordinary for me, but I changed things up this year. Usually, I have a themed party and my friends come over and we head downstairs  into my basement and we chat, nibble on food, watch tv, and drink. This year I wanted to do something a little, how should I put this... "grown-up"? and so I decided to host a potluck dinner for New Years. I knew that I would be preparing the main "meat" of the dinner, and so asked my friends to bring appetizers, sides, salads, and desserts. I decided to make two "mains"- Chicken Marsala and Vegetable Lasagna. I wanted something I could prepare the night before and just pop into the oven on the day of the party once my guests had arrived. My oven decided to stop working, and so I served cold food, but other than that it went well. Everyone had a great time, and the Chicken Marsala was even better the next day!

Below is the Chicken Marsala recipe that I followed. I doubled the amount of wine, broth, and cream that I put into my sauce because I prefer a creamier sauce and wanted to make sure that anyone who wanted to add extra sauce on top of their chicken was able to.

Chicken Marsala
(adapted from Tina Danze Article)

Ingredients:
8-12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (halved and pounded to a 1/4 thickness)
2 cups flour (seasoned with salt and pepper to taste)
4-6 tablespoons butter (divided)
4-6 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
1/2 cup diced onions
4 cloves garlic (minced)
16 ounces cremini mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 cup marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream


Directions:
Cut the pounded chicken breast into halves (or thirds if they are very large). Dredge the chicken pieces in seasoned flour making sure to share off the excess.

Heat 1/2 the butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Ensuring not to crowd the pan, sauté the chicken pieces until they are golden brown (approximately 3 minutes per side). Add additional butter and oil to the skillet as needed. Set aside to cool.

Add onion and garlic to the skilled and sauté the onions until they are translucent. Add the mushrooms and cool, stirring often, until the mushrooms are browned. Add the marsala, and simmer to reduce until the sauce is brown and thickened. Add the chicken broth and whipping cream. Reduce by half, until the sauce thickens to a soupy texture.

Arrange the chicken breasts into a casserole dish or a rimmed baking sheet, make sure to overlap the rows. (If preparing in advance, prepare up to this point and store in the fridge. Make sure to store the sauce separately in a covered container).

To cook the Chicken Marsala:
Preheat the over to 350 F. Pour the sauce over the arranged chicken breasts and bake until heated through (15-20 minutes if refrigerated; 10-15 minutes is going straight into the oven).

Serves 8-12

I would give this recipe:

 

The overall recipe was tasted good and was easy to make, but I felt like there was something missing/ I can't put my finger on what it was though.