Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Italian Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms
意式馬沙拉酒蘑菇雞
Recipe overview
Italian Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms is a practical home-cooked dish for a Hong Kong family kitchen. Twelve clear stages control preparation, heat and doneness to deliver seared chicken in a glossy brown mushroom sauce.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g boneless skinless chicken breast
- 250 g mushroom
- 180 ml Marsala wine
- 180 ml chicken stock
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 25 g butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
02
Tools
- knife
- cutting board
- meat mallet
- shallow dish
- frying pan
- tongs
- food thermometer
- measuring cup
- serving plate
- timer
03
Steps
Step 1
Cut the chicken into even cutlets
Pat all 600 g chicken breast dry, slice it horizontally into 4 even cutlets, and pound any thick areas to about 1.5 cm.
Step 2
Season and flour the chicken
Mix 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, then coat both sides of every cutlet and shake off loose flour.
Step 3
Slice the mushrooms
Wipe all 250 g mushrooms clean and slice them evenly about 5 mm thick so they brown at the same rate.
Step 4
Measure the Marsala and stock
Measure 180 ml Marsala wine and 180 ml chicken stock into separate unlabelled cups so each can be added at the correct stage.
Step 5
Heat the olive oil
Heat all 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.
Step 6
Sear the first side of the chicken
Lay the 4 floured cutlets in one layer and sear over medium-high heat for 3 minutes without moving, until the underside is deep golden.
Step 7
Cook the second side to 75°C
Turn each cutlet and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, checking the thickest centre reaches 75°C and the juices run clear.
Step 8
Rest the cooked chicken
Move the cooked chicken to a clean plate and rest it for 3 minutes while starting the mushroom sauce; do not return it to the raw-chicken plate.
Step 9
Brown the mushrooms
Add all 250 g sliced mushrooms to the same pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring once, until browned and their liquid has evaporated.
Step 10
Reduce the Marsala sauce
Pour in 180 ml Marsala, scrape up the browned bits, then add 180 ml stock and boil gently for 5 minutes until reduced by about one third.
Step 11
Simmer the chicken in the sauce
Return the rested chicken and any collected juices to the pan; simmer gently for 2 minutes, turning once, until hot throughout and coated.
Step 12
Finish the sauce with butter
Turn off the heat and swirl in all 25 g butter until melted and glossy; spoon the mushrooms and sauce over the 4 chicken cutlets and serve.
Common mistakes
- Uneven cutlets leave thin ends dry while thick centres remain below 75°C.
- Moving the cutlets repeatedly before they sear prevents a golden flour crust.
- Returning cooked chicken to the raw-chicken plate causes cross-contamination.
Tips
Pound all four cutlets to about 1.5 cm so they cook at the same rate in one pan.
Reduce the Marsala and stock by about one-third before returning the chicken for a glossy sauce.
