Chicken Marsala with Roasted Broccoli

So yesterday I was complaining of the cold, grey weather and how I couldn't remember the feel of the sun...And what does today bring, but SUNSHINE!!! It was beautiful here today, I couldn't help but be in a good mood. A warm 56 degrees with the sun shining down on everything. You better believe I rolled down the windows and took nice long deep breaths of the fresh air on my drive home. With the sunshine came motivation to cook up another delicious meal. With yesterday's leftovers for lunch I wanted another warm but fresh dinner. So I relied on a classic, Chicken Marsala. But I dressed up my side dish with something I have never tried before, roasted broccoli. I used fragrant fresh herbs to brighten up the marsala sauce for the chicken. You might even say that my chicken marsala was on double duty today. I used two varieties of mushrooms, two varieties of onion, and two different fresh herbs to keep things interesting. The broccoli came out delectable with a nice crunch and tangy flavor from the garlic. Definitely a new version of broccoli that will be seen at my table again.

Roasted Broccoli
1 large head of broccoli, cut into large stalks
4 whole cloves of garlic
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut broccoli into large segments and place on a cookie sheet. Peel garlic cloves and toss in with broccoli. Drizzle olive oil over the broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the broccoli begins to crisp.


Chicken Marsala
4 thinly sliced chicken breasts
1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
2 Tbsp. finely sliced shallots
2 Tbsp. diced yellow onion
4 Tbsp. flour, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup-1/2 cup Marsala Wine
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth, divided
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

To start, in a shallow dish place 3 Tbsp. flour, a pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour mixture until a very light coating of flour is left on the chicken. In a large saute pan put 1/2 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Place chicken in saute pan and brown slightly on each side for about 2-3 minutes each side depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. You don't want to cook completely. Remove chicken and place on a plate to the side. In the same pan add the remainder of butter and olive oil, then add the mushrooms, shallots, and onion. Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown slightly about 4-5 minutes. In a shaker/blender mix 1 1/2 tbsp. flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth and shake until completely combined and there are no lumps. If you don't have a shaker you can whisk in a small bowl. Add the marsala wine to the mushrooms to deglaze the pan. Then add the flour/broth mixture to thicken the sauce. Use the remainder of chicken broth to thin out the sauce to desired consistency (you may need more then I listed in the recipe). Add the chicken back to the saucepan to finish cooking in the marsala sauce for another 5 minutes covered, or until the center of the breast is no longer pink.

I enjoyed the meal with a chunk of nice crusty bread to slop up all the yummy sauce and a chilled glass of Chardonnay to really top things off. Score two for Renee!