Chicken Marsala with Creamy Polenta

By Brian Lagerstrom · 60 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 8 cutlets. Pound them to an even thickness, then season both sides generously with kosher salt and let them dry-brine for 10-15 minutes.
2. Put the marsala and stock in a saucepan, whisk in the gelatin, then add the dried mushrooms. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer until the liquid has reduced by 50-60%, about 20 minutes.
3. Strain out the mushrooms through a mesh strainer, pressing to extract the liquid. Discard the mushrooms and keep the liquid aside.
4. Dredge the cutlets lightly in flour and shake off the excess. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high with a thin film of olive oil, cook 4 cutlets for about 2 minutes, flip and cook about 1 minute more until just golden. Transfer to a tray and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
5. Return the pan to medium-high with a little more oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt and saute 4-6 minutes, until they have released their water, are tender and well browned. Transfer to a bowl.
6. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until browned and crisp. Remove it with a slotted spoon to the mushrooms, leaving a light coating of fat in the pan (drain off extra).
7. Add the shallot to the pan and saute 1-2 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelise. Add the garlic, tomato paste and oregano and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the paste is a darker rust colour.
8. Add a good splash of marsala and the Worcestershire sauce, scraping up browned bits. When the wine has reduced to a glaze, add the strained mushroom liquid and bring to a simmer.
9. Return all the chicken to the pan and baste with the sauce for about 1 minute. Move the chicken to an oven-safe dish to keep warm, leaving as much sauce in the pan as possible.
10. Once the sauce thickens and a spatula drawn through it leaves a faint trail, add the pancetta and mushrooms with another splash of stock. Off the heat, swirl in the cold butter to emulsify, then stir in the chopped parsley.
11. Polenta: dry-toast the polenta in a pan over high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells like corn and is lightly toasted. Add 800 g of chicken stock and the salt and whisk. When thick, reduce to medium-low and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring about every minute and scraping the bottom. Cover and remove from heat to hydrate.
12. Before serving, return the polenta to medium heat and add 200-400 g of chicken stock, as much as needed to loosen it to a stirrable consistency. Reduce to low, then stir in the butter and parmesan until it resembles creamy mashed potatoes.
13. Serve the chicken drizzled with sauce over the polenta, with extra sauce spooned over the top.

Summarized from Brian Lagerstrom's video. Watch it for the details.

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GarlicCheeseMushroomParmesan cheeseChicken breastShallotTomato pastePancetta