Stuffed Chicken Marsala

Oh, the weather outside is... disgusting.

If I could bear the thought of storing a picture on my iPhone of my front yard so I could post it for you, I would.  But looking outside makes me figuratively ill.  Realizing my truck's gas gauge was on 'E' and needing to make a late night gas run in the middle of an almost-blizzard... that made me literally ill.

I've lived in upstate New York all of my life.  I should be fairly proficient at shoveling snow and walking on ice and all of those talents that all good northerners should have.  You would think.  Unfortunately, every year, as much as I enjoy the snow on occasion, I spend about 90% of the time either ignoring or fighting with winter.

Don't get me wrong.  There are tons of fun things to do in winter if you just look for them.  I'm all for ice skating, snowmobiling, fishing and sledding.  And yes, I'm 26 but sledding is still a hobby of mine.  The trouble is, when you're done with the snow, the snow is not done with you.  It doesn't care that you're boots have no traction, or your tires for that matter.  It doesn't care that the Vitamin D in your system is virtually depleted and you're on the brink of a nasty case of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  It doesn't care if your pipes burst, or if your power goes out, or if an icicle-covered tree branch falls on your most important possessions.  As much as New Yorkers love the stuff, we readily admit that it's a pain in the butt about 90% of the time.

So where am I going with this?  Well, thanks for asking.  When winter comes, I invariably become a huge hermit by where I don't leave me house unless someone is paying me to.  It also means I have to be a little bit more creative because the things I take for granted in the summertime are no longer in reach for me.  That includes my snack shop and coffee shop stops.  In fact, if you look back through some other posts, you might notice a trend where my fast food copycats are more commonly posted in winter months.  That's no coincidence when you consider there's about 10 miles of below zero weather separating me from my favorite foods.

So, in honor of my newfound hermit status for 2014, I am sharing a list of some of my favorite copycat recipes from restaurants I love. 

This version of stuffed chicken marsala is super special to me because I love marsala wine sauce.  But, I feel like the restaurant versions are always lacking something.  It's either too salty from store-bought chicken stock, or the marsala wine is completely underwhelming, or the chicken is fried, which I think makes for a goopy mess when the coating melts into the sauce. 

Not okay.

This recipe encompasses the strong flavor and pleasing texture that I look for in a good chicken marsala.  Stuffing it with goodness is just an extra bonus.  I'd say that this is restaurant quality, but truthfully, this is way better!






Stuffed Chicken Marsala

2 lb. chicken breasts
1/2 cup milk
1 cup Italian-seasoned panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, for garnish

Cheese Filling:
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste



Preheat oven 350F.

For the cheese filling, mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Use a butterfly technique to cut chicken breasts widthwise.  Spoon 1/2 of the cheese filling on each butterflied half.  Cover the cheese with the top of the butterflied chicken.

Coat the chicken breasts in milk, then roll in bread crumbs.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and bread crumbs are golden brown.

In a sauté pan, cook onions in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant and translucent.  Add mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add marsala and chicken broth to the sauté pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Continue cooking for about 15 minutes.  Stir in cream and cook an additional 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Remove chicken from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Pour marsala sauce over the chicken.  Garnish with parsley before serving.