Chicken Marsala

A quick trip to one of our favorite markets, Holiday Market in Royal Oak, MI, offered a fast inspiration for dinner on a cool, breezy autumn night. 

I always like to check out their ready-to-eat entrees and yesterday, the chicken marsala just rang my bell. Dark, mushroomy gravy did it. So, what to eat that night was taken care of in a snap. 

Picked up a nice, hefty full chicken breast, package of cremini mushrooms and a small, good bottle of marsala - thanks to the great wine folks there. 

Now to make. Checked through the usual suspects -- couple of Marcela Hazan cookbooks, Silver Spoon cookbook (translated to English from the very popular Italian version), Batali, NY Times/Craig Claiborne, Joy of Cooking. Not a recipe to be found. 

The interweb offered up a good and simple recipe from the late, great Gourmet. Dredge chicken in flour, brown on both sides till done, saute shallots and mushrooms in butter, add marsala and some stock (beef stock on hand worked well though it called for chicken.) 

End result was a gorgeous plate of golden chicken, topped with a savory dark mushroom and jus, served with the just-picked spinach from the farmer's market. A side of buttered linguine was the vehicle to soak up all that winey/chickeny goodness. 

This will be a keeper - fast, delicious and good enough for company, or for a relaxing night before the cold winds of October blow and the World Series game three starts.