I found a bottle of Marsala wine in the basement, long forgotten and once used for cooking that I just had to make use of. Marsala is an italian special origin type of sweet wine that I mostly know for it’s use in cooking – and it makes for a very pleasant and delicious flavour.

Since I was finally (st)able enough again – *sigh* – to be somewhat productive and contribute something for the family, here’s yesterday’s dinner. The ingredients list makes it look far more complicated than it actually is.

 
Ingredients (for two):

400 – 500g chicken breast
100g shredded mozzarella

Marinade:
1 heaping tsp. dried oregano
1 heaping tsp. dried thyme
1 heaping tsp. paprika powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
Amply salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Sauce:
100 ml marsala wine
100 ml heavy cream
50 ml chicken broth
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste

 
Method:

Slice the chicken breasts into thin, roughly 5 x 2 cm slices, chop the shallots into half rings and crush, resp. finely cut the garlic. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and let the chicken cure for about 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F) top and bottom heat, set your rack to the middle.

Set up a pan on high heat and sear the chicken strips to give them a nice golden color. No need to cook them completely through at this point. Remove the chicken, reserving the oil in the pan and set aside, ideally covered with aluminium foil.

Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the chopped shallot to the pan and fry until translucent to lightly browned. Then add the garlic and fry for a minute more. Add the marsala wine and let reduce, stirring, to about 1/3, then add the stock, letting reduce to 1/3 again.

Finally, pour in the cream, bring to a boil and let the sauce thicken. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the chicken to an oven safe dish and pour the sauce all over. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella und let bake in the oven until the cheese is golden brown and nicely melted, about 10 minutes. Serve.