I recently transformed a few leftover frozen chicken fillets into Chicken Marsala with Roasted Asparagus. A delicious, light and surprisingly easy week day meal, with enough wow factor for a special occasion. Read on for the recipe and remember to Share, Like and Comment.
Chicken Marsala & Roasted Asparagus
Foraging in Freezer & Field
I get a real kick out of taking ingredients I have on hand, and spinning them into a meal that turns out tasty, and sometimes, even blog worthy! This Chicken Marsala with Roasted Asparagus is a great example. Whenever that happens, it feels like that meal was just hanging out in my kitchen, waiting to be cooked!
In this case, it started with some leftover chicken fillets I discovered in the freezer. As luck would have it, I had some sweet Marsala on hand as well. The combination of Marsala and a touch of half & half lifts this simple pan sauce above the ordinary. If you have never cooked with Marsala wine before and wonder – “Should I purchase this? Or, would I ever use it again?” The answer is yes! It is a great addition to mashed sweet potatoes or yams, or drizzled into a hearty bowl of beef barley soup. It’s also used in a number of delicious desserts and a variety of other recipes.
The other find, was some dried morel mushrooms I had on hand (a great perk of having a husband who foraged for wild mushrooms for many years.) Rest easy, if you don’t have a personal stash of morels. Fresh button mushrooms are what the recipe calls for, and they taste great too. It is fun though, to morph recipes with ingredients you have on hand, or think might enhance the flavors.
Another Variation: You can add 1/2 cup of frozen peas after reducing the pan sauce and serve the Chicken Marsala over cooked fettuccine for a complete, and hearty meal.
Roast Your Veggies for Max Flavor
The only thing I really needed to purchase for this easy week day meal was the fresh asparagus. If you are an asparagus fan, and never tried it roasted, you are in for a treat! It’s also incredibly easy to make. In fact, I am a huge advocate of roasting veggies vs. steaming them. Here’s the basic principle for cooking veggies. Water dilutes flavor. Roasting enhances flavor. In addition to asparagus, you can try roasting carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, fennel – you name it. If you want to learn more, Here’s a Vegetable Roasting Guide.
Chicken Marsala & Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
Chicken Marsala
- olive oil cooking spray I recommend Pam
- 8 ounces sliced fresh button mushroom or dried morels or other wild mushrooms rehydrated
- 5 tablespoons butter divided
- 1-2 teaspoon minced garlic based on your love of garlic
- 20 ounces 1 1/4 lb. thin chicken fillets (see instruction note below)
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sweet Marsala
- 2 tablespoons half & half
- 1/2 cup frozen peas rinsed with hot water to thaw (optional)
- 8 cooked fettuccine optional
Roasted Asparagus
- 1 good sized bundle of asparagus
- olive oil cooking spray I recommend Pam
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Shaved or shredded Parmesan optional
Instructions
Chicken Marsala
- Saute mushrooms in olive oil cooking spray and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat for 3 – 4 minutes, or until moisture evaporates. Add garlic and saute for 1 additional minute. Set aside.
- If you are starting with boneless chicken breasts vs. thin fillets, place in them in the freezer for 60 to 90 minutes until they start to firm up and then slice into thin fillets with a long sharp knife. If you are starting from frozen, thaw them until you can just slice through them. I recommend this method over pounding chicken breasts to avoid tearing the meat.
- Season chicken fillets with salt & pepper to taste and dredge through flour.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat and saute chicken 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned and remove from pan.
- Return mushroom mixture, Marsala and broth to pan and scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Reduce to 1 cup.
- If you are including the optional peas, add them now and simmer 1 minute.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter, half & half, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir until butter is melted. Return chicken to pan and heat until cooked through, a few more minutes.
- Serve over fettuccine, if desired.
Roasted Asparagus
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash & dry asparagus. Trim off woody ends and place in a single layer on a baking sheet
- Spray asparagus thoroughly with olive oil Pam and then toss asparagus with hands to coat well. Season with salt & pepper, to taste, give them another toss and then lay out in single layer again.
- Roast in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until just tender enough to pierce with fork. If desired, sprinkle with some shaved or shredded Parmesan and roast 1-2 minutes longer, until cheese is melted.
It was great seeing you last week, we will have to do it again. I’m enjoying the recipes!
It was great seeing you and Shelly too. Great to hear you’re enjoying the recipes. Remember to come back and comment on ones that you try and like.
Looks tasty!