Macaroni Grill's Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala:

1 lb Chicken breast, cut into 8 pieces

Salt and Pepper

Flour, for coating

8 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 Cup + 2 T. Marsala cooking wine, dry not sweet

6 tablespoons chicken stock

Directions:

1. Place chicken pieces between waxed paper and flatten. Dust each piece with salt, pepper and flour. Shake off surplus.

2.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter and the oil in skillet and fry chicken in batches on medium heat for about 5 minutes each side.

3.
Remove chicken from pan and arrange in a single layer in shallow ovenproof pan. Put in low oven (275-300 degrees) to stay warm.

4.
In clean skillet, add 4 tablespoons butter and garlic and saute (do not brown) for a few minutes until soft. Add mushrooms and saute about 5 minutes. Use slotted spoon to lift mushrooms out of skillet and arrange on top of chicken breasts. Sprinkle with cheese and put back in oven until you finish next step.

5. Pour Marsala wine into skillet along with chicken broth and remaining 1 tablespoons butter and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Remove chicken from oven, plate it and pour wine mixture over the chicken breasts.

6.
I served the breasts along with a small portion of angel hair pasta and homemade rosemary focaccia bread.

*Tip: Drizzle the sauce on just before serving so you don't make the outside of the chicken soggy.

**This sauce is soooo good! In this recipe I tripled it from the original. Drizzle some over your pasta for some extra flavor.

Macaroni Grill at home!

I saw the recipe for Macaroni Grill's Rosemary Bread on one of the blogs I follow, and I had to make it. So I had to figure out a main dish, and I remembered I had my mom's Spaghetti Sauce Recipe. Fresh Spaghetti sauce it so easy, and it's a thousand times better (and healthier) than the bottled stuff. Here you go! And you will never wanna use that bottled junk again!

Waiting for the bread to rise...

Fresh out of the oven...

I highly recommend to make the Rosemary bread first, and start the spaghetti sauce when it is rising in the oven. The bread has to rise 2 times, so it takes about 2 hours. It's actually perfect though because it gives the sauce time to simmer and bring out all the flavors!

Rosemary Bread from Macaroni Grill

1 T. dry yeast

1 T. sugar

1 C. warm water (105-115 degrees)

2 1/2 C. flour, divided

1 tsp. salt

2 T. rosemary, chopped

1 T. olive oil

2 T. butter or margarine

Coarsely ground salt (kosher is perfect)

Put the yeast, water and sugar into a blender. Mix it until it is frothy.Turn the oven onto 200°. (You just need to warm it up; you’re not baking yet.)

To the mixing bowl of yeast mixture, add two cups of the flour, salt, and half of your chopped rosemary. Keep the other half cup of flour close at hand. Knead the dough for a few minutes. Add the rest of the flour as needed to get the dough to the right consistency (soft and stretchy without being overly sticky).

*Now, turn the oven OFF*

Lift the dough out of the mixing bowl. Add the olive oil to a bowl and swirl it around. Roll the dough in the olive oil so it is well coated and let it sit in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and place it in the oven (the oven should be off by now, if you missed that step). Leave the door cracked so it isn’t too hot in there.Let the dough rise for about an hour. It should be approximately doubled in size. Punch the dough down and knead it again. Divide it into two equal sized lumps and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.

Prepare your baking pan (I used a cookie sheet with parchment paper). If the surface is not naturally non-stick, spray it with the cooking spray. Shape the dough into two oval-shaped loaves and arrange on the pan. Melt the butter or margarine. Use a brush to paint the surface of the loaves with butter. Use all of the butter. The loaves will be quite saturated when you’re done. Take the rest of the chopped rosemary and sprinkle it over the loaves. Pat it down gently to set it into the dough. Return the loaves to the oven. Don’t turn it on yet. Let the dough rise again, for about 45 minutes. Remove the loaves and preheat the oven to 450°. Sprinkle a little bit of coarse salt over the loaves. Return the dough to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes* until light brown.Makes two loaves. Best enjoyed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic**.

*I only cooked the bread about 18 minutes, because it turned brown quickly and I didn't want it to dry out. So, I would keep an eye on it, every oven is different.

** I put some chopped garlic to my cookie sheet while the bread was baking to create oven roasted garlic to add to the oil and vinegar for a dipping sauce. It was really good.