Foodie Fridays: Quick Chicken Marsala

I much prefer cooking chicken tenders to whole chicken breasts because they cook much faster, which means they are less likely to dry out.  When I found the Chicken Marsala Sans Mushrooms recipe on the How Sweet Eats blog, I had to try it, especially since I had no mushrooms in the house!  I modified the recipe, making some of my own changes and also using some changes made in a later version of this recipe on the blog.  Next time I think I will add more seasoning to the sauce (salt plus more nutmeg and possibly some of the smoked paprika) because I found it just a bit bland, but otherwise I really enjoyed this fast and easy recipe and I will be making it again.

Quick Chicken Marsala

1/2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
black pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 C. marsala wine
1 C. chicken stock
minced fresh parsley for garnish

Combine the flour, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper in a shallow dish.  Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.

Dredge the chicken tenders lightly in the flour mixture (reserve the flour mixture when done dredging), then brown them on both sides in the skillet, about 2 minutes per side (they will not be cooked through).  Remove the chicken tenders from the pan and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.

Melt the butter in the skillet.  Add the garlic and nutmeg and cook for about a minute.  Pour in the marsala wine, scraping any browned bits up from the bottom of the pan.  Whisk 2-4 T. of the reserved flour mixture (depending on how thick you like your sauce) into the chicken stock.  Discard any remaining flour.  Add the flour slurry to the pan, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to simmer and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens.  Return the chicken tenders to the pan, nestling them into the sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving.  Serve over pasta or rice (I used cauliflower rice) and top each serving with the minced parsley.  Serves 4.