Chicken Marsala

In high school I often visited the restaurant, La Strada, in Richmond. I almost always ordered their "Pollo Marsala." Eventually I thought I should learn to make it. These days I don't measure any of the ingredients, so these amounts are just approximate. You may add or subtract seasonings as you like.

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1½ c. flour

1 TB salt

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 c. sliced mushrooms

3 c. Marsala wine

olive oil

butter

Directions:

1. Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use a cooking mallet or the bottom of a frying pan.

2. Heat 2 TB olive oil and 2 TB butter together in a large frying pan over medium heat.

3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together. Coat each piece of chicken in the mixture. Put the chicken into the pan.

4. Cook the chicken for approximately 5 minutes on each side. Make sure that it cooks all the way through.

5. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and place it in the oven to stay warm.

6. Add the mushrooms to the pan that the chicken was in. Saute until browned.

7. Add the Marsala wine and increase the heat to high.

8. Allow the wine to boil, stirring the pan to scrape any chicken drippings or seasonings.

9. After 10 minutes reduce the heat and allow the sauce to thicken.

10. When the sauce has reached the desired consistency, add the chicken and coat in the sauce.

11. Serve by pouring a bit of sauce and mushrooms over the coated chicken.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Recipe: Tex-Mex Style Chicken and Bean Burritos

Today my son, Jackson, is 5 weeks and 1 day old. That means that I do not have much hands-on time to make food. I have been scouring the internet for slow-cooker meals that appeal to my tastes, and this one is a winner!

This recipe is from Martha, and according to the recipe it is served in a bowl, like a chili or stew. We chose to use it in a burrito--SO good! My husband, a burrito addict, said it may have been the best burrito he's ever had. I read many of the reviews on her website, some people complained that theirs burned, others that the beans didn't cook. It seems to me that these issues are a result of their slow cookers. I made it according to the recipe in my (relatively new) slow cooker and it worked just fine.

I made a few changes, but other than that I followed all of her directions!

Ingredients:
1 cup dried pinto beans or black beans, rinsed
1 jar (1 1/2 cups) mild or medium salsa
2 TB chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped

For serving: sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, tortillas, chips, basically, whatever sounds best to you! The result is very flavorful and saucy, so you will likely not need any extra salsas or hot sauces.

Directions:
1. In your slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and chicken broth.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Arrange it on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. Do not open lid or stir.
4. Shred the chicken--the original recipe says to remove it, shred it, and return it to the mixture. I was able to run a fork through the slow cooker and the chicken fell apart. Yum!

We heated large flour tortillas (IndianLife brand--SO good!) and added cheese and sour cream along with the chicken and beans. Enjoy!