Entrée – Poultry
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Marsala, Vegetables & Penne Pasta

This recipe was featured on "You're the Chef" episode #314. Buy this episode from WVIA.

Yield: four portions

Ingredients:

2 c.	all-purpose flour
1 tsp.	salt
1 tsp.	ground black pepper
2 lb.	boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied thin
1/2 c.	olive oil
1 bun.	scallions, cleaned and sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 tsp.	chopped garlic
2 c.	sliced mushrooms
1/2 c.	chopped sun-dried tomatoes, re-hydrated with hot water
1 1/2 c.	Marsala wine
1/4 c.	fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/4 c.	fresh parsley, chopped
1 lb.	fresh Swiss chard or dark greens, washed, cleaned and chopped thin
1 c.	heavy cream
1/4 c.	butter, salted
1/2 lb.	penne pasta, cooked according to directions, chilled
1/2 c.	sliced, julienne prosciutto ham
1/2 c.	shredded Parmesan cheese
as needed	fresh ground black pepper

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Procedure:
Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour so that they are coated on all sides. Pre-heat a large sauté or frying pan over high heat, then add the oil. Carefully lay in the chicken breasts a few at a time, cooking them on one side until they are golden brown. Flip them over and continue cooking until you see moisture begin to come out of the meat, which indicates that they are done. Lower the heat to medium high only if you begin to see the excess flour in the pan burn. You may find it necessary to add additional oil while browning the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the pan and hold in a warm oven on a sheet tray. When all the chicken is browned, add the scallions and garlic to the same sauté pan. Stir until the scallions become bright in color. Add the mushrooms and stir until they start to weep. Add the tomatoes and the liquid they were soaking in, the wine, parsley, sage and the spinach. Cook until the spinach weeps. Add the cream and butter. Continue cooking over high heat until the butter melts and the cream thickens slightly. Add the cooked pasta and the prosciutto to the mixture and toss until the pasta is re-heated.

Serve the pasta and vegetables topped with the cooked chicken, sprinkling with some cheese and pepper if desired.