Chicken marsala reminds Dunmore woman of childhood meals
SCRANTON — Cold February days call for comfort food.
If you’re Italian or you like Italian fare, there’s nothing quite like the smell of garlic, mushrooms and marsala wafting through a warm, cozy kitchen.
That’s the case for Patty Condon. The Dunmore resident and her two siblings grew up eating meals crafted from scratch by mom Carmella. That includes chicken marsala, a recipe Condon took over making about 10 years ago and which earned her a $100 grocery gift card.
“The recipe’s been in my family for many years,” she said on a recent afternoon at her house. “My mother made sure she made a home-cooked dinner every night.”
Condon stays close to the original recipe, though she doesn’t typically need to break out the recipe card and measuring cups as she has every ingredient its amount down pat. Sometimes, to change it up, she serves the creamy chicken dish over fresh, hot linguini or — her personal favorite — Lipton onion rice, a rice pilaf made with dry onion soup mix.
“I really like that, and my sister likes that, but my kids don’t eat that,” Condon said. “So, I’ll make them the linguini instead.”
Local Flavor sampled the dish without any pasta or rice, but it didn’t matter — Condon’s chicken marsala was perfect. The chicken was fresh and juicy, and the use of garlic powder along with flour for the chicken breading gave it an incredible taste. The sauce held the distinct marsala flavor and wasn’t too watery or too thick. It turned out to be the perfect comfort meal for a bitter winter day.
For Condon, good, home-cooked meals remind her of being a kid, and she strives to uphold those heartfelt traditions for her children, Carmella, Brittany, Ashley and Corey.
“At least once a week I’ll make it,” she said, adding daughter Carmella loves to bake. “Usually on Sundays. That’s the big dinner day.”
Chicken Marsala
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons margarine
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 or 5 tablespoons flour, for coating
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup marsala wine (or rollo wine)
In a skillet, combine margarine, chopped garlic and chicken bouillon over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute for five minutes.
Pour flour, garlic powder and chicken in resealable plastic bag and shake.
Place chicken into pan and cook until white. Add wine and cook for five minutes.
Pour chicken and sauce into casserole dish and bake at 300 F for 45 minutes to an hour.