Chicken Marsala with sage

While the bulk of my kitchen education recently has come at Pierluigi, my roommate Domenico is an excellent cook and has taught me a thing or two as well, including his Chicken Marsala, that comes with a history lesson about the origins of Marsala every time he cooks it.

Marsala is a town in very Western tip of Sicily, where an English trader named John Woodhouse visited in the late 18th century and tasted the local wine which was very similar to a Port or a Sherry, which were both very popular in England at the time. The process by which Marsala is called in perpetuum which raises the alcohol level, thus preserving the wine better over long distance travel. Woodhouse eventually returned to Sicily and began mass producing Marsala.

It is certainly an entertaining story, but I now think I have heard it at least half a dozen times, even Florian begins to roll his eyes when Domenico gets going these days. Here's the recipe:

chicken breasts - 1 lb or so - sliced thin the long way or flattened with hammer
sage - fresh leaves (chopped in 1/4" pieces) are better, but dried work pretty well
olive oil
Marsala - 1/2 cup maybe

1. Heat pan with olive oil on medium heat

2. Put chicken on and sprinkle sage on top. Cook until nice and brown, but turn regularly so it doesn't burn.

3. Once chicken is browned pour in Marsala and cook until is reduces to a glaze.

4. Serve immediately and be sure to pour the drippings from the pan onto the chicken.

Serves 4, great with potatoes cubed and roasted with some butter, salt and dried sage