Italian fungal fowl

Wow last week was hellacious. I'm now in school 7 days a week, pulling an easy 12-16 hour day. So the question last night was "what's good, easy, tasty, and fast? A bit of mental wrestling and I decided to try a take on a classic. Chicken Marsala and linguine, quite possibly the best combination of chicken and mushrooms yet devised.

Aside from the company of a pint or two of frosty brew, one of my favorite kitchen past times is pan-frying chicken. Why? Because you transform a piece of pale and floppy meat into a golden, brown and crispy piece of deliciousness.

I wanted something that would cook fast, and while chicken isn't exactly a slow-cooking dish, I didn't want to take the time to cut and pound a chicken breast into a milanese style cutlet. So while it cost me a little more than I would normally spend on chicken, I splurged and went with boneless, skinless thighs.

I wanted to pack in the flavor for this one, so some nice crimini mushrooms, plenty of garlic, a little onion, and of course marsala wine and some hearty chicken stock.

I'd love to have an artful and eloquent description of how this dish comes together, but it literally is a simple process of dredging some chicken in seasoned flour, browning it, cooking up some garlic, onion, and mushrooms, tossing in some wine and stock, and then finishing the chicken in the sauce. Simple, easy, and served over some linguine, it is one of the most easy and fast comfort foods that you can whip up in under about 20 minutes and some change.

The sauce makes itself as it reduces, thoroughly infused with the flavor of marsala wine, crimini mushrooms, butter and chickeny goodness. The chicken comes out so moist and tender, with a crispy crust that manages to remain so, even as it becomes saturated with the sauce.

This dish helps take the edge off a bit from nearly 24 hours a day of schooling. I cannot wait for this semester of rush-rush-rush to be over so I can really take some time and play in my kitchen.