Herb & Almond Crusted Chicken Marsala will change your life!

Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic... but you don't want to miss this recipe!

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It may or may not be life changing, but it certainly does bring excitement to the dinner table!

When you think of Chicken Marsala, don't you immediately think comfort food? I know I do. Breaded and fried chicken cutlets, smothered in a deliciously creamy mushroom & wine sauce and served over a bed of mashed potatoes or pasta! YUM! Then I think... fattening and not happening! Until now... YIPPEE!

Herb & Almond Crusted Chicken Marsala has saved the day year! I owe this inspiration to one of our friends & a huge fan of The Salted Pepper, Beth. She and her husband graciously gave us a variety of fresh herbs from their garden after I mentioned in our Facebook Group - Simply Cooking with Louise - that I hadn't planted herbs this year and was really missing them.

How to store fresh cut herbs

Jeff came home from work with 4 bags of herbs; Italian parsley, Rosemary, Basil, and Mint. I felt like I had won the lottery! I immediately started thinking of the different dishes I could make with each of the herbs... then, life happened and I was so busy, the herbs were left unused for a few days.

I hadn't even looked to see if they were still fresh. I know, I'm horrible. To be given such a gift and treat it with complete disregard. Thankfully, Beth had wrapped the stems in a moist paper towel and sealed them in plastic baggies. I opened up the baggies and left them on my counter. This created a hot house effect and the herbs were just as fresh several days later as they were when they were freshly picked.

Here are a few tips on keeping your herbs fresh longer:

Basil: Wrap the stems in a moist paper towel and place in an unsealed plastic bag. 

Or place stems in a jar of water (like a flower arrangement) and cover with a plastic bag. Leave on your counter.

 

DO NOT PUT BASIL IN THE REFRIGERATOR. Basil doesn't like the cold and this causes the leaves to turn black. Basil can stay fresh up to a week or longer when properly stored.

 

 

Parsley: After rinsing your parsley, lay out on paper towels and allow to dry. The secret is to make sure the leaves are very dry before placing in the fridge. Just like basil, either wrap the stems in damp (not soaking wet) paper towel and place in a plastic bag (don't seal it) and store in the fridge. 

Alternatively, you can place the stems in a jar with a few inches of water and cover it with a plastic bag and store in the fridge 1-2 weeks. Be sure to change the water every few days.

 

Rosemary: Wrap Rosemary in a damp paper towel very loosely. If you wrap it tightly this could trap moisture and encourage mold growth. Seal in a plastic bag and store in the fridge up to 3 weeks. 

 

 

 

 

Pro Tip: You can also freeze Rosemary if you want to store it longer than 3 weeks. Simply separate rosemary into sprigs and freeze on a cookie sheet for several hours. Place frozen rosemary sprigs in a sealed plastic bag and freeze until you want to use it.

Fresh herbs really enhance the flavor of your food and they are pretty easy to grow yourself.

I like to start my herbs from seed. Yes, this does take longer... but there is really something special about watching them grow from seed. It's magical, really.

I use an indoor herb tray with a lid that provides a hot house effect for your seeds like this one from Walmart.

It has everything you need to start your seeds indoors and with very little care they will flourish.

The pods are then easily transplanted into larger containers when your plants have grown.

Pro Tip: Make sure when you are planting herbs, whether from seed or an established plant, that you allow the soil to drain. Root rot occurs when the roots sit in water saturated soil for a period of time. This can be done very simply by placing 1-2 inches of small rocks/stones in the bottom of your container and/or placing several holes in the bottom of your container before adding soil and the plants.

From no plan to perfection with Parsley of all things

As I said earlier, I procrastinated using the herbs Beth and her husband gave us and I knew my window of opportunity was going to run out soon! The last thing I wanted was to hold my head in shame and confess to them that I let their herbs go to waste because I got too busy to use them.

You've heard me say this over and over, but here it goes again. I had no plan. Zero idea what to do with the herbs. I had four different herbs to use and use FAST! So my brain began to think what food I had in the fridge and I came up with a modified version of Chicken Marsala and a quick dessert using the mint. Rosemary √, Basil √, Mint √, Parsley Ø

Can I confess a secret to you? I've never bought fresh parsley. I've never cooked with fresh parsley because... well, it's boring and tastes like grass, right? Sure, I see the famous chefs on Food Network using parsley all the time and I've always thought, why? I was close to just ignoring the parsley all together or just using it as a garnish... but, how could I do that to  my friend Beth? I couldn't. And boy am I glad I didn't.

I could hardly believe it, but when I was done making Herb & Almond Crusted Chicken Marsala, it was the parsley that came through the most of all the herbs. Sure, the rosemary and basil is wonderful... but, the fresh and slight tang that came from the Italian parsley was spot on. Not like grass at all. Thanks, Beth!

This recipe couldn't be simpler and it's perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Let's get to it!

What you'll need: 

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Chicken Cutlets
• Almonds
• Egg
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Italian Parsley
• Fresh Rosemary
• Salt
• Butter
• Mushrooms
• Marsala Wine
• Chicken Stock
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Monterey Jack Cheese

 

Step One:

Trim excess fat from chicken breast and cut into cutlet size portions about 4 ounces each. You can also buy pre-cut chicken cutlets, but they can be $2.00-$3.00 more a pound. I use a (affiliate link) handy tool from Pampered Chef to cut my chicken breasts, but you can do it by hand with a sharp knife too.

  

 

Here is a tutorial on how to do it by hand: How to Cut Chicken Breasts Into Cutlets

Step Two:

Scramble an egg in a shallow bowl large enough to dip your chicken pieces into. Grind your almonds into a coarse texture using a (affiliate link) spice/coffee/nut grinder or a food processor. I like to pulse the grinder just a few times to keep some almond pieces a little bigger for better texture. Place in a shallow bowl big enough for you to dredge your chicken through.

     

Step Three:

Preheat your oven to 400° F. Chop up your Basil, Parsley, & Rosemary. Add to crushed almonds. Add ½ teaspoon salt. Mix well. Dip your chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then dredge in herb and crushed almond mixture making sure to coat both sides well.

      

Step Four:

Heat 2 tablespoon Olive oil and 1 tablespoon Butter in a non stick skillet. Turn heat on medium and when the oil/butter is very hot, but not burning, place chicken in pan. Allow to cook about 2 minutes and flip. Cook another 2 minutes. Adjust heat as necessary to avoid burning. Remove from pan and place on baking sheet in preheated oven for 10 minutes. TIP: If you are making this ahead of time, don't cook the chicken in the oven until just before serving and cook for 15 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165°F.

  

Step Five:

Slice mushrooms. In the same pan you cooked the chicken, add 1 tablespoon butter and ½ tablespoon olive oil and heat on medium. Add sliced mushrooms in a single layer. Cook until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes), flip and cook an additional minute.

  

Step Six:

Slice onion and add to pan. Add Marsala wine and chicken stock. Cook over medium low heat until liquid has reduced by half. This takes 5-7 minutes.

    

 

Step Seven:

When chicken is done, remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and grate Monterrey Jack cheese into pan with the mushrooms and onions. Stir until cheese has melted and sauce thickens.

  

Step Eight:

Plate the chicken on a bed of sautéed zoodles and spoon the Marsala sauce over top.  If you aren't worried about the carbs, try it over mashed potatoes or pasta!