Stuffed Chicken Marsala

This is actually a recipe that I got from the Olive Garden website. It's absolutely delicious! And extremely impressive looking. I made it for Joseph for Father's Day this year. He loved it!

Stuffed Chicken Marsala:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 fl. oz. olive oil
2 c flour

Cheese Stuffing:
1/2 c smoked shredded cheese (provolone or gouda)
8 oz package mozarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 t fresh garlic, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes, crushed
2 T sun-dried tomato flakes (drained 1st if in oil)
1/3 c green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 c sour cream (6 oz)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Sauce:
1 small onion, cut in half and thinly slice lengthwise
16 fl oz. Marsala cooking wine
8 fl oz heavy cream
2 sm containers button mushrooms, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all cheese stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl. Smoked provolone cheese has been hard for me to find except in pre-sliced packages, but I still manage to grate it by folding 2-4 slices in half and rubbing them along the grater.

Here's what the cheese stuffing looks like.

Butterfly the thickest section of chicken to create 2 lobes.

Place on a plate and place desired amount of stuffing on one lobe of each chicken breast. Gently press stuffing down so it resembles a hockey puck. Fold over other lobe; doesn't have to seal.

Heat large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until simmering. Place flour in a shallow pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Dredge stuffed breasts in flour, shaking off excess flour.

Saute with preheated oil, cooking until each side is golden brown. Flipping is a little interesting :), I have found that it works best to have a spatula and tongs and don't worry if a little stuffing falls out.

Remove from pan and place in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear and center of chicken is done.

I wasn't able to get button mushrooms, so I just used canned mushrooms this time, both work but the button mushrooms definitely taste better. Marsala wine is found with all the other cooking wines and vinegar in stores. Add onions to saute pan and stir to loosen chicken droppings. After 2 minutes, add mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent. Deglaze pan with marsala wine. That's a fancy way of saying pour cold liquid in a hot pan to get up all the stuff stuck on the bottom where all the flavors are. So make sure you stir to incorporate drippings from bottom of pan.

Heat wine to a simmer and add heavy cream. The website calls for more wine (24 oz), but I like it better with less (16 oz). Simmer on low heat until reduced by half. Here are the stuffed breasts after baking:

Now you can place the breasts on each plate and then pour sauce over, or you can be lazy like me and just pour it in the baking dish like so:

Here's what it looks like when served: Yummy, I can actually taste it just looking at this picture! It goes well with garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing or roasted red potatoes and a veggie of your choice. This was our first corn on the cob for the year :). Enjoy one of our favorite italian dishes!