CLONE WARS: OLIVE GARDEN'S STUFFED CHICKEN MARSALA

STUFFED CHICKEN MARSALA
Ingredients
Cheese Stuffing
1/2 cup smoked shredded cheese (I used 48+ aged gouda (Costco)
8-oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
2 Tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sour cream
Sauce

1 small sweet onion, cut in half and thinly sliced lengthwise
24 fl oz Marsala cooking wine (I used Holland House brand from Smith's)
8 fl oz heavy cream
2 small containers button mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used one large container regular sized mushrooms)
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders and skipped #2, #3 and #4, gently fried the tenders in olive oil, then placed a molded portion of the stuffing between two tenders right before I baked them in the oven).
4 fl oz olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
Procedures
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
1) COMBINE all cheese stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl, set aside.
2) BUTTERFLY thickest section of chicken breasts to create 2 lobes. Pound each breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until ¼” - ½” thick.
3) PLACE flattened chicken breasts 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.
4) FOLD over other lobe of chicken breast; does not have to seal.
5) HEAT large sauté pan over medium heat.
6) ADD olive oil and heat until shimmering.
7) PLACE flour in a shallow pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8) DREDGE stuffed chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess.
9) SAUTE chicken breasts with preheated oil, cooking until each side is golden brown.
10) REMOVE chicken from pan and place in a baking dish.
11) BAKE for 10-20 minutes, or until juices run clean and center of chicken reaches 165°F.
12) ADD onions to sauté pan, and stir to loosen chicken drippings. After 2 minutes, add mushrooms and sauté until onions are translucent.
13) DEGLAZE pan with Marsala wine – make sure to incorporate drippings from bottom of pan.
14) HEAT wine to a simmer and add heavy cream. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half. (Takes about 35 min.)
15) PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a plate and top each with onions, mushrooms and sauce.
GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

6 small russets
2 lbs. peeled, diced russets
1/2 c - 3/4 c cream
1/2 c softened butter
2 TB olive oil
20 cloves garlic
Boil potatoes in water until tender. Meanwhile toss the peeled garlic cloves into a pan with 2 TB olive oil and gently brown until nearly caramelized. When done, once they are cool enough to touch, mash with the blade of a knife and chop into small pieces.
With an electric mixer, add the all the ingredients to a bowl and blend until light and creamy.
I added about 1 TB pesto to 1/4 c softened butter and spread it over a toasted dark olive loaf (Smith's .79/loaf in the day after bin).