I wouldn't necessarily just add flour to the dish before adding the stock, as it will likely just clump, which of corse you do not want. I would make a beurre manie (equal parts flour and butter, that are combined cold) and add it at the end. You could also use a bit of cornstarch but niether of these will produce the exact same results. The cornstarch will give the sauce a glossy finish. The beurre manie will add nice flavor but it will lighten the color of the sauce. It will also need to be cooked a bit longer to cook out the chalky flavor of the flour. Cheers!

I went the cornstarch route and it thickened up nicely although I am going to try making my own stock soon and see for myself the difference.
The dish turned out great with the exception of just a hint of bitter taste in the sauce. I'm thinking I had a few burnt sucs left in the pan when I deglazed. Still something I'm working on is pan frying and not ending up with any burnt sucs.
I control the heat well so I know it's not a matter of the heat being to high. I think it's the length of time. When I pan fry in batches it seems there is no way to keep the sucs from the first batch burning while you are fying the second batch.
My chicken breast were a bit on the thick side and perhaps I should have flattened them a bit to shorten the cooking time.

Also it seems my pan will go dry. Before I added the shallots I added just a bit of grapeseed oil but it seems the shalotts quickly absorbed the oil leaving the pan dry so I had to add another touch of oil during the cooking process. I'm wondering if this is where my sucs are burning?

Another great dish and another great learning lesson. I am happy knowing that I can make a mistake or two along the way and know what I will do differently next time and still not ruin the dish and actually have it turn out quite well! Very encouraging!!

Good job Keith, sounds like you made a very nice dinner (with the delicious steamed potatoes and all). As far as pan frying in batches your instinct was correct to add more oil. As each batch is pan-fried you may need to add a bit more oil. Just enough to keep things lubricated and to help prevent the sucs from burning. Also, it's always a good idea to review a particular lesson from time to time (in this case the pan frying) after you have put the methods and techniques to the test for a bit. Cheers!

ok, going to give it a whirl.
researched the marsala and mushrooms bits. But worried about pan temperature between batches and reducing time, and so much more. it always seems as if in the middle of cooking a million questions will turn up and i will be back to researching as I'm trying to pan fry chicken. May end up just drinking the wine and eating plain chicken.

what an awesome recipe and I have to say that everything tasted excellent. Meat was not dry, the meat did not stick to the pan, and the sauce was out of this world!!!
I didn't think I could pull this off, but everyone went crazy, and by cooking slower and more methodically it really turned out fantastic.

This was a easy recipe that tasted great. Even my picky, picky husband ate it (he didn't have the sauce). I really enjoyed this and watching the other videos on how to properly heat a pan and add the oil made this meal turn out awesome! I was impressed with my cooking skills after watching the video and trying the recipe.

I tried this for the first time tonight. It was good but I need practice. The chicken was great, but the sauce was thin ( I got tired of waiting for it to reduce), tho' it tasted good. I did'nt have any dark stock, so used some turkey stock from thanksgiving. It had gelled just fine when cooling in the fridge.
I have a question. With leftovers, which we plan to eat in 2 days, should I store the chicken and sauce separately or together?

Glad you liked the dish and good that you improvised using another type of stock. Feel free to store the chicken and the sauce together and then reheat. Have fun practicing! Cheers!

This was wonderful! My husband said this meal made it worth the Rouxbe investment. "The best chicken you've ever made!" was his exact statement. Thanks!! Tomorrow we're going to try pan frying tilapia. Yum!

In step # 3 “To finish the sauce, swirl in the cold butter”. At this step should the sauce continue to simmer or should it be off the heat completely? The reason I am asking is that the butter gets separated when the sauce continues on the heat.

We have turned the gas off in this case. Swirling in the butter is done just at the end to finish the sauce. This is also covered in more detail in the "How to Make Pan Sauce Lesson". Cheers!

I did a spectacular master chef last evening when making this dish. I grabbed the handle of a pan which I'd placed in a 200C oven without using gloves/cloth. I now have a left palm branded with a cross akin to that seen on our traditional hot x buns. The pain!

I made the dish last evening with moderate success. I used brined plump breasts but did not slice them in half as suggested. They were a little on the hard and dry side. Would it be the brining, the size or overcooking which caused this? The sauce was perfect.

Rick, so sorry to hear that you burnt yourself. If it makes you feel any better, we have all been there before and know how much it can hurt. It does make you much more aware though and more careful in the kitchen. The moment you take a pan out of the oven, cover the handle with a cloth or one of those handle covers because it is so easy to forget when you're doing other things. I am curious though as to why the pan was in the oven for this particular dish.

Brining will not make the meat hard or dry. Yes, cutting the chicken into even-sized pieces will help. Because chicken breasts taper on one side, they can easily over-cook by the time the thicker side is cooked through. It is just a matter of you practicing your pan frying skills to ensure that you are cooking the meat just until it is done. Keep at it. Next time, if you are planning on doing the whole breasts, might want to try finishing the chicken breasts in the oven. Cheers!

Good morning Kimberly (uk)

"I am curious though as to why the pan was in the oven for this particular dish"...... I was finishing the breasts in the oven. Trust me I will be more careful next time. Burning flesh does not smell the same as cooked chicken.

I've been pan frying chicken breasts and I seem to be inconsistent on cooking it all the way through. I cut into the deepest part to check of course before eating, but sometimes I have to cook it more. Is there a method to tell when it is cooked through besides cutting into it? Or is experience the main factor?

The best way to tell if pan fried chicken is really cooked is to do as you are and cut into it. So you are on the right track there. Another way, that many chefs use, is simply to touch the meat (like in the steak lesson). With experience, when you touch the thickest part of the meat and it feels the right firmness when pressed, it's done. But again, this one does take some time to be become confident with. By that I mean, it takes time to trust what you are feeling. You can train yourself by using the touch method but then still cut into it. Once you know it feels a certain way when it's done it will become quite easy. Hope that helps. Cheers!

We had good flavor in the sauce before we added the lemon, but after adding the lemon, we could not taste the Marsala at all. Wondering why the lemon was added?

Also, we pounded the chicken out first so the whole surface would cook at the same rate. Do you recommend this?

And finally, what are some typical sides/accompaniments to Chicken Marsala. I googled it but didn't come up with much.

We'll try again without the lemon as the sauce was great before we added it.

Lemon is used to cut the richness of sauces, if necessary...and it should only be added to taste (if at all). You might find the lesson on Pan Sauces in the Cooking School helpful. Next time you make it, taste the sauce first to see if it needs a bit of brightening.

Yes, you can certainly cut & pound the chicken breasts to flatten them to promote even cooking.

In terms of sides, there are so many. Roasted vegetables such as potatoes (including hasselbacks) cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli, cipollini onions or carrots...just to name a few would go well. You can serve steamed rapini, braised kale or grilled asparagus. Lemon Orzo, Aglio e Olio or a nice polenta would be delicious. A nice arugula salad tossed with quality extra-virgin olive oil, lemon and shaved parmesan would be great too. Most of these recipes are on the site, however, more importantly, the lessons on Roasting Vegetables, Steaming Vegetables, How to Make Polenta, etc., will help you expand your cooking repertoire and give you ideas so you aren't at a loss when it comes to sides. Cheers!

I ended up overcooking the chicken because I couldn't get an internal temperature reading of 165 without keeping it on the stove for longer than the recipe specifies. I would have gone by the visual indicator specified in the recipe, but I wasn't sure if the chicken was cooked enough to be safe. Is the colour of the chicken enough to go by (inside was no longer pink and outside had a nice even gold colour to it), or should I continue to check the temperature to make sure everything is good? Do internal temperatures read differently while pan frying than when boiling or baking? Maybe my thermometer is just bad?

If the chicken is no longer pink all the way through, this is a good indication that it is fully cooked through. You may want to test/calibrate your thermometer to make sure it is accurate. The temperature won't be any different no matter what cooking method is used. Although with thinner pieces of meat a thermometer is often not used as it can be hard to test such thin pieces of meat. In these cases touch and even cutting into the meat to see if it is no longer pink is often the better way to go.

This comes down to practice and knowing when to stop the cooking process or when you need to take it a bit further. With plenty of practice, you'll keep getting better at knowing when things are done and be able to perfect it each time. Also, be sure to check out the cooking school lessons on Pan Frying and Pan Sauces for more info. Cheers!

This recipe was a complete success in my household. I am wondering, though, if I wanted to make this for a dinner party, can I precook the chicken breasts earlier in the day, and warm them up in the pan with the sauce prior to serving? This way I wouldn't be ignoring the guests while I'm preparing it.

This dish is simple and quick to make and all of your mise en place can be done in advance. The dish is best prepared just prior to serving; otherwise, the meat will dry out and just won't be as good. You are much better off to set everything up and cook it just before serving. Cheers!

The sauce I made was very foamy while cooking. It tasted great but the foam was not helping me see if the sauce was reduced enough.

I used light chicken stock off the shelf. Maybe I didn't let the Marsala wine reduce enough?

Do you guys happen to know what might cause the foam while cooking/reducing?

Can you just brown the chicken on the outside in the pan and then place in the oven to continue cooking? Or does chicken cook too quickly for that to be helpful?

If so, what temp would you recommend and about how long could you do that for with about 3 chicken breasts? I am also worried about 'buying myself time' when making the sauce and not ending up with too cooled off chicken.