This is one of my favorite recipes that I tinkered with for ages trying to replicate a dish I had down in San Luis Obispo. I’m not quite there yet, but I think it’s pretty good!
This is a good recipe to experiment with, adding more or less pancetta and mushrooms, depending on what you like. You can also substitute more button mushrooms if you don’t like, or can’t find, dried Porcinis. I would not use Portobello mushrooms, much as I love them, in this recipe. I used the Portobello’s once and the taste was too robust and they turned the sauce an unappetizing color.
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
8–10 ounces fresh brown (Crimini) mushrooms or white button mushrooms.
4–6 ounces Pancetta, cubed
Four chicken breasts, boned and skinned
Salt and pepper
Flour, to dredge chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil, +/- depending on fat released from pancetta
2/3 cup dry Marsala wine
Soak dried Porcinis in 1 cup warm water for 30 minutes. Remove from water, pat dry, and chop coarsely. Strain the Porcini liquid and set aside. Note: If you decide not to use porcinis, use chicken stock instead of the mushroom liquid.
Dredge chicken breasts in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
Slice the fresh mushrooms thin.
In a heavy pan, cook pancetta until crispy. Remove and place on paper towel to soak up excess fat. Brown seasoned chicken breasts in pan, with no more than 3 tablespoons of pancetta fat/olive oil. When golden brown, remove chicken to a plate and cover lightly with foil.
Add the sliced mushrooms and porcinis to the pan and cook until golden. If the pan gets too dry, add a little porcini water.
Return the chicken to the pan with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the porcini liquid and the Marsala. Check your seasonings, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Turn heat to medium low, cover, and cook 20 minutes. If the liquids evaporate too much, add a few teaspoons of water. When cooked, the sauce should be thick and creamy.
I like to serve this over Yukon Gold mashed potatoes with a side of asparagus, but it’s equally good with rice. If you use brown rice, I would add some peas to the rice to make the flavor stand out a bit more.
