Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Apple Marsala Sauce

Serves 6-10

12 medium boned and skinned chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup honey -- might cut down
2/3 cup apple juice
2/3 cup Marsala wine
2/3 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons instant flour

1. Cut the chicken breast halves apart, removing any grizzle. Between two sheets of plastic, or in a large plastic bag, pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet until the cutlets are about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Combine the honey, apple juice, Marsala, chicken broth, ginger and soy sauce. Set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet.

4. Sprinkle the cutlets with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add 4 of the cutlets, and cook them until they start to brown, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer the cutlets to a large, shallow oven-proof dish. Repeat with the remaining cutlets, adding more oil as necessary.

5. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir the flour into the pan, a little at a time. Pour the honey mixture into the pan. Set back over the heat, and simmer the sauce for a minute or two, to thicken it, and remove the raw taste of the flour. Pour the sauce over the cutlets. Cover the pan with foil, set in the oven, and let the cutlets cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken juices run clear when the chicken is cut in the thickest part . Can be made 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is hot.

© 1999-2007 Penny Eisenberg. All Rights Reserved
Mandarin Orange Cheesecake Photo © Mary Ellen Bartley