WFD?

Almost everyday Brett or I will ask the other "what's for dinner tonight?". We cook at home almost every night and will often plan a menu for 2-3 days at a time. When we don't have something planned I'm notorious for pulling meat out of the freezer, digging around in the pantry or the fridge and, voila, dinner is made! On days that I can plan ahead I turn to one of my favorite culinary inspirations (other than my mom of course), FoodNetwork.com. I am not good at following recipes which is why I will never claim to be a baker in any of my posts. I usually browse the net for something that sounds good, jot down a few quick notes about the recipe and head to the store. I won't actually use the recipe while I'm cooking but I might reference it if I'm using a new spice that I want to make sure I'm not using to much of. I usually just wing it and everything turns out great. I've decided to start a recurring post called "WFD?" (aka What's for Dinner?) where I post a recipe that I've tried or something that sounds good to me. I can't always promise that it will include detailed instructions like the recipe below but I'll try my best :)

On Friday I was planning for the weekend menu and came across a recipe from Giada that sounded delish! I made this last night and I have to say, it was the best thing I've made in a really long time so I thought I would share it with you for my first WFD? post.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
About 4 servings, Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion (I used red onion)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used 8oz button mushrooms, 8oz baby bellas)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly. (Make sure the chicken is still raw in the middle). Start boiling water for your pasta.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons (I used 3-4 TBS) of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (Taste it before you start adding seasoning, I didn't have to add anything to mine).

Once water is boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

I would love to hear what you think about this recipe so please leave me a comment if you try it!