Buca di Beppo's Chicken Marsala recipe

Chicken Marsala
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Butter, 2 ounces
Flour, 1 ounce
Olive Oil, 3 ounces
Mushrooms, cut 8 ounces
Marsala wine, 32 ounces
Chicken breast, 18 ounces
Salt, ½ ounce

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Season chicken breasts with salt. Dust with flour and sauté, skin side down until golden brown. Turn chicken breast, add mushrooms and sauté for approximately one minute. Discard oil, add Marsala wine reduction and cook completely through. Remove the chicken from the pan. Reduce wine by half. Remove the pan from the heat and incorporate butter. Place chicken breasts side by side on a large platter. Pour sauce over the top and serve.

Everyone loves Italian food, but most of us can barely pronounce "Linguine Frutti di Mare," let alone prepare this dish at home. We're comfortable making mac 'n cheese and the occasional spaghetti with jarred tomato sauce, but we leave the "hard" stuff to the chefs whose names end in a vowel.

Sure, there are a handful of people with the culinary know-how to whip up a Chicken Saltimbocca without breaking a sweat, but these at-home chefs are daunted by a different challenge: price. When plunking down $4 or more for a gallon of gas, you might steer your grocery cart away from gourmet aisle, opting instead for generic-brand foods.

Not anymore. Buca di Beppo is showing you how to prepare an Italian classic - Chicken Marsala - in the comfort of your own kitchen. Yes, this dish is simple and reasonably priced, but you won't compromise taste. In fact, you might consider hosting a dinner party to showcase your Italian culinary mastery. Pair this dish with a fancy bottle of wine - you'll have a little cash left over after buying the ingredients for this meal.

Be sure to take credit for the recipe...let your guests believe you are the culinary genius behind this made-from-scratch version of Chicken Marsala.

First, consult this grocery list, which includes several kitchen staples you won't likely have to purchase:

• Four 5-oz chicken breasts ($5.69)
• 8 oz. mushrooms, cut ($1.69)
• 32 oz. Marsala wine ($5.49 for one bottle)
• 3 oz. olive oil (if you don't already have it, you can purchase a 17-oz bottle for $5.99)
• ¼ teaspoon salt (26-oz shaker costs $0.89)
• 1 oz flour (2 lb. bag of flour is $1.89)

Once you're home, pots and pans at the ready, follow these simple steps to create a lavish Italian meal - without the lavish price tag:

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan.
2. Season chicken breasts with salt.
3. Dust with flour and sauté, skin side down until golden brown.
4. Turn chicken breast, add mushrooms and sauté for approximately one minute.
5. Discard oil, add Marsala wine reduction and cook completely through.
6. Remove the chicken from the pan.
7. Reduce wine by half (roughly 16 oz.).
8. Remove the pan from heat and stir in butter.
9. Place chicken breasts side by side on a large platter.
10. Pour sauce over the top and serve.

Presto! Serve this dish to your delighted guests -- a dinner they won't soon forget.

And for those days when you don't want to don your apron, you can visit Buca di Beppo, with locations in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Campbell and San Jose. Call 866-EAT-BUCA or visit www.bucadibeppo.com for reservations, locations or to order Buca To Go. Buca di Beppo opens at 11 a.m., serving lunch and dinner daily.

Travis Hunter Bio:
Travis Hunter, Paisano Partner at Buca di Beppo restaurant in downtown San Francisco, has worked in the hospitality industry for the past 12 years. Travis, a resident of Walnut Creek, Calif., has served as Paisano Partner for Buca di Beppo for two years. As Paisano Partner, Travis is a general manager and part owner of the business.

Travis has won two internal culinary competitions including Buca's annual "Prima Cucina Competition," during which Paisano Partners company-wide compete in small teams to create a new culinary masterpiece. Travis has also served in many teaching and leadership capacities at Buca. His restaurant is a designated "training store," which means he and his management team are responsible for training new managers in all aspects of the business, from culinary techniques and inventory to guest service and staff management.

Prior to working with Buca, Travis was general manager for Sharkeez, a sports bar and grill, in Hermosa Beach and Santa Barbara. Under his leadership, the concept received numerous readers' choice and editorial "Best Of" awards. Prior to working in hospitality, Travis spent two years as a PGA golf pro.

A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Travis attended college on a golf and academic scholarship, earning a double Bachelor's degree in economics and sociology.