I know you’re sitting there saying, “I can’t cook gourmet.”

But this is easy! I love chicken Marsala, and when I finally found out how easy it was to make, I wanted to jump up and down cheering.

I get a little too excited about this, but it’s one of my favorite dishes in the world, so you have to try it.

I hope you love it half as much as I do. It will become a regular dish in your house, and you can really impress your guests. Just don’t tell them how easy it is.

Chicken Marsala

4 skinless boneless chicken breast

all-purpose flour, for dredging

freshly ground black pepper

one-fourth cup extra virgin olive oil

4 ounces of prosciutto, thinly sliced (it usually comes that way)

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

three-fourths cup Marsala wine

three-fourths cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I usually add a little more)

flat leaf parsley for garnishing

Fillet the chicken breast down the center to make very thin pieces of meat. You can also pound them out with a mallet. Put some flour and pepper on a plate or in a shallow flat dish and mix together with a fork. Dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour mixture and set aside.

Heat the oil on medium high in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot shake the excess flour off the chicken and slip it into the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides.

You can do this in batches if all your chicken does not fit in the pan comfortably. Remove the chicken when done.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for one minute to render out some of the fat. Add the mushrooms and saute until their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Serve over your favorite pasta and add a little parsley on top for garnish. Also make a little Italian salad and garlic bread sticks to the side and you have a complete meal.

Until next time, have fun in the kitchen, experiment and indulge your cravings.

Laura Clements is a contributing food columnist for The Demopolis Times.