We’re honored to have an award-winning culinary program at Willow Valley Communities. Together, our amazing team of chefs create unique and delicious senior living dining menus for our campus’ 12 culinary venues. We’re excited to share some of those great dishes with you.
Chef Fernando shares one of his favorite recipes: Chicken Scallopini with a Creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce
Featured Chef: Chef Fernando Garcia-Aguila
Featured Recipe: Chicken Scallopini with a Creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce
About Chef Fernando Garcia-Aguila:
Catering Chef Fernando Garcia-Aguila effortlessly creates show-stopping recipes at events held at the Cultural Center and Chautauqua Hall at Willow Valley Communities. His repertoire covers a variety of flavors from Mediterranean to traditional American and Caribbean dishes, as well as those tried and true from his native Cuba.
As a boy in Cuba, Fernando says food started everything for him and he believes food brings people together and makes them happy. While growing up he cooked for his two younger twin brothers while both of his parents worked. Fernando then attended culinary school in Cuba and started his career at Hotel Jagua in the province of Cienfuegos, Cuba. He made his way to the United States and Lancaster and became a U.S. citizen in 2013. Before coming to Willow Valley Communities he worked at Lancaster’s Central Market and Marriott and Hershey hotels. A hi-light of his career was working for celebrity Top chef Fabio Viviani in California.
Chicken Scallopini with a Creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast2
- Extra virgin olive oil4 tbsp.
- Butter4 tbsp.
- All-purpose flour1/4 cup
- Mushrooms, sliced8 oz.
- Shallots or yellow onion, finely sliced½ cup
- Garlic cloves2
- Marsala wine*1/4 cup
- Heavy cream1/4 cup
- Italian herbs2 tbsp.
- Salt & pepperTo taste
*Another sweet red wine will work if you don’t have Marsala wine on hand.
Directions
- Place flour in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Rinse chicken and pat dry. Halve each breast horizontally to yield two thin pieces each.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper then coat with flour. Shake off excess.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
- Add chicken and cook until deeply golden (about 3 minutes per side). Once done, remove from pan and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add butter to skillet, then shallots, Italian herbs, and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are tender (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Deglaze the pan with Marsala wine and season with salt and pepper, then let simmer until slightly reduced and add cream.
- Return chicken to skillet and spoon sauce over to coat for about 3 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
