It is customary to celebrate Simchat Torah with a little bit more alcohol than on a normal day, and so this is a perfect occasion to cook with it. Try this delicious and simple but impressive recipe — one of my old time favourites. Marsala, a Sicilian dessert wine, gives a slight sweet flavour. If you can’t find kosher Marsala use kiddush wine or Port. The chicken stays moist and cooks in less than 10 minutes.
Serves: 4 as a main course
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
600g chicken breasts
2-3 tbsp margarine or olive oil
70g white flour
200 ml Marsala/sweet wine
2 oranges
1 tsp salt
METHOD
Rinse and pat dry the chicken and remove any fat. Using a sharp knife carefully slice each chicken breast lengthwise into 3-4 thin fillets.
Squeeze the oranges and mix the juice with the Marsala wine. Put aside.
Pour the flour into a shallow bowl and add half the salt, stir. Coat the chicken fillets lightly with the salted flour.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan and add the margarine/olive oil. The margarine makes the sauce creamy, but for a lighter version, olive oil works well. When the margarine starts sizzling, add the chicken fillets.
Cook the fillets over high heat until golden on each side, adding more margarine when turning the fillets if it looks dry. Once golden, add the orange and Marsala. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the remaining salt and cook for two more minutes on each side.
Serve immediately.
To cook this dish in advance, use only half the orange and Marsala when you cook it. Keep it covered and reheat it before serving in the frying pan with the remaining orange juice and Marsala wine diluted with a couple of tablespoons of water.
Decorate with orange slices, zest and parsley if you like and serve with couscous, rice or salad.
