When I was a young chef starting out this was one of the first dishes I was allowed to cook from start to finish on the sauce section. I would learn a dish a week from the chef at his restaurant - it was also the turning point of my love for mushrooms. I hope you enjoy making and eating this recipe for chicken in masala wine and mushrooms as much as I do.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 x skinless chicken breasts

50g unsalted butter

1 x banana shallot - finely diced

1 x garlic clove - crushed

200g button mushrooms - sliced

200ml Marsala wine

150ml chicken or vegetable stock

50-100ml double cream

Large handful of chopped parsley

Olive oil and salt and pepper to season

Method

To begin, slice the chicken breasts in half almost the full way to make a butterfly shape. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Melt a small amount of the butter and oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the chicken for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden-brown. Set aside.

Using the same pan, heat the remaining butter and oil over a medium heat and gently fry the shallot and garlic for a few minutes until softened then add the mushrooms and cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the Marsala wine and turn the heat up high to reduce the wine. Cook until the wine has reduced in volume by about half. Turn the heat back down to medium to low and add the stock and chicken.

Cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens and finish with a splash of cream and generous helping of parsley.

Gary Townsend, chef owner Elements, 19 New Kirk Road, Bearsden, Glasgow. G61 3SJ www.elementsgla.com