If you like mushrooms, there is nothing quite like eating fresh morels. They grow in the forest among damp woody places and are best found in the springtime after the snow has melted until early June. Know your mushrooms well. There are many mushrooms that are edible, but just as many, if not more, that are poisonous! Morels have a very distinct look to them. They generally grow one to three inches in height, and look a bit like a brain. My sister lives 20 minutes from the mountains, so we grabbed a few bags and went in search of the illusive morel. Be sure to bring along a knife or scissors to cut the morels. You do not want to pull them up from their roots. It is also best to place the morels in a mesh bag so the spores release back to the forest floor. I was not happy when I realized I left my camera at her house, but my sis got a great shot of baby morels in their natural habitat. If you can’t find morels, any type of edible mushrooms can be substituted for this recipe.
If you have picked your morels fresh from the forest, you will want to soak them overnight in salt water to make
sure any little critters hiding inside make their way out! If you pick early in the season, you will encounter
fewer the bugs. The darker morels are older, the light-colored are the newest growth.
just expect to pay a hefty price.
Sautéed Chicken Breasts & Morels in a Marsala Wine Sauce
4 chicken breasts
2 shallots, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup half & half
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Sea slat & cracked pepper to taste
Place olive oil and butter in a saute pan and melt over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook thoroughly until both sides are brown, approximately 8-10 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan, place on a dish and cover with foil to trap the heat and keep the chicken moist. Return the saute pan to the burner with all the “drippings” from cooking the chicken still in the pan. Add the chopped shallots to the pan and cook until shallots are translucent. Add the chopped morels and cook for one minute before adding the chicken stock. Cook for one more minute, then add the marsala wine and 1/4 cup of the half & half. Place the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup of half & half and mix until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add to the pan and stir until sauce is slightly thickened. Place chicken breasts onto a platter or separate plates, and pour the cream sauce over the chicken.
I like to serve this dish with asparagus. Place your asparagus sprigs onto a foiled cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the sprigs and sprinkle sea salt and cracked black pepper on each one. Place in a 400 degree preheated oven and cook for approximately 15-18 minutes or until asparagus tips turn slightly brown.
This recipe was also shared on the following blogs: GlutenfreeHomemaker, DeliciousObsessions, WellFedHomestead, KellytheKitchenKop, RealFoodForager, SimplySugarandGlutenfree, VegetarianMamma, ThisGalCooks
This looks like a beautiful meal! The mushrooms look awesome!
Hope your week is great!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
OMG, so glad to find this recipe! We live in a tiny town in the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon, where morel foraging is just a few minutes’ drive. We’ve had a few warm and sunny days and the morels are just starting to sprout. We got only a handful our first day out, but yesterday came home with at least a pound. They’ve been soaked and dried and are just waiting to be cooked. We have a chicken on the smoker and some fresh Hermiston asparagus! Our kids are here for Mother’s Day weekend and have not had morels before. Thank you for the great recipe!
So happy to have you try my recipe; it is one of our favorites! I love morels and am pretty sure this year will be a bumper crop due to all the winter moisture. My family camped in the Wallowa Mountains when I was a kid. You live in beautiful country. Enjoy your Mother’s Day with your family!