4 whole chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
2 medium onions, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
4 strips bacon, chopped small
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups marsala wine or sherry wine
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Italian parsley (chopped)
1 teaspoon dried sage (powder or crushed leaves)
1 tablespoon dried rosemary (crushed)
1 (4 ounce) package Philadelphia Cream cheese
To prepare chicken: Use a whole breast (1/2 breast per person) with the back removed, split lengthwise at the breast bone.
Remove skin, salt and pepper each piece.
Place in a large bowl.
Add 2 cups buttermilk to tenderize for about an hour.
In a black iron skillet on the stovetop, over medium heat, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add onions, garlic and bacon; cook just until onions are translucent about 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Place buttermilk-coated pieces of chicken in hot skillet to quickly get some color. Remove and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Cook just until pieces have a nice golden brown color, approximately 5 minutes; remove and set aside.
Add wine (sherry) to deglaze the brown bits of chicken flavors from the pan, stirring to loosen. Let this cook for 5 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
Add onion mixture, parsley, sage, rosemary.
Stir in cream cheese.
Dissolve flour in 1/4 cup of water; add to the sauce.
Cook until just slightly thickened.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the chicken pieces in a 16" roasting dish and pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
It makes an amazing sauce to serve over rice.
**You can substitute the wine or sherry with either apple or orange juice, add slivered almonds or mushrooms for diversity.