Bacon, Sage and provolone Chicken Rolls With Marsala Sauce

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: If thin cutlets are not available, get four (4- to 5-ounce) regular chicken breasts, put them between two pieces of wax or parchment paper and gently pound with a meat mallet until about 1/8 inch thick all over. Cut them in half before proceeding, as they will be quite large. Marsala is a fortified wine. From "Dinner Solved," by Katie Workman.

• 8 (about 1-lb.) thinly sliced chicken cutlets (see Note)

• Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 4 slices provolone cheese, halved

• 8 fresh sage leaves, optional

• 8 slices bacon

• 1 tsp. garlic, minced

• 1/2 c. Marsala wine (see Note)

• 1/2 c. chicken broth, preferably low-sodium

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. It's easier to roll up all of the chicken breasts at the same time, assembly-line fashion; you may want to line the counter space with wax or parchment paper, or use a huge cutting board.

Lay chicken breasts on work space and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place piece of cheese on each cutlet (trim it so it doesn't extend over the edges of the chicken), and a sage leaf, if desired. Roll up each breast and then wrap a slice of bacon around the middle, trimming the bacon so that the ends just overlap to seal the rolls. Skewer each with a toothpick to keep it closed.

Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon-wrapped chicken and brown on all sides, turning rolls with tongs so they hold their shape, about 8 minutes in all.

Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake until rolls are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. A little cheese will probably melt out; that's OK. Transfer chicken to a serving dish, remove toothpicks and keep warm while preparing the sauce. (Or forgo the sauce and serve plain with a drizzle of olive oil before serving.)

There should be just a couple teaspoons of fat left in the skillet; pour off any more than that. Warm pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir for a few seconds until it starts to color, then add the Marsala and stir to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan to flavor the sauce. Add the broth, allow the sauce to come to a simmer and simmer until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Serve with sauce, spooned over or passed at the table. Good served atop tubular pasta.