Chicken Marsala

Pound the cutlets to a uniform half-inch thickness before bagging. Chicken breast is naturally tapered, so without pounding the thin end overcooks while the thick end is barely warm. Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan, and don't skip this step.

Sear the cutlets BEFORE bagging, not after. The pan-browned exterior is the flavor base for the marsala sauce, and a post-bath sear leaves the chicken pale and the sauce thin. Sear hard, then rest, then bag with the marinade.

Use real dry marsala wine, not sweet. Sweet marsala turns the sauce cloying and one-note. Dry marsala has the nutty, slightly oxidized flavor that defines the dish. Buy a small bottle from a wine shop - supermarket cooking marsala is awful.

Sous vide at 150°–155°F for 90 min, then build the sauce in the same pan you used to sear. Deglaze with marsala, reduce, add the mushrooms, finish with butter. The bag liquid goes into the sauce too - it's pure chicken essence.

Anti-tip: don't substitute white wine for marsala. They're not interchangeable. White wine gives you a piccata-style sauce that's bright and acidic. Marsala gives you a darker, richer, sweeter sauce. The dish literally cannot exist without marsala.

Use dry Marsala wine, not sweet

Mix mushroom varieties for depth

Don't skip the flour - it thickens the sauce