MENU DESCRIPTION: “Our most popular chicken dish! Sautéed chicken breast topped with fresh asparagus and melted mozzarella cheese, covered with fresh mushroom madeira sauce. Served with mashed potatoes.” What makes this chicken dish The Cheesecake Factory’s “most popular” is the sweet and tangy madeira wine reduction sauce spooned over the top. Man, I could slurp that rich nectar straight from a glass (mushrooms might clog up a straw). It’s that good. And—get this—it’s easy. Even though the real stuff appears to include veal stock, we can concoct a great knockoff using canned beef broth. Get sliced mozzarella cheese from your deli section and be sure to pound the chicken breasts very thin using plastic wrap to cover each one before you whack on it. Also, in typical Cheesecake Factory style, their entree is huge, including two chicken fillets and a giant pile of mashed potatoes on the side. This recipe makes a total of four chicken fillets, which divides into two servings if you’re at the restaurant. At home though, this is probably the perfect amount for a gaggle of four.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 skinless chicken breast fillets
• 8 asparagus spears
• 4 mozzarella cheese slices

MADEIRA SAUCE:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups sliced fresh white mushrooms
• 3 cups Madeira wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Cover each chicken breast with plastic wrap then use a mallet to flatten the chicken to about ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper.
3. Saute the chicken fillets for 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until the chicken has browned just a bit. Remove chicken fillets from the pan and wrap them together in foil to keep the fillets warm while you make the sauce. Don’t clean the pan. You want all that cooked-on goodness to stay in the skillet to help make the sauce.
4. With the heat still on medium, add 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the Madeira wine, beef broth, butter, and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until sauce reduces to about one-quarter of its original volume. When the sauce is done, it will have thickened and turned a dark brown color.
5. As the sauce is simmering, bring a medium saucepan filled about halfway with water to a boil. Add a little salt to the water. Toss the asparagus into the water and boil for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus spears. Drop the asparagus in a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking. The asparagus should be slightly tender when done, not mushy.
6. Set oven to broil. Prepare the dish by arranging the cooked chicken fillets on a baking pan. Cross two asparagus spears over each fillet, then cover each with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Broil the fillets for 3 to 4 minutes or until light brown spots begin to appear on the cheese.
7. To serve, arrange one or two chicken breasts on each plate, then spoon 3 or 4 tablespoons of Madeira sauce over the chicken.