CHICKEN MARSALA

Go out right now and buy a bottle of Marsala.  Follow this recipe. Serve with the vegetable of your choice, a salad and Pinot Noir and you'll have a great special dinner! It's easy and sooo delicious!  I had never had  this dish before, even though I've heard of it.  It just didn't sound especially interesting and even though most of the ingredients are common enough, could I even get Marsala here?  I happened to see it at the local grocery store and the price was reasonable (about $6.00), so I picked up a bottle. I was actually a little leery since many of the recipes I researched said the quality of the dish depended on the quality of the Marsala, so how would it be with my cheap $6 wine?  But it was the only option available, and it was wonderful.  I followed the recipe below pretty closely, except I added 1/2 a finely minced onion.  Some of the recipes had onion added, sauteed before adding the mushrooms and it seemed a good idea.  It worked beautifully, I also did not add chives, but did sprinkle some parsley on the top.  A Pinot Noir was wonderful with the dish.  I'll make this again as soon as I can get someone to visit for dinner.  On the "Essence"  I cut that into thirds easily enough.  We'll see if I can use it again. Also, I used the flour mixture, added a little liquid and used it to thicken the sauce after removing the chicken, doing this, there was no need to add extra salt or pepper.   Really, make this for your someone special soon!

Chicken Marsala

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows

2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake) ( I used regular button mushrooms)

3/4 cup Marsala

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped chives, for garnish

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.