Chicken Marsala

We had chicken, Doug bought mushrooms. He wanted Chicken Marsala - but we forgot we were out of Marsala! I made a wine based version that was still very tasty!

Main Ingredients:

• 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, divided into 4 pieces
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms (such as cremini, oyster, shiitake) (I used a 12 ounce container)
• 3/4 cup Marsala (I subbed another wine + 1 Tablespoon brown sugar)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped chives, for garnish

"Essence Spice" Ingredients: (makes a bit extra)

• 1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions:

1. In a shallow container that can fit a chicken breast, mix together the flour and Essence spices.
2. Dredge all of the breast halves in the seasoned flour.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. 
4. Add and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, add and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides. (about 3 minutes per side)
5. Transfer chicken to a plate while making the sauce. 
6. Add another 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan, then add the mushrooms. 
7. Cook mushrooms, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown  and have given off most of their liquid. (about 3 minutes)
8. Cook some pasta in another pot to go with dinner about 2 dry ounces per person.
9. Add the Marsala wine (or other wine) and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  (about 3 minutes)
   (If you sub in a non-Marsala wine, add 1 tablespoon brown sugar for a bit of sweetness.)
10. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. (I stirred in 2 tablespoons of the leftover spiced flour to help thicken sauce)
11. Lower the heat to medium, place chicken back in pan, and cook until the breasts are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes.
    (I scooped some of the sauce over the chicken every now and then.)
12. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately over pasta.

Carole's Notes:

The Chicken-in-the-style-of-Chicken-Marsala was tasty! I think the container of mushrooms we used was only 12 ounces - 16 ounces would have been better since it would provide more mushrooms!



Lightly adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicken-marsala-recipe.html