Emeril's Chicken Marsala

My sister made this for Kayla's confirmation party and it was wonderful so it quickly became one of our favorite recipes.   I also substitute pork for the chicken and it is even more wonderful.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbs Essence (recipe follows)
2 6-8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in half and pounded thin.  
1 Tbs olive oil
4 Tbs butter
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Chopped chives for garnish.

Directions
In a shallow bowl combine flour and Essence.  Dredge chicken breast in the seasoned flour, shaking to remove excess.

Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat until very hot but not smoking.   Add 1 TBS of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes.   Remove chicken.   Add a TBS of butter and add mushrooms.  Cook stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid.   Add the marsala wine and bring to boil, scraping to remove brown bits from bottom of 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 chicken breast to pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened about 5 to 6 mins.   Swirl in the remaining 2 TBS of butter, add salt and pepper to taste.   Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

To make this for a large crowd, it can be prepared in advance and baked.   This is how I make it, so rather than finishing the chicken in the pan, I place the browned chicken breasts in a baking dish, prepare the sauce and pour it over the chicken.   I bake it for approximately a half hour in a 350 degree oven.

Emeril's Creole Seasoning (Essence)
2 -1/2 tbs paprika
2 tbs salt
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs dried leaf oregano
1 tbs dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.   Makes 2/3 of a cup.

Chicken Marsala