Chicken Marengo is a traditional Northern Italian dish that was supposedly first cooked after Napoleon won the Battle of Marengo, from entirely local ingredients and some brandy from Napoleon's flask. Who knew Napoleon was eating locally and thinking globally long before it was an environmentalist slogan?
Apparently Napoleon was quite supersticious because he named one of his favorite horses Marengo and also ordered his personal chef to cook Chicken Marengo at each battle thereafter. The Horse Marengo is believed to be the one in the iconic Napoleon portrait. Marengo was captured at Waterloo, but lived in England until he died at age 38. His skeleton is still on display at the National Army Museum in London.
Apparently Napoleon was quite supersticious because he named one of his favorite horses Marengo and also ordered his personal chef to cook Chicken Marengo at each battle thereafter. The Horse Marengo is believed to be the one in the iconic Napoleon portrait. Marengo was captured at Waterloo, but lived in England until he died at age 38. His skeleton is still on display at the National Army Museum in London.
Chicken Marengo:
- Whole chicken, in parts, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 4T olive oil
- Yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup wine (white or red)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (can remove the leaves or put in the whole sprigs)
- Handfull of parsley sprigs
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Can of diced tomatos, with italian spices, undrained
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/4c (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 cup olives (kalamata or black)
- Brandy (optional)
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot. A Le Creuset or similar is good for this dish. Gently saute the onions until cooked and starting to color slightly. When cooked, remove from the pot and reserve.
Add the chicken parts and brown on all sides. When the chicken is browned, add the wine, stock, bay leaf, thyme, parsley garlic, and tomatos (with juice). Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked and tender, about 1 hour.
The recipe calls for dry white wine, but I only had red. Given that this recipe was born out of scavenging for local ingredients easily obtained, I decided to go with the red instead of making a special trip out to the store for white. It turned out great. I will keep you posted on how it turns out when I make it with white.
- Whole chicken, in parts, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 4T olive oil
- Yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup wine (white or red)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (can remove the leaves or put in the whole sprigs)
- Handfull of parsley sprigs
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Can of diced tomatos, with italian spices, undrained
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/4c (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 cup olives (kalamata or black)
- Brandy (optional)
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot. A Le Creuset or similar is good for this dish. Gently saute the onions until cooked and starting to color slightly. When cooked, remove from the pot and reserve.
Add the chicken parts and brown on all sides. When the chicken is browned, add the wine, stock, bay leaf, thyme, parsley garlic, and tomatos (with juice). Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked and tender, about 1 hour.
The recipe calls for dry white wine, but I only had red. Given that this recipe was born out of scavenging for local ingredients easily obtained, I decided to go with the red instead of making a special trip out to the store for white. It turned out great. I will keep you posted on how it turns out when I make it with white.
While the chicken is cooking, put the onions and 1 cup black olives in a serving caserole dish. If desired, you can add mushrooms to the onions and olives. When the chicken is cooked, add it to the onions and olives in the caserole dish. At this point, you can pour a chigger of brandy over the chicken. I skipped this step because I didn't have any brandy.
Strain the solids out of the sauce, bring to a boil and reduce by about half. Once reduced, add the lemon juice and whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time. Season if needed. Pour the finished sauce over the chicken and vegetables and heat through in oven at 350 degrees if needed.
Serve with rice or potatos.
Bon Appetite!
Strain the solids out of the sauce, bring to a boil and reduce by about half. Once reduced, add the lemon juice and whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time. Season if needed. Pour the finished sauce over the chicken and vegetables and heat through in oven at 350 degrees if needed.
Serve with rice or potatos.
Bon Appetite!
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