Chicken Marengo is one of my all time favorite French recipes, dating from when I first learned to cook as a new bride. This recipe is from my first cookbook, With a Jug of Wine by Morrison Wood. Morrison Wood wrote a newspaper column called “For Men Only!” which appeared weekly in the Chicago Daily Tribune and other newspapers. Not only do his recipes endear me to the book, but his stories that introduce the recipes are delightful entertaining and you feel he’s right there in the kitchen with you. With a Jug of Wine was first published in 1949 and the recipes, some with a French flair. Among the recipes are Boeuf Bourguignon, Boeuf de Daube, Cassoulet, File of Sole Normande, Lobster Thermidor, Cocquille le Sainte Jacques, Partridges a la Chausser, and Shrimp De Jonghe from a famous Chicago restaurant by the same name (a Hoffer family favorite going way back) weren’t widely available to the home cook. Morrison Wood was far ahead of his time. Remember, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking wasn’t published until 1961. I find Morrison Wood’s recipes to be every bit as reliable as Julia Child and Ina Garten. I’m not the only one who loves Morrison Wood. My friend Barbara of Movable Feasts recently touted With a Jug of Wine and featured Morrison Wood’s chili, link here, which I also agree is some very fine chili. Long out of print, copies of the cookbook can be found from time to time at Amazon and from other internet sources. The wonderful history of Chicken Marengo alone is enough reason to serve it at a dinner party. A great conversation starter at the table is to tell your guests about its colorful history. Napoleon’s chef was a man named Durand. According to legend, when Napoleon defeated the Austrians on the battlefield near the village of Marengo in northwest Italy in June of 1800, Durand created the dish Chicken Marengo. The supply trains hadn’t been able to keep up with the troops, so there wasn’t anything with which to make dinner for the temperamental Napoleon. Durand decided to send some of his men into the countryside to find provisions for a celebration dinner. On a nearby farm they found chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, olive oil and garlic. There are dozens of stories about the creation of the actual dish. Some say it was garnished with crayfish and fried eggs; others insist it included olives, anchovies, and Italian Prosciutto, which would make it Chicken a la Provençale. Several years ago I did a post on Chicken Marengo and combined Chicken Marengo with Chicken a la Provençale, link here. Today I’ve gone back to Morrison Wood’s original Chicken Marengo. I took the liberty to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but it’s equally delicious with a cut up whole chicken, as the original recipe called for. I urge you to give it a try. It’s simple to make and is always a hit. I like to serve it with my mother’s rice, recipe here, and green beans with toasted almonds. It's interesting that several years ago Cooking Light magazine had an article on how to perfectly cook rice and it was exactly the same method as my moms. Chicken Marengo Le Poulet Marengo Slightly adapted from “With a Jug of Wine” by Morrison Wood, serves 4 Printable Recipe 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or a whole cut up chicken Flour for dredging Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup olive oil 4 small white onions, peeled & chopped 1 small clove of garlic, minced 1 ½ cups sliced fresh mushrooms 2 tablespoons minced parsley 4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced (canned, crushed first, are fine, including their juices) 1 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon brandy 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon flour Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish Remove any excess skin from the chicken, then salt and pepper them and dust lightly with flour. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil, and sauté the chicken until golden brown, turning frequently so all of the pieces are done evenly. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. In the same skillet, put chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, and more olive oil if necessary. Cook this mixture until the mushrooms are tender, then add the tomatoes and their juices, dry white wine, brandy, tomato paste and 1 tablespoons flour. Mix and blend the ingredients well and allow to simmer over a medium flame for about 10 minutes. Now put the chicken in the sauce, cover the pan, and simmer until the chicken is completely tender, about 15 to 20 minutes for boneless, skinless breasts and 30 minutes or so for a whole cut up chicken. Serve with the sauce and garnish with chopped parsley. Fluffy rice, seasoned with finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and a pat of butter, makes a nice accompaniment. For better viewing, click photos to enlarge. This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm, Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter and Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday. Have a great weekend everyone.
Chicken Marengo is one of our favorite easy “go-to” dishes. If you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, it can easily be made in under an hour and the wonderful history alone is enough reason to serve it at a dinner party. A great conversation starter at the table is to tell your guests about its colorful history. Napoleon’s chef was a man named Durand. According to legend, when Napoleon defeated the Austrians on the battlefield near the village of Marengo in northwest Italy in June of 1800, Durand created the dish Chicken Marengo. The supply trains hadn’t been able to keep up with the troops, so there wasn’t anything with which to make dinner for the temperamental Napoleon. Durand decided to send some of his men into the countryside to find provisions for a celebration dinner. On a nearby farm they found chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, olive oil and garlic. There are dozens of stories about the creation of the actual dish. Some say it was garnished with crayfish and fried eggs; others insist it included olives, anchovies, and Italian Prosciutto, which would make it Chicken Provencale. It’s simple to use Chicken Marengo as a base recipe for Chicken Provencal. Just exclude the mushrooms and add the prosciutto, olives and anchovies. If you’re not an anchovy fan, simply leave them out. I usually don’t mention the anchovies and follow Mario Batali’s rule of “you’re not obliged to tell.” Just for fun, I combined the two dishes today and included mushrooms, prosciutto, olives and anchovies. I like to serve this with parsley rice that I’ve molded into a small dish. Spray a mold with a bit of cooking spray and pack the rice in well. To serve, invert over a plate and carefully remove the mold. Chicken Provencal Adapted from A Jug of Wine by Morrison Wood & 60 Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper All purpose flour ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 4 small yellow onions, peeled and chopped, about 1 cup 1 ½ cups sliced fresh button mushrooms 2 teaspoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley 1 clove of garlic, finely minced Generous pinch of dried thyme and oregano ½ cup Italian Prosciutto, diced 1 14-ounce canned whole tomatoes, cut into pieces, juices reserved 1 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon brandy 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon flour 4 – 6 chopped good quality anchovies, chopped (optional, but recommended) 1 cup olives, preferably small French ones Dry the chicken well and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dust the chicken pieces lightly in flour. In a large skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the chicken until it is golden brown, turning frequently so that all pieces are done evenly. If they don’t all fit, cook them in two batches. Do not crowd in the skillet or they will steam. When the chicken is browned nicely on both sides, remove and cover to keep warm. In the same skillet put chopped onions, sliced fresh mushrooms, minced parsley, and, if necessary, a little more olive oil. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, seasoning the mushrooms with salt and freshly ground black pepper as they cook. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Add the thyme, oregano, and prosciutto cook for another minute, and then add the tomatoes, dry white wine, brandy, tomato paste and flour. Mix and blend the ingredients well, and allow it simmer over a medium flame for about 10 minutes. Now put the chicken back in the sauce, cover the pan, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is completely tender. Add the anchovies to the sauce about 10 minutes before it is ready and the olives five minutes before you serve. Serve in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved tomato juice. Serves 4. Printable recipe
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