(The Battle of Marengo by Louis-François Lejeune)

Chicken Marengo

(another chicken recipe for my friend Herb)

The story goes that after he won the Battle of Marengo in northern Italy, Napoleon was hungry. His chef sent out troops to scavenge what they could and they came back with chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and herbs. The original recipe also included fried eggs and craw fish but I left that out.

Season the room temperature chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown it in the butter and oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pan large enough so it fits in one layer. Remove the chicken and pour off the fat from the pan. Return the chicken to the pan and add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Stir and cook about five minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth and parsley. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover and cook 10 minutes. Serve with rice, bread or small pasta.

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