CHICKEN MARENGO – Recipe by Piero Benigni – This dish, although very simple, is of surprising good taste and inevitably conquers all those who happen to enjoy it.
Common both to the Italian and French cuisine, there are no sure historical sources but according to the most popular myth the dish was first made on the evening of the big battle of Marengo (Region of Piedmont, Italy – June 14, 1800), where Napoleon defeated the Austrian army. Since the carriages were too far, the cook Dunand who was in charge of him and the HQ generals foraged around and rustled up a meal from what he could gather from the nearby peasants, just some chickens and little more.
Napoleon didn’t like chicken but had been on saddle running around for 10 hours so…really enjoyed the newborn dish and since then he wanted it prepared for luck just in the same way after every victory.
There are many recipes and variations: eggs, tomato, crayfish and mushrooms have been sooner or later added in France or in Italy, but we will prepare the dish according to the old and simple Italian recipe, probably the original one, that Pellegrino Artusi first published in 1912 in his latest edition of “Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well“. Simple but really tasty, believe me and Napoleon, so give it a try!
Ingredients for 2 persons
- 800 gchicken (1 3/4 lb)
- 3 spoonsolive oil (tablespoons)
- 1 spoonflour (a level tablespoon)
- 3 spoonslemon juice
- 1/2 glassdry white wine (4 fl oz)
- 450 mlchicken broth (1 pt)
- 1 pinchparsley (chopped)
- nutmeg (at taste)
- black pepper (at taste)
- salt (at taste)
Tools for Chicken Marengo
- Cooker
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Pan 9″ with lid
- Juicer
- Wooden Spoon
Preparation
Put the seasoned pieces in a pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and brown on all sides until brown spots appear, then skip all the fat.
Sprinkle a level tablespoon of flour on pieces, pour the half glass of dry white wine, cover almost completely and start cooking. After 5 minutes pour 2 tablespoons of lemon juice on pieces, add a ladle of hot broth and continue cooking over a gentle flame almost completely covered and the liquid just simmering. Every now and then stir, turn the pieces, wet them with the gravy and continue with the pan almost completely covered. If the gravy dries too much wet with more broth. If you run out of broth, use hot water.
After 40 minutes check gravy and a small piece of meat. Adjust seasoning if needed. Total cooking time is around one hour, when brisket and thigh are easily pricked by a fork. At the end the gravy must be thick but enough to be served on pieces, so adjust quantity with a little broth or by reducing it on flame. When cooking is done, pour the last tablespoon of lemon juice on pieces and sprinkle withe chopped parsley. Serve with a crisp green salad. The dish can be stored for 2 days in the fridge and frozen, with a 3 months shelf life.