French Chicken Marengo
Chicken Marengo is a classic French dish named after the Battle of Marengo, a victory for Napoleon’s French troops in 1800. This saucy one-pot dish is a tasty combination of chicken thighs braised in a white wine, tomato and mushroom sauce – livened up with orange zest. This is a wholesome meal to serve for your family or dinner guests, and is guaranteed to please.
Chicken Marengo is a classic of the French repertoire, alongside other iconic dishes like the Coq Au vin or the Beef Bourguignon. It is one of those typical French “saucy” dishes that brings big comfort, while being a bit more sophisticated than a simple gratin or quiche.
It is a recipe I often love to make when hosting a dinner, when I want to serve an elegant crowd-pleasing dish that won’t feel overly fancy. Chicken, tomatoes and mushrooms are staple features you can really never go wrong with, aren’t they? But then you also have the white wine and orange zest to bring a touch of originality that makes this dish special.
The authentic recipe is garnished with fried eggs and crayfish, but these are often omitted in modern recipes and substituted with mushrooms for a more affordable option.
I actually love the combination of tomatoes and mushrooms here. I think this is a great dish to transition from warm to cooler days. A dish to wave goodbye to Summer and its ripe bursting tomatoes, and welcome autumn with its heartwarming rustic stews and saucy meals.
- 6 Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- Salt, pepper for seasoning
- 1/3 cup (42g) All-purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp (28.5g) Unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp (30ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 7 – 8 sprigs flat leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped
- ¾ cup (185ml) dry white wine
- ¾ cup (185ml) chicken stock
- 1 can [796ml/28fl oz] of whole tomatoes (about 12 plum tomatoes), diced in small cubes (keep the juice too).
- 1 tsp fresh orange zest
- 16 cremini mushrooms (300g) (white or brown), sliced