4-Step Chicken Marengo
This recipe guides you through creating a savory Chicken Marengo in just four steps. It features thinly sliced chicken browned and then simmered in a rich sauce with onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, and white wine, finished with butter for a velvety texture. It's an easy, flavorful main course ready in under 35 minutes.
Equipment
- 1 Large Saute Pan Essential for browning chicken and building the sauce.
- 1 Cutting Board For preparing chicken and vegetables.
- 1 Chef's knife For slicing chicken and julienning bell peppers.
- 1 Tongs or Spatula For handling chicken and stirring vegetables.
- 1 Plate For temporarily holding browned chicken.
Ingredients
Main
- 3 large chicken cutlets sliced into thin paillards (slice while partially frozen)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium sweet onion sliced
- 1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper seeded and julienned
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- One 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste, and lightly dredge in flour. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Brown on both sides, until nicely golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. In the same pan, add more oil, if needed, along with the onion, mushrooms and peppers and saute until softened and fragrant, but not limp, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes to cook out the raw flavor. Turn up the heat, and add the wine/wine to deglaze the pan and let it reduce for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the beef broth and tomatoes. Once the mixture begins to bubble, add the browned paillards and any juices from the chicken and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir in the butter. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.
Notes
To achieve perfectly thin chicken paillards, slice the chicken cutlets while they are still partially frozen; this makes them much easier to handle. When browning the chicken, ensure not to overcrowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary to get a nice, golden crust rather than steaming the chicken. Cooking out the raw flavor of the tomato paste is crucial for depth; allow it to caramelize slightly before adding liquids. Deglazing with white wine adds a vibrant acidity and helps release flavorful fond from the pan, which enriches the sauce significantly. Finishing with butter off the heat adds a luscious sheen and silky texture to the final dish.