Sometimes being the hostess for one of the Secret Recipe Club’s groups has its advantages. This month when one of the team had a conflict and wasn’t going to be able to make something from her assigned blog, I got the chance to “adopt” and make something from Cookin’ Mimi, the fun and vibrant blog from Micha. You are going to love this Chicken Marengo with a French flair!
If you love Southern cooking, Micha’s blog is sure to become a favorite of yours! She focuses on recipes that can be put together quickly with ingredients in your pantry, never sacrificing taste for ease of preparation. If you are short on time and don’t want fussy recipes, this is the food blog you will want to have bookmarked. I know you will be delighted with her recipes!
Cut a large boneless chicken breast in half for more reasonable portions, or to butterfly, cut 3/4 through and open like a book
Plenty caught my eye, but as soon as I saw her recipe for Chicken Marengo, I knew I had found the perfect recipe. The Artist and I both love chicken dishes, especially when they have lots of vegetables and a rich sauce. Marengo sauce is a French creation made with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Add a little chicken stock and suddenly you have a sauce that had us both scraping our plates.
Earlier this week I made a layered vegetable gratin and got a little carried away with chopping – so I had some leftover veggies that needed to be used. Perfect. They got tossed into the sauce and happily everything was wonderful.
To enhance the flavors of the vegetables and boost the French flavor profile, I added some thyme to the sauce. You don’t have to use it, but I love it and add it to many recipes. It bumps up the sauce just a touch and The Artist was a happy camper.
Chicken Marengo, Summer Vegetable Gratin, mushrooms and Fresh Corn on the Cob
In Micha’s original recipe, she calls for dredging the chicken cutlets in flour before sautéing them. Because I need to be gluten-free, I left off the flour coating. If you don’t have to worry about that, by all means dredge away. If you want a crispy gluten-free coating on the outside of the chicken, you could use seasoned rice flour, cornstarch, or crushed gluten-free cereal.
To make the sauce a little richer, I used a traditional French method and whisked a little cold butter into the sauce. It adds a touch of richness, making this low-calorie sauce taste like it is fattening without adding many calories. This makes even the most mundane pan juices taste like a master chef made it!
Mushrooms and Bell Peppers add beautiful flavor to the chicken
Micha likes the sauce so much that she often makes a little extra and uses it to top baked potatoes. It would also be good served over her Yukon Mashed Potato Cakes … Mmmmm good! Thanks for the great ideas Micha!
The next time you are having a dinner party or want to jazz up your culinary repertoire, keep this Chicken Marengo in mind. It is a real crowd pleaser!
Key Ingredients for Chicken Marengo:
- Large boneless chicken breasts
- Onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, and yellow or orange bell pepper
- Chicken broth and tomato paste
- Thyme leaves and cold butter
How do I halve a large chicken breast?
Some boneless chicken breasts are very thick. Perfect for single serving entrees, they are too thick to use in sandwiches and take a lot longer to cook. By slicing them into two thinner pieces, they are easier to work with, cook quickly, and help you cut back on the amount of protein served.
To cut them, lay them flat side down on a cutting board. Holding your knife parallel to the board, gently press the top of chicken with your other palm, holding your hand flat and keeping your fingers out of the way.
PRO Tip:
When you are prepping vegetables for one recipe, go ahead and chop or slice some extras. You can wrap them up and keep them in the refrigerator. It will save you prep time when days are really hectic.
How to make Chicken Marengo:
- Cut the chicken breasts horizontally in half
- Brown the chicken in batches and set aside
- Sauté the onions and peppers; add tomato paste, then mushrooms, and lastly the chicken stock, cooking a few minutes between each addition
- Stir in thyme and remaining chicken broth; add chicken back to pan and reheat for a few minutes; transfer to serving plates
- Whisk the butter into the sauce (leave out for dairy-free) and spoon the sauce and vegetables over the chicken
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Gluten-Free Tips:
By leaving off the dredged flour coating in the original, I converted this recipe to gluten-free. You could use a gluten-free flour, cornstarch, or crushed GF cereal if you want breading on the chicken.
Chicken Marengo (Gluten-Free)
Marengo sauce is a French creation made with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Add a little chicken stock and suddenly you have a sauce served over sautéed chicken that had us both scraping our plates.
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, sliced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and thickly sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 8 oz mushrooms, quartered or thickly sliced
- 2 small Roma/pear-shaped tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth, divided
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces (optional)
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast horizontally in half slicing along the thick edge, creating two thinner slices from each breast (see photo above). Season the chicken with salt and pepper; set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken pieces and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces; add those pieces to the first batch and set aside.
- Add the onions and bell peppers to the same skillet. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until softened. (I wanted a chunky sauce so sliced mine - my vegetables took about 10 minutes to cook.) Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook another minute, stirring often. Add in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Let the liquid reduce for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the thyme leaves and stir in the remaining chicken broth and bring to a low boil.
- Return the chicken breasts along with any accumulated juices to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the chicken is heated through. Transfer chicken to warmed serving plates. You can give big eaters two pieces of chicken, those with small tummies will be happy with one.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth and fully melted (leave butter out for Dairy-Free). Spoon some of the sauce and vegetables over each piece of chicken. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 288mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 21g
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This post was first shared in June 2014. The article was updated in 2020.
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Renee'sKitchenAdventures
This looks absolutely delicious!! It’s going on the to make list for sure!
Jane Bonacci
I love that it is good year ’round Renee. It’s going to show up often in the rotation in our home!
Jessie Weaver
I am so hungry, and I want this RIGHT THIS MINUTE. No one else in my family will eat mushrooms, but I think I will make it anyway. Mr. V loves bell peppers (so do I!) so he will be happy and I can eat all the mushrooms myself.
Jane Bonacci
Confession Jessie – the mushrooms were for The Artist. When I leave them in big chunks they are easy to eat around and find so I can put them on his plate, LOL! This was such a great recipe (Thanks Micha!) and I can’t imagine anyone not loving it!
Isabelle @ Crumb
This looks fantastic, Jane! My mom used to make Chicken Marengo from time to time when I was growing up, but I’d completely forgotten about it until I saw this post. Thanks so much for the trip down memory lane. 🙂
Jane Bonacci
I’m happy to bring back good memories for you – and have a delicious dinner to eat too! 😉
sarah k @ the pajama chef
i want this for dinner! it looks so flavorful. 🙂
Jane Bonacci
I hope you make it soon Sarah, it is wonderful!
Katrina
Mmm, looks good! Nice of you to fill in so we have no orphans! 😉
Jane Bonacci
It was my honor and pleasure Katrina! Gee, twist my arm to make delicious food, LOL!
angela@spinachtiger
That’s a great chicken dish, and I always add thyme in to lots of recipes. It’s the perfect herb, goes with everything.
Jane Bonacci
It is my favorite herb Angela – it seems to go with nearly everything. Somehow it seems to sneak into most of my savory dishes LOL
Micha @ Cookin' Mimi
This is one of my favorite chicken recipes of all time. I haven’t made it in awhile but I have everything on hand so I know what I’m making for supper tomorrow.
Jane Bonacci
I am still nibbling on the leftovers Micha and want to thank you so much for a fantastic recipe! We are thoroughly enjoying it!!