Name: Chicken Marengo
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 4 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts (about 3 pounds); Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 onion , chopped fine; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 10 ounces cremini or white mushrooms , sliced thin; 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained and roughly chopped (see note); 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth; 1/2 cup brandy; 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives , chopped fine; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Why This Recipe Works

Over time, chicken Marengo recipes have become simpler but blander. We wanted our Chicken Marengo recipe to bring back bold flavors without extra effort. To do this, we used bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts in our Chicken Marengo recipe: The bones add depth to the stew, and the skin browns and contributes even more flavor. Tasters didn’t think the crushed tomatoes added enough flavor, so we switched to fresher-tasting canned diced tomatoes, which can be roughly chopped in the food processor. A half cup of brandy adds a strong hit of flavor in the sauce. We liked kalamata olives in this recipe—adding them chopped at the outset allowed their briny taste to permeate the sauce. To prevent the chicken skin from becoming chewy during stewing, we made sure to have only enough sauce in the pot to come halfway up the chicken breasts as they cooked skin-side up.

Before You Begin

Since canned crushed tomatoes are often packed in a stale-tasting tomato sauce, we prefer to use drained diced tomatoes in this recipe. The tomatoes can be roughly chopped by hand or pulsed 3 or 4 times in a food processor.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, skin-side down, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown on second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to fat in pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their juices, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, brandy, olives, and pepper flakes and bring to boil. Add chicken pieces, skin-side up, along with any accumulated juices. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Stir butter into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce around chicken. Serve.