Chicken Marengo: tasty and frugal!

Here's a tasty, tangy chicken stew for these colder days - and I was amazed at how inexpensive it was the night I made it.  I'd had several leftovers in the freezer and vegetable bin - so all I paid for was the chicken, which was a grand total of $1.76!

This is a classic French dish, supposedly cooked for Napoleon after the Battle of Marengo - it's tangy with tarragon, rich with mushrooms and tomatoes, and filling served with orzo ( seen here) or rice or noodles.

I used a combination of chicken thighs and legs with the bones in - I've found if you use boneless chicken breasts, it isn't as flavorful or tender.

 Preheat oven to 350.

6 pieces of chicken, thighs and legs, skin removed

2 T. olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces.  Melt the butter and olive oil in a skilled, then add the chicken.  Saute on both sides until the chicken is slightly browned.  Remove to a medium sized , oven proof, casserole dish.

1 cup white wine or 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 heaping teaspoon dried tarragon

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups canned plum tomatoes, with some of the juice, sliced

10 sliced mushrooms

2 cloves minced garlic.

Pour the wine or vinegar mix into the skillet, scraping up the browned bits left in the pan by the chicken.  Add the tarragon, garlic, and salt and pepper, mixing well.  Add the tomatoes and mushrooms, stir, and pour over chicken pieces.

Stir mixture briefly, and cover, or fit a lid of foil on top of the casserole dish.

Place in oven and bake for an hour and a half.  Check once to make sure there is enough liquid for a nice broth.  If not, add a little water.

Serve with noodles, orzo, or rice - or just some nice chunks of rustic bread for dunking.