THAT UP?
Chicken
Marengo has a story that is an inspiration for many a cook who is at a
loss to find something to prepare for dinner. 
It goes like this. Napoleon Bonaparte had taken his army across
the
Alps into Italy, pursuing the Austrians to a town called Marengo where
it looked as though a terrible defeat was awaiting him. As was
his
custom, Napoleon ate nothing before the battle, but when French
reinforcements
arrived and he had a great triumph, he was ravenously hungry and turned
to his personal chef and demanded something to eat. Now, in the
course
of the confusion and haste, the supply wagons had been left behind and
the chef had neither provisions nor utensils. What to do? A
search party was sent out and returned with a chicken, a couple of crayfish,
a handful of eggs, a few tomatoes, some garlic, a little oil -- and a
skillet. 
The
chef cut up the chickens with a sabre and fried them in the oil with
the
garlic. He chopped the tomatoes and added them to to the chicken.
He took some brandy from the Napoleon's own flask and tossed that in
for
flavor. Somebody had a ration of army bread (something like
hardtack,
I suppose) and he fried that along with the eggs. Finally, he
cooked
the crayfish and served them on the plate as garnish. Napoleon
pronounced
it a great victory dish and ordered it to be prepared after every
battle.
The story also says that when the chef Dunan (sometimes spelled Dunand) tried to improve on the dish by substituting white wine for the brandy and eliminating the crayfish, the superstitious Napoleon refused to eat it. Nothing would do for him but to celebrate a victory by eating the dish as originally created.
There's a
problem
with the story, however, and it's that, according to the Larousse
Gastronomique, chef Dunan was not in the employ of Bonaparte until
1805, and the battle of 
Marengo took place in June of 1800. In any case, no matter who
created
it or when, Chicken Marengo is named for a victory that was dear to
Napoleon.
In fact, another legend says that his favorite white horse was also
called
Marengo, but that too is debatable, as there is no record of a horse of
that name in Napoleon's stable.
The dish continues to be popular today, especially in Europe, where there are variations and adaptations but always the memory of a great victory by a legendary figure over 200 years ago.
CHICKEN
MARENGO
(modern
adaptation)
(6 Servings)
6 skinless
chicken
breasts
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs butter
2 cloves of
garlic,
chopped
1 1/2 cups
white
wine
1 large can (28
ounces) peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken
broth
1 teaspoon
chopped
parsley
1 teaspoon
chopped
basil
1 dash Tabasco
sauce or pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pound white
mushrooms,
sliced
2 onions sliced
salt and pepper
Sprinkle the
chicken
breasts with salt and pepper, dredge with flour and sauté in 1
Tbs
butter until lightly browned on both sides.
Transfer the
chicken
pieces to a plate.
Put the garlic
in the pan, add the white wine and sliced onions and cook for five
minutes.
Add the can of
peeled tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley, basil and Tabasco or cayenne
pepper.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Return the
chicken
pieces to the pan, cover and cook over a low flame for 30 minutes.
Put 1 Tbs
butter
in a hot pan; when melted, add mushrooms and cook for about five
minutes
before adding to the chicken and cooking for 10 more minutes.
Serve over toast points or with steamed rice.