The dish was created by Napoleon's chef, Dunand, on the very evening of the resounding battle of June 14, 1800, which allowed the French to overwhelm the Austrian soldiers, forcing them to sign an armistice and withdraw their forces behind the Mincio River, thus marking the beginning of French hegemony in continental Europe for the next decade. He created a dish for the then French general to celebrate the moment. He gathered some ingredients he had managed to find on site, including a chicken, fried eggs, and boiled shrimp (according to other accounts, chicken), two tomatoes, garlic, and cognac, and brought to the future emperor's table a dish that would become iconic of French cuisine: Pollo à la Marengo. Later, the great chef Escoffier completed the recipe with tomatoes, crayfish, puff pastry, and fried eggs.
But there's also another, less triumphalist and more humble version of the origins of Pollo alla Marengo. According to this, after defeating the Austrians, Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at the only inn in the area and asked for something to eat. Since Napoleon didn't like roasts, the innkeeper's wife offered him a dish of chicken, vegetables, and broth.
Chicken Marengo soon became famous throughout France and is also mentioned in Pellegrino Artusi's Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891) and according to Sandro Doglio, author of the book The Inventor of Bagna Caoda, Chicken Marengo is perhaps the most famous Piedmontese dish in the world.
Keeping the tradition of Pollo alla Marengo alive in Italy is the town of Cocconato, nestled in the heart of Monferrato in the province of Asti. It boasts being the birthplace of Auguste Escoffier's first Italian collaborator, Silvestro Cavallito, who opened a tradition that continues to liven up the area in 1924 at the old 'Bottiglieria della Pompa' (now Agriturismo Osteria della Pompa).
And for years, Cocconato has offered a challenging event, "Dining with the King of Chefs," which celebrates the local food and wine roots by intertwining history and tradition with haute cuisine.
The initiative, the result of a collaboration between the Cocconato Riviera del Monferrato Consortium, the Discepoli di Escoffier Association, and the Municipality of Cocconato, last year focused on the fricandò recipe, while this year, on weekends from March to April, it will feature Pollo alla Marengo.
Diners and an audience of experts will be asked to vote for the best pollo alla Marengo, transforming each dinner into an opportunity for discussion and entertainment, evoking an era when the kitchen was a hub of experimentation, innovation, debate, and cultural exchange. Chefs from various restaurants and gastronomes and enthusiasts from the Escoffier Association will guide guests through the dishes, sharing tips and technical details directly at the table. It's an opportunity to delve into the heart of signature cuisine and understand the connection between ingredients, techniques, and tradition. The dinner concludes with an interactive vote: diners will express their preferences for the pairings through dedicated postcards.
The recipe by chef Beppe Sardi of the Escoffier Disciples Association
Monferrato chef Beppe Sardi, a member of the board of directors of the Association of Escoffier Disciples of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, explains: "Chicken Marengo is a dish that speaks to history and the region. I prepare it respecting tradition. I start with the chicken: I section it, lightly flour it, and brown it in extra virgin olive oil until golden brown. In another saucepan, I delicately sauté finely chopped onion and garlic, then add the diced porcini mushrooms. Deglaze with a good white wine and let it evaporate. At this point, I add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and return the chicken to the saucepan, cooking gently until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens. At the end of cooking, I add the shrimp, traditionally river shrimp, which should only be seared and remain juicy. Separately, I prepare the homemade bread and toast it and fry the eggs sunny-side up. For plating: I arrange the I place the chicken sideways, well coated in its sauce. I arrange the shrimp on top. The crouton takes up the other half of the plate, and on top I place the fried egg. It's a rich yet balanced dish, born simple and now iconic. The key is the quality of the ingredients and respecting the timing."
