“Chicken alla Marengo” recipe by Artusi – “Pollo alla Marengo”

Instructions

• 1.

  Peeling the lemon zest and preparing the parsley

  • Lemon - 1 (for both the juice and the zest)
  • Parsley sprigs - 20gr

  Thoroughly wash the parsley and dry it gently with a kitchen cloth.
  Separate the parsley leaves and stalks and tie up these into a small bunch with some cooking string. Set aside.
  Using a potato peeler, peel the lemon zest and set aside(step 1 - pic.).
  

• 2.

  Cleaning, singeing, washing and drying the chicken

  • Chicken legs - 4 (or a whole chicken)

  Cut off any skin and fat excess from each pieces’ edges so to have nice and neatly shaped pieces (step 2 - pic. A).
  Cut the legs’ ends right in the middle of the joints (step 2 - pic. B).
  Pluck the bigger remnants of feathers with a fish bone tweezer, accurately extracting the roots, then singe the chicken skin over the flame of your gas hobs or carefully using a blow torch. The skin will tend to shrink when exposed to the heat.
  The blow torch will be much more powerful than the gas fires, so never use it vertically towards the skin, but parallel to the surface. This way the burnings will be minimum (step 2 - pic. C).
  Wash the chicken under running water to remove any dirt from the skin and any inner lump of blood.
  Dry thoroughly each piece with a clean kitchen towel or some kitchen paper (step 2 - pic. A).
  Set aside.
  

  Note
  

  If you are going to cook a whole chicken, first pluck and singe its skin, then cut it in piece using a chef knife or a pair of chicken scissors. Remove any offals left inside, such as the liver, kidneys and the heart. Then wash it and dry it.

• 3.

  Cooking and seasoning the chicken

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 50gr
  • The lemon zests
  • The singed chicken
  • Black pepper corns - 3gr
  • Salt - 2 pinches
  • Nutmeg - a quarter (or to taste)

  Put the frying pan on a medium heat with the extra virgin olive oil and the lemon zests. Let them heat for about 5 minutes (step 3 - pic. A).
  Add the chicken pieces, each one of them with the skin facing up let the chicken legs cook for about 20 minutes (step 3 - pic. B).
  Meanwhile, finely crush the black pepper corns with pestle and mortar (step 3 - pic. C).
  Take out the dried or burned lemon zest and check that the meats have turned whitish on the lower side and pink under the skins. this might take up to 30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces (step 3 - pic. D).
  Turn each piece only when they have perfectly caramelized on the edges and the middle joints (step 3 - pic. E).
  Then season them on the cooked side with salt and some black pepper. Also add the nutmeg to taste, grating it with a zester (step 3 - pic. F).
  Let the chicken cook thoroughly and slightly caramelized also on the other side for another 12 to 15minutes (or more if the chicken pieces are particularly big and thick).
  

• 4.

  Braising the chicken in the wine and stock sauce

  • The fried chicken in the pan
  • The grated black pepper corns [part 2]
  • Salt - 2 pinches
  • Nutmeg - a quarter (or to taste)
  • Plain flour - 15 to 20gr
  • Dry white wine - 120ml
  • Vegetable stock - 450ml
  • The parsley stalks bunch

  As soon as the chicken has cooked and browned on both sides, turn it over again and season it again with salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
  Then, add the plain flour to the sizzling sauce with a spoon (step 4 - pic. A).
  Add the dry white wine and stir gently for not ruining the chicken by piercing or tearing the meats. Increase the heat to a high power and let the wine reduce completely. Then, add the vegetable stock (better if warm) (step 4 - pic. B).
  Cover the pan with a lid in order to make the liquids come to a vivid boiling quickly, which will take from 3 to 5 minutes (step 4 - pic. C).
  Uncover the pan and add the small bunch of parsley stalks. Let the liquids reduce and thicken for 10 to 15 minutes setting the heat back to a medium power and basting the chicken frequently to keep it moist (step 4 - pic. D).
  

• 5.

  Adding the butter, the lemon juice and the parsley

  • The cooked chicken in the pan
  • Butter 40gr
  • Lemon juice (of half a lemon)
  • Parsley leaves

  Turn again the chicken on the other side and add a flake of butter on each piece. Turn off the heat and let the butter melt slowly and possibly without splitting: this will give the sauce a smoother texture and a gentle taste (step 5 - pic. A).
  Meanwhile, squeeze half of the peeled lemon and mince thinly the parsley leaves with a sharp chef knife (step 5 - pic. B).
  Just before serving, with the chicken still lukewarm, sprinkle the chicken with parsley and lemon juice (step 5 - pic. C).
  

• Servings : 4
• Ready in : 90
• Course : Main Course
• Recipe Type : Artusi & I, Classic Italian dish, Regional
• Ingredient : Black Pepper, Butter, Chicken, Chicken Breast, Chicken Legs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon, Lemon juice, Lemon zest, Nutmeg, Parsley, Salt, Soft wheat weak flour, Vegetable stock, White wine