Chicken Marengo is a rich, savory stew with a legendary backstory—originally created for Napoleon after a victorious battle. This healthy Weight Watchers version keeps all the flavor with lean chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, and a zesty orange-mustard sauce, but skips the extras like cognac and fried eggs to stay light and point-friendly.
Ready in under an hour, this savory dish is just 4 Points per serving. Looking for more easy and flavorful meals? Check out our other Weight Watchers dinner recipes—perfect for busy weeknights and delicious victories of your own!
Recipe Overview
- Serving size: About 1 heaping cup
- Number of Servings: 4
- Time to Cook: 45
- 4 WW Points Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)
Ingredients in Chicken Marengo
- 2 chicken breasts, skinless, cut into large chunks (1½ lbs / 680 g)
- 3 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (1 ¼ cups, 200 g.)
- 1 white onion, finely diced (1 cup, 130 g.)
- 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml)
- 1 cup unsweetened orange juice (240 ml)
- 2 cups no-sugar-added marinara sauce (480 ml)
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard (15 g.)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (2 g.)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can of mushrooms, drained (1 cup, 115 g.)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper to taste
Instructions for making Chicken Marengo
- Season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper. In a large pot or deep skillet, heat the tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and sear them for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown. The more color they get, the better the flavor of the stew.
- Remove the chicken and set it aside. In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the diced fresh tomatoes and stir well. Cook for about 2 minutes so they start to soften and release their juices. At this point, return the browned chicken pieces to the pot and stir to coat them with the tomato-onion mixture.
- Pour in the orange juice and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the marinara sauce, mustard, orange zest, and bay leaf. Stir everything together and reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pot partially and let it simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. During the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking, add the drained canned mushrooms and mix well so they heat through without losing their texture. The chicken will be fully cooked, and the sauce will have thickened naturally. If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can dissolve 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of chicken broth and add it at this stage.
- Remove the bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.
Tips and Tricks Section for Chicken Marengo
Assuming this recipe was made for the first time in the middle of a battlefield and in a single pan, everything should flow easily. The reality is that it’s super easy to prepare, and you can use many canned ingredients to speed up the whole process.
- Let the chicken marinate for at least half an hour.
- Searing the chicken really well in a very hot pot with a little oil is essential; the more golden it is, the better the dish will look.
- Cook over low heat to thicken the sauce. But if you’re in a hurry, you can cook over medium-high heat and to thicken, dissolve a teaspoon of cornstarch in a quarter cup of chicken broth. This significantly improves the consistency of the recipe.
- If using whole mushrooms, add them at the end of cooking.
- Make a double batch! This recipe is fabulous for meal prep.
More Weight Watchers Chicken Recipes to Try
Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
Chicken Marengo
A light yet flavorful Weight Watchers chicken dinner recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, skinless, cut into large chunks (1½ lbs / 680 g)
- 3 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (1 ¼ cups, 200 g.)
- 1 white onion, finely diced (1 cup, 130 g.)
- 1 tablespoon oil, 15 ml
- 1 cup unsweetened orange juice, 240 ml
- 2 cups no-sugar-added marinara sauce, 480 ml
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard, 15 g.
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, 2 g.
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can of mushrooms, drained (1 cup, 115 g.)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper. In a large pot or deep skillet, heat the tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and sear them for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown. The more color they get, the better the flavor of the stew.
- Remove the chicken and set it aside. In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the diced fresh tomatoes and stir well. Cook for about 2 minutes so they start to soften and release their juices. At this point, return the browned chicken pieces to the pot and stir to coat them with the tomato-onion mixture.
- Pour in the orange juice and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the marinara sauce, mustard, orange zest, and bay leaf. Stir everything together and reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pot partially and let it simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. During the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking, add the drained canned mushrooms and mix well so they heat through without losing their texture. The chicken will be fully cooked, and the sauce will have thickened naturally. If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can dissolve 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of chicken broth and add it at this stage.
- Remove the bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.
Notes
Just 4 WW Points per serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 457gCalories: 397kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 42gFat: 9.4gSaturated Fat: 1.5gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 905mgPotassium: 1544mgFiber: 4.1gSugar: 24gCalcium: 77mgIron: 2.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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