Often regarded as a French dish, chicken Marengo is believed to have been created in honor of Napoleon's victory at the battle of Marengo, Italy in June 1800. According to one of the legends, after the battle, in one of the local country taverns in Marengo, Napoleon was served chicken with mushrooms and crayfish, sautéed in butter and braised in Madeira wine.

Napoleon allegedly liked the dish so much that he demanded this new culinary invention called poulet à la Marengo to be prepared after every battle. Over the years, the original recipe had changed while its origins and authenticity have repeatedly been questioned, but one of the oldest versions, though a very basic one, was found in Pellegrino Artusi's cookbook La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Mangiar Bene, published in 1891.

Eventually, being a popular fare of northern Italy, pollo alla Marengo became listed as a typical Piedmontese dish by the Italian Academy of Cuisine. Today, chicken Marengo is prepared differently around the world, but in Italy, it is most often found slow-cooked in wine-flavored tomato sauce with the addition of mushrooms and either crayfish or river shrimps, and it is typically served with a sunny-side egg topped over toasted bread.