Napoleon'S Chicken Marengo - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 chicken pieces or 4 large chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to brown chicken)
1 -2 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 cup tomatoes or 1 cup canned tomato, diced
3/4 3/4 cup cooking sherry or 3/4 cup sub with chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms, fresh preferably
8 -12 medium shrimp, cleaned (optional)
4 slices 1/2-inch thick bread for toast (French or Italian)
4 tablespoons butter or 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (optional)
4 eggs (optional)

Preparation

Salt and pepper chicken and pat in seasonings.
Heat olive oil to med-high.
Dredge chicken in flour and add to heated oil.
Brown on both sides, about 3 minutes each side.
Place browned chicken on papertowels
In same skillet, saute onions 10 minutes.
After five mins add minced garlic.
Add tomatoes, wine, and stir until bubbly.
Lower heat to a low simmer.
Return chicken pieces to skillet.
Simmer for 1 hour if using dark meat, 45 mins if using breasts.
Check chicken at 15 min intervals. If too dry, add 1/3 C Chicken Broth (or to your liking).
At first 15 min interval, taste sauce and S& P to your taste.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Add mushrooms and shrimp to simmering chicken at 50 mins or 35 mins, respectively, assure shrimp is simmering in sauce until just pink.
Butter slices of bread or drizzle olive oil and toast in preheated oven (3-5 mins).
Add one piece of chicken on top of a slice of toast, spoon sauce over chicken.
Add 2-3 shrimp on top or around chicken.
Sprinkle a little parsley on each serving (optional).
Fry eggs in olive oil or bacon grease, Sunny side up (eggs optional).
Place egg by side of chicken serving, S&P to taste.