Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
Add the chicken and brown evenly. Transfer the chicken to a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dish.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring, until tender, about 2 minutes.

Add the wine, broth, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and flour and stir to mix well. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the olives and stir to mix. Remove the bay leaf.

Pour the mixture over the chicken, cover and bake until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.

Note: Chicken Marengo, a wonderfully aromatic, delicious dish , supposedly was created by Napoleon's chef to celebrate his victory over the Austrians at Marengo in the Italian Piedmont in 1800. The valiant chef liberated some chickens and all the rich Italian produce he needed: olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and wine.

According to culinary history, Napoleon's chef added crawfish to the dish and served fried eggs as a garnish. Marcelle, however, decided to keep her crawfish for another occasion.