TARRAGON CHICKEN

This tarragon chicken recipe is luxurious, quick, and simple.  What else could you ask for?  I use boneless skinless chicken thighs along with coriander and dried mustard for the chicken seasoning.  The seasoning leaves a nice “crust-like” sear on the chicken and goes so well with the flavor of the fresh herbs.

Tarragon is well known in french cooking and is often enjoyed in rich indulgences such as bearnaise sauce.  Steak Frites anyone? Yes, please!  Bringing fresh herbs into the kitchen is something I love to do.  It is such an easy and healthy way to add flavor to any dish.  Tarragon is not only excellent in bearnaise sauce but it also goes great with chicken, fish, in sauces, and vinaigrettes.

Another ingredient that I use in this dish is creme fraiche.  Creme fraiche is French for “fresh cream”.  You could say I was craving some good French cuisine when I whipped up this dish!  Creme fraiche is comparable to sour cream.  Sour cream is a bit tangier, and has fillers such as enzymes.  Since creme fraiche doesn’t use any fillers or additives (it is only heavy cream) it is higher in fat and richer.  This makes it a really decadent ingredient.  I don’t use it very often and wanted to play around with the new (to me) ingredient.  If you don’t have it on hand you could use sour cream or heavy cream in its place.

Looking for other dinner ideas that use a quick pan sauce?  Check out my Sage Pork Chops with Goat Cheese Sauce.

 

Chicken thighs with tarragon, chives, creme fraiche, and lemon juice

Tarragon Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp dried mustard
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup crème fraiche
  • 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbs fresh tarragon finely chopped
  • 1 tbs fresh chives finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, coriander, and mustard covering both sides and all areas.
  • Heat 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Arrange chicken in a single layer and cook thoroughly getting a nice sear on both sides, about ten minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with tin foil.
  • In the same skillet over medium-high heat add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan by scraping up bits from the pan using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Next, add in the crème Fraiche and mix well. Let reduce down by half while stirring often, roughly 5-10 minutes.
  • Add in the lemon juice, tarragon, and chives then immediately pour the sauce over the chicken to serve.
Keyword Healthy, Quick, Tarragon Chicken