Chicken in Tarragon Sauce

Submitted by Oolala

"From Celebrating the Pleasure of Cooking by Chuck Williams (1997). Although tarragon had been used only sparingly in American kitchens until the 1950's, the popular French herb became the rage here in that decade, especially with chicken and fish and as a seasoning for white vinegar."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• fresh lemon juice, to taste
• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

directions

1. Flatten chicken breasts to about 1/2" thick.
2. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat , melt butter with olive oil.
3. When hot, add chicken, season with salt and pepper and saute gently, turning once, until chicken is golden and opaque throughout and juices run clear, about 3 minutes per side.
4. Transfer to a warmed plate and keep warm.
5. Pour off any excess fat from the pan and place pan over medium-low heat.
6. Add shallot and saute, stirring until translucent, 1-2 minutes.
7. Add tarragon and cream and increase heat to medium and stir scraping up any browned bits from the pan and blending well.
8. Cook, stirring, until bubbling and thickened slightly, 2-3 minutes.
9. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
10. Return chicken to pan and turn each breast several times in sauce until well coated and hot.
11. Transfer to a warmed serving plate or individual plates and spoon remaining sauce over chicken.
12. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Reviews

[RalMiska]

I made this, with a few little variations. I used 1/4 cup of chicken stock and 1/4 cup of cream, to lower the fat content of the meal, and I used red onion because I didn't have any shallots. I also added a small handful of chopped capers to the sauce. The flavours complimented each other well, and my family seemed to like it.