Jerry Traunfeld's Tarragon Chicken Breast With Buttery Leeks

"This dish, featured in Rob Kasper's column, tastes like spring. Try it with fresh asparagus and baby new potatoes. From the Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift. Jerry Traunfeld is a chef in Woodinville, Washington and the author of The Herbfarm Cookbook."
 
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photo by WhatamIgonnaeatnext photo by WhatamIgonnaeatnext
photo by WhatamIgonnaeatnext
photo by WhatamIgonnaeatnext photo by WhatamIgonnaeatnext
Ready In:
45mins
Ingredients:
7
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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directions

  • Place leeks in a large skillet with chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of the butter.
  • Cook at a gentle boil over medium heat until the leeks are tender and the broth has boiled down far enough so that the leeks are no longer completely submerged; this should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
  • Place them on top of the simmering leeks, spoon some of the leeks over the chicken, and cover the pan tightly.
  • Reduce the heat to low; after 10 minutes, test the chicken for doneness. It should feel firm when you press it. If breast pieces are large, it could take as long as 15 minutes, but don't overcook them.
  • When the chicken is done, transfer it to a warm platter.
  • Increase the heat under the leeks to high; stir in the lemon juice , the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the tarragon.
  • When the butter melts, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour the leek sauce over the chicken and serve.

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Reviews

  1. Completely delicious! I made a few minor adjustments, so that I could turn my leftovers into a yummy soup. I doubled the leeks, broth, tarragon, lemon and only used 3 chicken breasts (just 2 of us at dinner). When the chicken went in, I added some carrots that I boiled for 3 minutes. I served it with couscous, covering that with some of the broth too. With the leftovers, I just cut up the chicken and carrots, then dumped them back in. Even though I was completely full, I had a hard time resisting tasting all the way until I put a lid on the container!
     
  2. We both really liked this. It was a crazy evening and I really didn't have anything to even go with it. But I'm sure it would be great tasting to use the sauce with mashed potatoes or something. The sauce made the chicken breasts moist. We will make this again. I made this for "Cookbook Tag". Thanks very much for the recipe!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
 
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