How to Make Tarragon Chicken – A Creamy French Provincial Dish
This creamy French tarragon chicken dish is all about elegance without fuss. Made with just a few simple ingredients, it’s the perfect introduction to tarragon — that fragrant herb so beloved in classic French cooking. I’ve made this recipe many times, and it always impresses. If you enjoy the subtle, herby flavours in this dish, you might also like this French Provençal Chicken recipe — another one of my favourites from the south of France.
Tarragon Chicken – Creamy French Provincial Dish
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This Tarragon Chicken is a classic French provincial dish that’s full of elegance yet surprisingly simple to make. With tender bone-in chicken simmered in white wine, onions, tarragon and finished with cream, it’s the perfect introduction to the delicate, slightly aniseed notes of this much-loved herb. In France, tarragon is known as the “King of Herbs,” and once you taste this dish, you’ll see why. This is a recipe I’ve made many times, and it never fails to impress.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces
- Flour for dredging
- Olive oil
- 2 medium onions sliced
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine 375ml
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried tarragon or 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
- ⅓ cup cream 85ml
- Fresh parsley chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Dredge chicken pieces in flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat a heavy-based pan over moderate heat. Add a splash of olive oil and brown the chicken in two batches.
- Once browned, return all the chicken to the pot and sprinkle the sliced onions over the top.
- Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid, then add white wine, salt, cracked pepper, and tarragon. Gently stir.
- Cover again and simmer for another 30 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through.
- Remove the chicken and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
- Stir the sauce, scraping up any brown bits. Add the cream and bring back to a gentle simmer.
- Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer over the chicken, pressing the onions to extract maximum flavour.
- Discard the onions.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
- In the video, I used dried tarragon, which still tastes really good — but if you can get your hands on fresh tarragon, it’s even better. Use double the amount if substituting fresh for dried. Either way, this dish delivers lovely, subtle aniseed flavours.
- This dish is perfect served with crusty bread and a fresh green salad to balance the rich, creamy sauce.
