Chicken breast served in a creamy tarragon, vermouth and garlic sauce, a quick and delicious meal that screams of simple French cooking.
This delicious recipe showcases simple old-school cooking techniques and will take around 35-40 minutes to prepare and cook.
Perfect Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Sauce
Growing up, French food seemed all very "lahdeedah" and all a bit fancy, and whilst the French excel at fine dining, they also ain't half bad at delicious and simple home cooking!
My site is littered with examples that go from chicken chasseur to hachis parmentier and petits pois a la Francaise to sole meuniere and poulet au vinaigre.
Granted, they all sound kinda fancy, but the cooking is delightfully simple and the flavours are exceptional.
Northern European food is so often defined by dishes that taste of their constituent ingredients rather than being dominated by spices. Not that there is owt wrong with heavily spiced dishes, a brief stroll through my site will affirm my love of them.
The creamy tarragon chicken recipe is proper old-school French "bistro" style food. Fairly quick to cook with a fairly small number of ingredients yet packed with flavour.
Perfectly cooked chicken breasts are browned and then gently cooked in garlic, vermouth, and tarragon. While the breasts are resting, whisk in some cream until the sauce thickens ever so slightly.
Seriously, that's it, a "fancy" French dinner is oh so easy to make at home!
It's also to take the techniques and make equally simple chicken breast recipes as I do with my chicken breast in tomato sauce and chicken veronique.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this with chicken legs or thighs?
Yes, but you will need to cook them for longer. If I were using legs or thighs, I would transfer them to the oven to finish cooking at step 8 in my recipe.
Do I have to use vermouth?
No, you could substitute the vermouth for a dry white wine.
Something like a dry Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer would mimic some of the floral, herby tones of the vermouth.
Can I use sweet vermouth?
No, I would not recommend cooking this with sweet vermouth.
Can I use dried tarragon?
I personally wouldn't because the flavours are just not the same.
Can I use a lower-fat cream?
If you wanted to reduce the fat in this recipe, I would recommend using low-fat crème fraiche. It will add a little tartness to the sauce, which is not at all unpleasant in this recipe.
Be careful when you add it, and do not boil the sauce in order to avoid it splitting.
Serving Suggestions
Mash is a perfect side to serve with creamy tarragon chicken, indulgent, yes, but it's perfect.
Now you might immediately think of mashed potato, and that is magic, but as far as I am concerned celeriac mash is better. The nutty, almost sweet celery flavour is the perfect complementary flavour with the tarragon and vermouth sauce.
If a side of mash is a bit too indulgent for you, then you could add some roasted celeriac or stick with the French theme and add some Parmetier potatoes.
Some herby buttered new potatoes also make a wonderful addition.
Adding some greens makes this a beautifully well-rounded meal. Here I've added some roasted tenderstem broccoli, it's stupidly simple and delicious.
But you could just as easily go with some buttered cabbage or even my garlicky air fryer asparagus.
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 25cm or 10" frying pan with a lid.
- Kitchen tongs.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, cups and spoons.
- Quick-read meat thermometer.
Creamy Tarragon Chicken Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts Approx 400g or 14oz Total
- 1 tablespoon Rapeseed Oil Canola Oil
- 1 Small-Medium Echallion or Banana Shallot 35g
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 10 g Fresh Tarragon (Leaves only) ¼ Cup
- 75 ml Chicken Stock ⅓ Cup
- 75 ml Dry Vermouth ⅓ Cup
- 75 ml Double Cream ⅓ Cup (Heavy Cream in the US)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Fresh Chives for Garnish
Instructions
- Cut the shallot in half, peel it and then dice it as finely as you can.
- Peel the garlic cloves and dice them as finely as you can.
- Strip the tarragon from the stems and finely chop it.
- Heat a 25cm or 10" frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the rapeseed oil.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add them to the pan and colour them until golden on both sides. Then remove them from the pan and set them aside. This will take around 3-4 minutes, depending on your pan temperature.
- Reduce the heat under the pan to medium-low, add the shallot and garlic and gently soften for 3-5 minutes. Do not add any colour; if they start to go golden, reduce the heat a little.
- Increase the heat to medium, pour in the vermouth and reduce it by half.
- Add the chicken stock and tarragon, stir to combine and return the chicken breasts to the pan (skin side up), cover with a lid, reduce the temperature to medium-low and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 68°C or 155°F (10-12 minutes). Remove the chicken and allow it to rest; the internal temperature will continue to rise into the "safe zone" during the resting time.
- Return the pan to the heat and whisk in the cream, pop the chicken back in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens a little.
- Serve sprinkled with fresh snipped chives.