Fresh tarragon and cream is a classic paring in French cuisine. Add the tender chicken meat, that just melts in your mouth, and you will get a fantastic dish, with creamy fragrant sauce, which is perfect with boiled rice, or with mashed potatoes with olive oil, black pepper and chopped pitted black olives.
The recipe is taken from "1000 Recipes" cookbook.
Ingredients:
30 g butter
4 chicken breasts, on the bone
250 g shallots, halved
1 tsp dried herbes de Provence
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250 ml hot chicken stock
120 ml dry white wine
250 g creme fraiche
3-4 sprigs fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Melt the butter in a large deep frying pan or a flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat.
Add the chicken breasts, skin-side down, and fry for 3 minutes, or until golden brown, then turn over and continue browning for a further 2 minutes.
Keep the chicken breasts skin-side up, then add shallots, sprinkle with dried herbs, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Add the stock and wine and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and leave to simmer for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife.
Lift out the chicken and set aside, discard the shallots (or you can keep them if you prefer), then boil the sauce uncovered, until it's reduced by about half.
Stir in the creme fraiche and the tarragon sprigs.
Continue cooking until thickened. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more chicken stock, adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Slice the chicken off the bone, and add them back to the sauce skin-side up. Let them simmer for 3-4 minutes more, then remove from the heat.
Serve the chicken coated with the sauce and garnished with tarragon sprigs.
Bon Appetit!
