Chicken with Tarragon-Mustard Cream Sauce
The flavor of tarragon is uniquely fragrant and delicate and it makes a wonderful cream sauce for chicken. To round out our meal, we served this chicken over Egg Noodles with Peas and Parsley (see below) - perfect with a glass of Chardonnay.
- Ingredients:
- 2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Separate the chicken breasts into halves and remove the tenderloins if attached, reserving for another use. Pound the chicken to a uniform thickness of about 1/2-inch and season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the remaining butter to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the flour and combine well. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is pale golden in color, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and combine until smooth, 1 minute. Add the mustard, milk and heavy cream (if using) and continue cooking until the sauce is creamy and smooth, 2 mintues. Stir in the tarragon and add salt and pepper to taste.
Return the chicken to the pan, stirring in any juices that may have accumulated on the plate. Using tongs, turn the breasts several times to coat them with the sauce. Serve over Egg Noodles with Peas and Parsley (recipe follows) and spoon some additional sauce over the chicken.
Makes 4 servings
Recipe Notes:
If you have fresh tarragon available, by all means use it, but if you're using the dried as we did, make sure that it's fresh and flavorful for best results. We find that tarragon loses its pungency rather quickly, so we advise buying it in small quantities and replacing it every few months.
- Egg Noodles with Peas and Parsley
- 8 ounces broad egg noodles, cooked and drained
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- Pinch of sugar
- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 2 minutes. Add a pinch of sugar and season with salt and pepper. Add the peas and cook until heated through, 1 minute longer. Add the cooked egg noodles and parsley and toss to combine, adding more butter as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This is an original recipe created & tested by the editors of MyGourmetConnection
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