Elevate your dinner with this classic French dish! This "Poulet à l'Estragon" features chicken thighs cooked in a rich butter and white wine sauce with fresh tarragon and shallots. Elegant enough for guests, but easy enough for a weeknight!
Jump to:
Can I please say at the beginning of this post, do not be afraid of the butter. 😃
What Is Tarragon?
Tarragon is a lovely herb. It has a licorice flavor, and also a licorice/aniseed aroma. We have some growing in our herb garden, and it grows like crazy! It has a very fascinating history, and was used by the Greeks and the Arabs as early as 500 BC. Allegedly at that time it was called "Dragon Mugwort." The French call tarragon "estragon" which means "little dragon." Therefore, poulet a l'estragon translates as chicken with tarragon.
Tarragon pairs perfectly with chicken, and the taste and aroma of French Tarragon Chicken is out of this world good.
So if you are excited to make this classic French dish with a generous pour of white wine, then please read on to find out what you'll need to make it!
🥘 Ingredients
Chicken tarragon, a classic pairing, is easy enough for weeknight dinners, and couldn't be simpler to make.
You will need the following ingredients to make this tarragon chicken recipe:
- Chicken pieces - Bone in and skin on chicken thighs
- Fresh tarragon
- Shallots
- Green onions
- Olive oil
- Butter - I used salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer
- Dry white wine - we'll pour a generous amount of wine into the dish during the deglazing step
- Salt
- Black pepper
This is all you will need to make this classic French dish!
Please note: Many chicken with tarragon recipes include the addition of heavy cream, but I've opted not to use it in this recipe.
🍽 Equipment
For the best results, you will want to use a large Dutch oven, or a large skillet with a lid.
You'll need enough room to place the chicken thighs in so they don't crowd one another.
🔪 Instructions
Commençons (let's begin)!
Take out your chicken, and allow to come to room temperature (approximately 30 min). Pat dry with paper towels, and then season chicken with the salt and pepper.
Add the butter and olive oil to your skillet, set to heat on medium heat.
Once the Dutch oven or frying pan is hot and the butter is melted, add the chicken skin side down. Cover, and fry for around 5 minutes until the skin is nice and brown. Carefully turn the chicken over, and fry covered for an additional 10-15 minutes. Thicker chicken thighs will require a longer cooking time.
Add the shallots and green onions, and saute for around 2-3 minutes. You'll need to stir these into the butter sauce.
Now increase the heat to medium-high heat, and add your wine to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up all the browned bits (all the goodness!) into the sauce, and let the sauce reduce for a couple of minutes.
You are aiming for 165F internal temperature, so go ahead and check the temperature of your chicken with an instant read thermometer. Cook your chicken a bit longer (lower heat back to medium) if necessary. Bone-in chicken thighs are very forgiving so don't worry about overcooking them!
Last but not least, add the minced tarragon and stir it around. Add another sprinkling of salt and pepper, garnish with additional tarragon, and the dish is ready to enjoy!
Suggestions For Serving!
It's time to enjoy this amazing chicken dish!
I highly recommend serving this with mashed potatoes. The rich buttery sauce in the pan is just MADE to be poured over mashed potatoes! You'll also want to spoon some of the sauce over the chicken thighs as well.
I've also served this with rice, of course adorned with lots of the butter sauce.
A lovely salad or perhaps some green beans or Roasted Broccoli With Parmesan would also pair perfectly with your tarragon chicken.
However you decide to enjoy this dish, c'est délicieux! I hope this will become one of your favorite chicken recipes!
FAQ
Tarragon is a lovely herb. It has a licorice-like taste, and also a licorice/aniseed aroma. We have some growing in our herb garden, and it grows like crazy! It has a very fascinating history, and was used by the Greeks and the Arabs as early as 500 BC. Allegedly at that time it was called "Dragon Mugwort." The French call tarragon "estragon" which means "little dragon."
You can use chicken breasts in this recipe, however you will need to adjust the cooking time for the chicken.
1,000 FOODS TO EAT PROJECT
Chicken with tarragon is also one of the 1,000 foods to eat listed in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. It is #14 in my quest to try each and every one of the foods in the book.
Bring a taste of France to your table with this delicious poulet a l'estragon, and please remember...don't be afraid of the butter. 😃
Please follow along with me on this quest to try the 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, from the book by Mimi Sheraton! Join me in this journey and discover new foods, experiences, and cuisines which I hope will add inspiration, fun, and joy to your life! For a list of the foods tried so far visit the 1,000 Foods to Eat Project page.
Please share this content with others and comment below. Thank you!!
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other great recipes that you may enjoy:
Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
Finally, I invite you to come along on this food journey with me! Please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food horizons! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.
Cheers!
Grace
French Tarragon Chicken Recipe With White Wine
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven with a cover Can also use a large frying pan with a cover
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon butter If this is too much butter for you, you can reduce the amount
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large chicken thighs - bone in and skin on approximately 2.5-3 lbs
- 2 large shallots chopped
- 2 ts tarragon 2 ts minced, plus extra for garnish
- 3 green onions sliced
- ½ cup white wine
- ¾ ts salt plus additional to taste
- ¾ ts pepper plus additional to taste
Instructions
- Take out your chicken, and allow to come to room temperature (approximately 30 min). Pat dry with paper towels, and then season both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper.
- Add the butter and olive oil to your skillet, set to heat on medium heat.
- Once the Dutch oven or frying pan is hot, add the chicken skin side down. Cover, and fry for around 5 minutes until the skin is nice and brown. Carefully turn the chicken over, and fry covered for an additional 10-15 minutes. Thicker chicken thighs will require a longer cooking time.
- Add the shallots and green onions, and saute for around 2-3 minutes. You'll need to stir these into the butter sauce.
- Now increase the heat to medium-high, and add your wine to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up all the browned bits (all the goodness!) into the sauce, and let the sauce reduce for a couple of minutes.
- You are aiming for 165F internal temperature, so go ahead and check the temperature of your chicken with an instant read thermometer. Cook your chicken a bit longer (lower heat back to medium) if necessary. Bone-in chicken thighs are very forgiving so don't worry about overcooking them!
- Last but not least, add the minced tarragon and stir it around. Add another sprinkling of salt and pepper, garnish with additional tarragon, and the dish is ready to enjoy!
Belinda
Simple, yet elegant meal. Thanks for the recipe! Only 999 to go. 😉
Grace
Belinda! I'm doing cartwheels!!! Thanks so very much for trying this recipe and commenting here! I'm over the moon that you liked it! And equally if not more over the moon that you are on this 1000 Foods Journey too! YAY! Super fun! I hope we can connect more on this! Take good care! Grace
Jonni Gonzales
Followed your recipe exactly. It turned out wonderful. Thank you for posting it.
Grace
Hi Jonni, oh I'm so happy to read that this turned out great for you! Thanks so very much for trying out the recipe and for your lovely feedback. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Grace
Grace
Easy to make and absolutely delicious! I enjoyed especially the wonderful fragrant aromas while cooking this dish!