Flavorful and sophisticated, with the most delectable cream sauce, Tarragon Chicken is an easy to make dish that will most certainly impress!
Fresh tarragon adds a fancy French flair to this skillet chicken meal that will be ready to serve in about half an hour.
Get ready for a super simple skillet chicken dinner that is ready in under a half hour, but tastes like it was made especially for you at a fancy French restaurant!
If you’ve made my Marry Me Chicken, Chicken Florentine, or Creamy Mushroom Chicken, you’re familiar with this one-skillet process. Making a one-skillet chicken dinner with a silky, delicious herb sauce is so easy!
What Does Tarraon Taste Like?
Fresh tarragon has a very unique flavor that is similar to fennel and anise. Tarragon’s flavor has notes of black licorice and citrus with a light and herbaceous finish. This fresh herb adds a special level of sophistication to any dish.
You can use Tarragon in any recipe that might call for basil or mint, and it’s particularly delicious in French Bearnaise sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- An Easy Meal with Fancy Flavors – Fresh tarragon elevates this meal to a new level! While this recipe is quick enough for a weeknight dinner, it’s special enough for a date night or dinner party too.
- Something New and Different – Tarragon recipes are not incredibly common, so your family will find this tarragon chicken a welcome change from your normal chicken dinner meals.
- Simple Instructions – While this creamy tarragon chicken looks like it might be difficult to make, it truly isn’t! I’ll show you how to make a flavorful cream sauce from scratch in just minutes on the stovetop.
key ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delectable chicken with tarragon cream sauce:
- Chicken: Chicken breast cutlets are my go-to for recipes like this, but you can also use chicken tenderloins or boneless thighs. Slice the chicken into cutlets yourself to save money at the store.
- Tarragon: Look for fresh tarragon in the produce section of larger grocery stores. You’ll want to wash and chop the leaves and tender stems before you start cooking.
- Garlic, Lemon Juice, and Dijon Mustard: These flavor additions work well with tarragon to create a balanced, savory sauce.
- Heavy Cream: If you keep a container of cream in your refrigerator you’ll always be ready to make this dish, or so many other creamy meals! It typically has a long shelf life, so grab two bottles or cartons the next time you’re shopping.
One-skillet chicken meals like my Creamy Garlic Chicken, Tuscan Chicken, and Chicken Stroganoff also come together with a bit of heavy cream.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Tarragon Chicken
- Prepare Chicken Cutlets: Slice the chicken breasts into thin cutlets, and pound them to an even thickness if needed. Then season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the chicken fully. This should take about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside while you make the tarragon sauce.
- Saute Garlic: To start the sauce, melt butter in the same pan, then add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock, wine, or water, scraping up the brown bits to get all of that flavor.
Tip!
To keep the chicken warm while you make the sauce, lightly tent it with foil. If you cover it too tightly, the cutlets will continue to cook and could become dry.
- Make the Cream Sauce: Add heavy cream, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, and tarragon to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Simmer for 4-5 minutes over a gentle heat until the sauce thickens.
- Finish the Dish: Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and spoon the sauce over each cutlet. Remove from the heat, and garnish with fresh chopped parsley before serving.
Tarragon Chicken Recipe Tips
- Instead of chicken breast, try this tarragon recipe with boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Trim any excess fat from them first and pound them so that they are thin and even.
- Tarragon has tough stems, so be sure to trim away and discard any that are woody and thick.
- Cook the chicken in batches. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan while cooking the chicken, if you do, the meat will steam rather than pan-fry and you’ll miss out on the lovely golden crust that you’re looking for.
- To deglaze the pan, water works, but chicken broth or dry white wine will give you more flavor.
Storing Tips
I highly suggest enjoying this creamy chicken dinner immediately after making it!
If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken and be absorbed by the meat during storage, but it’s still very tasty when reheated.
What To Serve With Tarragon Chicken
I think that the sauce in this dish is delicious over my Boursin mashed potatoes! Boursin cheese includes herbs like tarragon, so it’s a great match.
Buttered noodles, freshly baked no-knead bread, or baked potato wedges would also be perfect side dishes, along with your favorite steamed veggies.
If you’re making tarragon chicken for a special occasion, be sure to have a decadent dessert ready for after dinner! Chocolate Cupcakes or New York Style Cheesecake are both easy to make a bit ahead of time.
Recipe FAQs
Nothing is really the same as the flavor of tarragon, but if you’re looking to bring the anise flavor to your dish without it, you can try adding fresh chervil, fennel seeds, or fennel fronds. You can replace the tarragon in this recipe with another herb, such as basil, but the flavor will be different.
It’s so easy! place a chicken breast down flat on a cutting board. Hold one hand flat on top of the breast, and use a sharp knife to cut the breast in half, parallel to the cutting board.
Usually, slicing is all you need to do! The chicken cutlets should be about ¼ inch in thickness. If they are thicker than that, use a meat mallet to pound them down thinner.
Use a thermometer, inserted into the center of the chicken, to be sure that the internal temperature is at least 165°F/74°C. This is the safe temperature for chicken. Going past that number will mean that your cutlets are overcooked.
I highly suggest that you seek out a bundle of fresh tarragon to make this recipe, but you can try it with dried herbs instead. The general rule is to use ½ teaspoon of dried tarragon for each tablespoon of fresh herbs that the recipe calls for. So in this tarragon chicken recipe, add 1 teaspoon.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
All Chicken Recipes
Tarragon Chicken is a delicious and sophisticated dish that is so simple to make, your dinner guests will think that you slaved over the stove all day! Look for fresh tarragon on your next grocery trip.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Tarragon Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, sliced lengthwise into thin cutlets
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil not extra virgin
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons (26 grams) unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup (120 ml) chicken stock or chicken broth or white wine or water
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Working in batches, cook the chicken cutlets on both sides until cooked through. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C using a kitchen thermometer. This takes about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken onto a plate, set aside and keep warm.
- Melt butter and add garlic to the center of the pan, sauté for 30 seconds, then deglaze the pan with chicken stock, wine, or water.
- Add heavy cream, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk or stir and let the sauce simmer for 4-5 minutes over gentle heat.
- Return the chicken back to the skillet, spoon the sauce over the chicken and remove from heat. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired, and serve over mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Notes:
- Instead of chicken breast, try this tarragon recipe with boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Trim any excess fat from them first and pound them so that they are thin and even.
- Tarragon has tough stems, so be sure to trim away and discard any that are woody and thick.
- If you can’t find fresh tarragon, you can use 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon instead, but this recipe will be best with fresh herbs.
- Cook the chicken in batches. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan while cooking the chicken, if you do, the meat will steam rather than pan-fry and you’ll miss out on the lovely golden crust that you’re looking for.
- To deglaze the pan, water works, but chicken broth or dry white wine will give you more flavor.
- To Store: Try to enjoy this chicken right away after making it, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Maggie Lindner says
this was really delicious! we actually made about twice the amount of sauce. used a dry white wine. Will definitely be made again! thank you
Little Sunny Kitchen says
More sauce is always a good idea! Thank you so much for the great feedback.
Shera says
Love tarragon & cream! Delicious with thighs & halved the recipe. I did thicken the sauce a bit. Good recipe!
April says
This was so creamy and full of flavor! Not to mention, easy to make. Total comfort food!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you, April! I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe!
Faye R says
I am always looking for new chicken recipes because we make it all the time. This was a huge hit and will go into our regular rotation!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
That’s so great to hear, Faye! Thank you for the kind review!
Sharina says
Everyone was impressed with this amazing tarragon chicken! It was so creamy and rich in flavor. Plus, the chicken was so tender and juicy!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this recipe, Sharina! Thank you for the wonderful review!