A simple rustic French recipe for chicken (chicken leg quarters, drumsticks or whole chicken), cooked in the oven (or the stove top) with fresh tarragon and white wine (or also known as Poulet à l’Estragon). Easily prepared for dinner or lunch. Suitable for large crowds, potlucks and/or family gatherings.
Today I am sharing a simple recipe from the old family cookbooks, that I always make when I can get my hands on some fresh tarragon on the market or from the garden. This is a perfect recipe when e.g. out of town family visits (meaning you need to feed more people) and pairs beautifully with this extra fluffy French mashed potatoes or some simple French green beans with sesame seeds.
Behind the Bites
Tarragon (estragon in French) originates from Central Asia—particularly Siberia and Mongolia—and made its way to Europe via the Silk Road during medieval trade routes. It became integrated into French cuisine over time, with recipes using tarragon and chicken dating back to 18th century. Beyond poultry, tarragon is widely used in classic French dishes, including sauces for fish, pâtés, egg preparations, and vinaigrettes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – chicken leg quarters, drumsticks or whole chicken is most suitable. Choose parts of the chicken that have some skin and bone on them, not just chicken breast. I’m most often using French corn (yellow) chicken for this recipe which is a popular food choice across Europe.
- Tarragon – use fresh tarragon leaves for best flavor. Dried tarragon can be used too, but the taste will not be the same
- White wine – use dry white wine, or beer (water/broth can also work).
- Butter
- Onion – always a good idea in such dishes if you ask me.
- Flour – to make the sauce thicker
- Sea salt and black pepper
How to cook Tarragon chicken?
1st: Brown the chicken in butter on the stove top, set aside in the baking dish. Then in the same pan and butter sauté onion, add the flour, fresh tarragon and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and ensure there are no lumps in the sauce.
2nd: Place chicken and sauce in a casserole with lid on (I’m using a glass casserole) and bake in the oven until cooked.
How to STORE tarragon chicken?
Tarragon chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish as thawing it might be tricky and change the taste and appearance of the sauce.
Rustic French Tarragon chicken (simple)
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken leg quarters
- 4 tbsp. tarragon, freshly minced
- 4 tbsp. butter, melted
- 100 ml white wine
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- First, melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Brown chicken on each side for a few minutes. Transfer chicken to a baking dish and set aside.
- Then, in the same pan, sauté minced onion until translucent. Add in the wine, salt, pepper and fresh tarragon. Mix in the flour, so there are no lumps.
- Next, pour the sauce over the chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Bake the dish in the oven on 200C/400F until cooked (appox.50 minutes in my oven).
- Finally, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking and turn the hot air on to make chicken skin crispier.
Notes
Nutrition
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Lovely and simple way to prepare chicken. It looks really delicious.