Name: Poulet a l'Estragon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken thighs, skin on; ½ tsp salt; 30 g butter; 2 shallots, finely chopped; 150 ml dry white wine; 150 ml chicken stock; 4 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped; 150 ml double cream; 1 tsp lemon juice

Poulet a l'Estragon

Chicken pieces browned and cooked in white wine and cream with plenty of fresh tarragon, ready in about an hour.

55 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

The Case for Poulet a l'Estragon

Keep the heat low. That is the rule that decides whether the sauce is silky or split, because cream and wine curdle if they are boiled hard. A gentle simmer lets the chicken cook through while the sauce stays smooth and glossy.

Tarragon is the whole point of the dish, with its aniseed scent, and it should be used fresh. Add half to the pot while the chicken cooks, so the flavour goes into the sauce, and stir in the rest at the end so it stays bright and green. Never use dried tarragon here, which tastes of hay and has none of the fragrance. If you cannot find fresh, choose another dish.

Brown the chicken pieces gently in butter without letting the butter burn, then add shallots and white wine and reduce it. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, then lift it out while you finish the sauce with cream and a squeeze of lemon. Taste for salt. Serve with rice or buttered new potatoes.

What to Put on the Table With Poulet a l'Estragon

Rice
New potatoes
Green beans

How to Cook Poulet a l'Estragon

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Season the chicken with the salt. Brown it in the butter in a wide pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Lift out.
Cook the shallots for 3 minutes. Add the wine and boil for 3 minutes until reduced by half.
Add the stock and half the tarragon and return the chicken. Cover and cook gently for 30 minutes.
Lift out the chicken. Stir the cream into the pan and simmer for 3 minutes until slightly thick.
Stir in the remaining tarragon and lemon juice, return the chicken and warm through.

Notes From the Method

Use fresh tarragon, never dried.

Keep the heat low so the cream does not split.

Add half the tarragon at the end for colour.

If You're Missing Something

In a sauce, full-fat crème fraîche can usually take the place of the double cream; single cream is thinner and more likely to split if it boils, so keep it below a simmer.
A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Keeping What's Left

Keeps for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat gently.