Poulet à l’Estragon
Cooking Time
30 mins
Top Tips
Beware: if you grow your own tarragon, it may be mild Russian tarragon rather than the true French tarragon, in which case you'll need to add three or four times as much. The gorgeous juices are on the thin side, so you could thicken them with a little beurre manié (equal parts of soft butter and flour mashed together) but I prefer to leave them as they are, and serve it in deep dishes (soup plates).
A note on dried herbs: in general, I find dried herbs vile, in particular the 'soft' herbs like parsley, dill, basil and mint. But I'll make an exception for tarragon, which keeps something of its pungency when dried. If there is no fresh tarragon then a tablespoonful of papery flakes from a jar, added before the chicken goes in the oven, will suffice. Even the classic dried 'herbes de Provence' can taste dusty unless they are excellent quality. I do keep a jar of freeze-dried tarragon. The papery flakes keep something of their pungency, as long as they are cooked.
Taken from The Contented Cook by Xanthe Clay (Kyle Books, £19.99)
Ingredients
Serves 4
Possibly the best chicken recipe in the world, certainly one that's stood the test of time. The faint aniseed flavour of tarragon, like star anise with beef and fennel seed with fish, intensifies the flavour of the poultry, making it both fresh tasting and intensely savoury.
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken until browned on both sides.
Step 2
Transfer the pieces to an ovenproof dish (one that will accommodate them in a single layer). Tip the fat out of the frying pan and pour in the wine. Bring to the boil, stirring well to release all the brown bits from the base of the pan. Pour over the chicken, and tuck in four of the tarragon sprigs.
Step 3
Transfer the dish to the oven and cook uncovered for 30 mins. Remove the chicken from the dish and keep warm. Tip the juices into a small pan, and spoon off the fat from the top if there seems to be a lot. Bring the juices to simmering point. Stir in the crème fraîche and the rest of the tarragon. Taste and adjust the seasoning and pour over the chicken.
