Chicken in Tarragon Cream Sauce
Pan-seared chicken breasts in a creamy tarragon sauce made with white wine, Dijon mustard, and Parmesan. This one-skillet dinner is ready in about 30 minutes and pairs well with mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil such as avocado or grapeseed
- 3 garlic cloves grated or minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Place them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound the thick part with a meat hammer until they are ½-in thick. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 4 minutes without moving, until they are nicely browned. Flip the them and cook the reverse side for another 4 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and cover them with foil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and carefully pour off the excess fat from the skillet, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Add the white wine to the skillet, deglazing by scraping up any bits from the bottom and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and cook until reduced by half, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and the Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in the cream, whisking until smooth.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the chopped tarragon and the Parmesan cheese.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, submerging them into the sauce. Cover the skillet and allow the chicken to reheat in the sauce for 1-2 minutes.
- Garnish the chicken with fresh tarragon sprigs and serve.
Notes
- For a good sear, don't move the chicken after placing it in the skillet. After 3 minutes, nudge it gently, if it releases easily, flip it. If not, cook for another minute.
- Flattening the chicken with a mallet helps with even cooking.
- Scrape up every browned bit after adding the wine to get the most flavor in the sauce.
- Take your time reducing the wine and broth; it makes the sauce rich and thick.
- Stir in fresh tarragon at the end to preserve its flavor.
- Reheat the chicken in the sauce just enough to warm through without overcooking.
- You can cook the sauce in advance and reheat gently, then add freshly seared chicken before serving.
- Serve this chicken on a mound of mashed potatoes, pasta or rice.
- If you have extra large chicken breasts, you will need to increase the cook time or trim the tenderloin off if desired.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free, but check labels on Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, and pre-grated Parmesan, as some brands may contain gluten.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 653kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 224mg | Sodium: 1147mg | Potassium: 1109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1208IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 220mg | Iron: 3mg
