Chicken Thighs with Tarragon and White Wine

My husband has been on a SERIOUS barbecue chicken kick lately.  I swear, I think the last eight times I’ve made chicken he wanted it barbecued. so that’s what we had.  Until last Sunday, when I said, ” Honey, PUH-LEASE!  I’m sick of barbecued chicken.”

He very reluctantly agreed to let me try something new.  I mean come on, I’ve been making this man’s dinner for over four years.  You think he would trust me by now.

After making this recipe, I realized I really should cook with tarragon more often. It has a sweet, coconut-y (is that even a word), tobacco-y (again, word?) quality that intrigues me. The sauce is what makes this dish. Heck, I would go do far as to call it a gravy. You’ll want to spoon it over your chicken and then save it to spoon over something else.  Even The Husband agreed it was a good choice – maybe even better than barbecued chicken.

Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine

Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis

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Course: Main Courses

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Lisa B.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 4 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flour for dusting

For the sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups about 10 ounces frozen pearl onions
• 4 cloves garlic halved
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

For the chicken:

• In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over high heat.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste, and dust with flour.
• Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
• Remove the chicken and set aside.

For the sauce:

• Heat the same pan used for the chicken over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Increase the heat to high. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
• Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of tarragon and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook, turning the chicken pieces over every 10 minutes, until cooked through, about 40 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a platter and loosely tent with foil while finishing the sauce.
• In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/3 cup chicken broth and flour. Whisk the flour mixture into the sauce until smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of tarragon.