This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I trust. Thank you for your support.
Tarragon chicken is a classic French dish featuring tender chicken simmered in a rich, creamy sauce infused with the distinctive, aromatic, and slightly licorice-like flavor of fresh tarragon.
As one of the traditional “fines herbes” alongside parsley, chives, and chervil, tarragon, also known as Artemisia dracunculus, is known for its delicate, aromatic flavor that adds elegance without overpowering a dish.
I still remember tasting tarragon chicken for the first time at a small bistro tucked away in Provence. The sauce was silky and indulgent, with a hint of fresh tarragon that lingered gently on the palate.
This easy creamy tarragon chicken recipe starts with lightly seared chicken breasts simmered in a luxurious sauce made with cream, Dijon mustard, chicken broth, and plenty of fresh tarragon.
This chicken tarragon recipe serves four, comes together with just 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cook time, and has only 490 calories per serving.
Chicken tarragon is perfect for quick weeknight dinners, date nights, holiday gatherings, cozy weekend meals, or even a quiet weekend meal when you want something that feels gourmet yet is still easy to make at home.
And the best part? It’s diabetic-friendly, gluten-free, naturally low in carbs (just 5 grams per serving), has only 2 grams of sugar, and a solid 32 grams of protein.
✅ Take a moment to read through the whole post first; you’ll pick up expert tips, handy equipment guides, and step-by-step details to help everything turn out perfectly. The full recipe is right below!
Key Ingredients for This Easy Creamy Tarragon Chicken Recipe
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this easy creamy tarragon chicken recipe:
1. Chicken
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are commonly used for their lean protein and quick cooking time, especially when pounded to an even ½-inch thickness to ensure tenderness and even cooking.
- However, chicken tenderloins or even chicken thighs can be excellent alternatives if you prefer a richer flavor or different texture.
2. Fresh Tarragon
- Fresh tarragon is paramount for this dish, imparting its distinctive anise or licorice-like notes that are characteristic of classic French cuisine.
- Its delicate flavor is best preserved by adding it towards the end of cooking.
3. Butter & Olive Oil
- This dynamic duo is used for searing the chicken.
- Butter adds a rich, nutty flavor, while olive oil, with its higher smoke point, helps prevent the butter from burning, ensuring a beautiful golden crust on your chicken.
4. Onion or Shallots, and Garlic
- These aromatics form the flavorful base of the sauce.
- Sautéing them until soft and fragrant builds a deep, savory foundation that infuses the entire dish with warmth and complexity.
5. White Wine Vinegar (or Dry White Wine)
- White wine vinegar provides a tangy “kick” that cuts through the cream, preventing the sauce from becoming too heavy and adding a necessary backbone to the flavor profile.
- Dry white wines like Sancerre or Pinot Grigio are excellent choices if you opt for wine.
6. Dijon & Whole-Grain Mustard
- Dijon contributes a sharp, tangy zest, while whole-grain mustard offers a more classic, robust mustard flavor and a delightful textural element, creating a more complex and layered sauce.
7. Low-Sodium Chicken Stock or Broth
- This liquid forms the body of the sauce and helps deglaze the pan, incorporating all the flavorful browned bits from the chicken.
- Opting for low-sodium stock allows you to control the final saltiness of your dish, ensuring perfect seasoning.
8. Heavy Cream
- Heavy cream is essential for achieving the desired velvety body and luxurious richness of the sauce.
- While other dairy products can be used, they won’t provide the same thickness and mouthfeel.
9. Salt & Black Pepper
- Essential for seasoning the chicken and adjusting the sauce to perfection.
- Seasoning throughout the cooking process and tasting at the end ensures a balanced and flavorful dish.
The Equipment You’ll Need to Make Creamy Tarragon Chicken
For this tarragon chicken, these kitchen tools can make your cooking experience smoother and ensure the best results:
- Large, Heavy-Bottomed Skillet: A cast iron skillet or a good quality stainless steel pan is ideal because it retains heat exceptionally well, which is crucial for achieving a perfect sear on the chicken and for building the sauce.
- Meat Mallet (or a heavy pan): Used for pounding chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness. This ensures uniform cooking and helps the chicken remain tender. If you don’t have a mallet, the bottom of a heavy pan works just as well.
- Plastic Wrap or Zip-Top Bag: To place over the chicken breasts when pounding, keeping your workspace clean.
- Wooden Spoon: Essential for stirring ingredients and, most importantly, for scraping up the flavorful browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan during deglazing.
- Whisk: For combining ingredients smoothly and ensuring your sauce is lump-free and perfectly emulsified.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons: For accurate measurement of ingredients, which is key for balanced flavors.
- Sharp Chef’s Knife and Cutting Board: For efficiently preparing your chicken, aromatics, and herbs.
- Instant-Read Thermometer: While not strictly mandatory, this is a chef’s best friend for ensuring the chicken is perfectly cooked to 165°F (74°C) without overcooking, guaranteeing juicy results every time.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Tarragon
Beyond its rich flavor, chicken tarragon also offers several nutritional benefits, making it a wholesome and satisfying meal:
- High in Protein: Chicken breast is a lean, protein-packed option that supports muscle repair and helps keep you full.
- Low in Carbs: Naturally low in carbohydrates, it’s a smart choice for low-carb or blood sugar-friendly diets.
- Healthy Fats: Cream and olive oil provide fats that support energy and vitamin absorption, and olive oil adds heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
- Rich in Vitamins & Minerals: Chicken tarragon contains vitamin A, C, D, E, and K, plus iron, calcium, and potassium, all supporting immunity, bone health, and skin health.
- Quick & Convenient: Ready in about 30 minutes, tarragon chicken is perfect for busy nights when you want something tasty without spending hours in the kitchen.
What to Serve with Creamy Tarragon Chicken
Make the most of this rich chicken in tarragon sauce with these perfect pairings:
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes: The soft, yielding texture of mashed potatoes provides an ideal canvas for the sauce, ensuring every drop is enjoyed and creating a deeply comforting meal.
- Fluffy Rice: Whether white or brown, rice is a neutral base that beautifully soaks up the creamy sauce, offering a satisfying and complete meal.
- Pasta: Toss the creamy chicken and sauce with linguine, fettuccine, or tagliatelle for a delightful pasta dish that feels both elegant and comforting.
- Simple Green Vegetables: To add freshness, color, and a touch of crispness, serve alongside steamed asparagus, roasted broccoli, or sautéed green beans.
- Crusty Bread: A crusty baguette or artisan bread is perfect for mopping up any remaining sauce, ensuring no delicious drop goes to waste.
- Fresh Green Salad: A light, crisp green salad with a simple vinaigrette can offer a refreshing counterpoint to the rich chicken dish.
Pro Tips for Nailing This Chicken Tarragon Recipe
Here are some expert tips for making the best creamy tarragon chicken:
1. Pat the Chicken Dry First
- Always pat your chicken pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels before seasoning and searing.
- This crucial step ensures a beautiful golden-brown crust develops, locking in flavor and preventing the chicken from steaming.
2. Don’t Crowd the Pan
- When searing chicken, ensure there’s enough space between each piece in the skillet.
- Overcrowding lowers the pan’s temperature, leading to steaming instead of searing, resulting in less flavorful chicken.
- Cook in batches if necessary.
3. Use Fresh Tarragon
- For the authentic, vibrant flavor that defines this dish, fresh tarragon is overwhelmingly recommended.
- Dried tarragon loses much of its delicate anise-like notes and can impart a duller taste.
- If you must use dried, use about half the quantity of fresh.
4. Don’t Skip the Deglaze
- Do not skip the deglazing step after searing the chicken.
- Those browned bits (“fond”) stuck to the bottom of the pan are concentrated pockets of flavor.
- When liquid (like vinegar or wine) is added and the pan is scraped, these bits dissolve into the sauce, adding incredible depth and complexity.
5. Taste and Adjust Seasoning
- A fundamental principle in professional cooking is constant tasting and adjustment.
- Always taste the sauce before adding the chicken back in for its final simmer, and again just before serving.
6. Don’t Overcook the Chicken
- Chicken breast is lean and can dry out very quickly if overcooked.
- To ensure juicy, tender chicken every time, use an instant-read thermometer to verify it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) and no more.
7. Add Fresh Tarragon Last
- To preserve the herb’s delicate flavor and vibrant color, add the bulk of the fresh chopped tarragon towards the very end of the cooking process.
- This ensures its fresh essence shines through.
8. Serve Immediately
- Creamy tarragon chicken is at its absolute best when served fresh and hot.
- Creamy sauces can thicken excessively or change texture as they cool, so enjoying the dish right away ensures the sauce remains velvety and luscious.
Final Remarks
Creamy tarragon chicken is one of those timeless dishes that feels both comforting and elevated.
It brings a touch of French-inspired elegance to your dinner table without any fuss.
Don’t forget to use fresh tarragon if you can; its slightly sweet, anise-like flavor gives the dish its signature aroma and taste, and adding it at the end keeps everything vibrant.
Pair your chicken tarragon with your favorite sides, like mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, crisp green salads, and you’ve got a meal that feels complete and nourishing.
Serve it hot, enjoy every bite, and don’t be surprised if it disappears fast.
Easy Creamy Tarragon Chicken
Description
This easy creamy tarragon chicken recipe yields four generous servings, each featuring tender chicken breasts simmered in a rich, herb-infused Dijon cream sauce with fresh tarragon.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
For the Creamy Tarragon Sauce Base
How to Make Tarragon Chicken (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Get Your Chicken Ready
- Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap or inside a zip-top bag.
- Gently pound them to an even ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
- After pounding, pat the chicken pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels
- Then season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Sear Until Golden
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet (like cast iron) over medium-high heat.
- Add butter and olive oil; wait until the butter melts and the oil shimmers.
- Carefully place the seasoned chicken in a single layer; don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Sear each side for 3 to 4 minutes until golden-brown and easily released from the pan.
- Cook in batches if needed to maintain heat and avoid steaming.
- At this stage, the chicken will not be fully cooked through, which is perfectly fine; it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Transfer the seared chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.
Sauté the Aromatics
- Lower the heat to medium-low.
- In the same skillet (don’t clean it, those browned bits add flavor), add the shallots or yellow onion.
- Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another minute, just until fragrant.
- Avoid burning the garlic, as it can turn bitter.
Deglaze the Pan
- Take the skillet off the heat for a moment.
- Pour in the white wine vinegar or dry white wine; you’ll hear a sizzle and spatter.
- Quickly grab a wooden spoon and scrape up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom (that’s where tons of flavor live).
- Put the pan back over medium heat.
- Let the liquid simmer for a minute or two, just until it reduces slightly and cooks off any alcohol if you're using wine.
Make the Creamy Tarragon Sauce
- In the same pan, whisk in both Dijon and whole-grain mustard until fully blended with the pan juices.
- Pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream.
- Add half of the chopped tarragon so it starts infusing flavor into the sauce as it simmers.
- Stir everything together and bring it to a gentle boil.
- Right away, lower the heat to keep it at a low simmer.
- For a thicker sauce, whisk in the cornflour slurry now, stirring until it thickens to your liking.
Simmer Until Tender
- Place the seared chicken pieces back into the skillet, nestling them gently into the tarragon sauce.
- Cover the pan and let everything simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer.
- The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- As it simmers, the chicken turns juicy and tender, while the sauce thickens and becomes even more flavorful.
Final Touch
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, gently take it out of the pan and set it aside for a moment.
- Stir in the remaining chopped tarragon, as adding it at the end keeps its flavor fresh and bright.
- Taste the sauce and adjust with a pinch more salt and pepper, if needed.
Garnish & Serve
- Serve your creamy tarragon chicken immediately while hot.
- Spoon plenty of the rich sauce over each piece to lock in moisture and deepen flavor.
- Pair with creamy mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, or your favorite pasta like linguine or fettuccine.
- Garnish with a final sprinkle of fresh tarragon for a fragrant, elegant finish.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
Serving Size 1 chicken breast with about ½ cup of sauce
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 490kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 36g56%
- Saturated Fat 18g90%
- Cholesterol 97mg33%
- Sodium 250mg11%
- Potassium 350mg10%
- Total Carbohydrate 5g2%
- Dietary Fiber 0.5g2%
- Sugars 1.5g
- Protein 32g64%
- Vitamin A 1030 IU
- Calcium 94 mg
- Iron 2 mg
- Vitamin D 50 IU
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Allow the chicken sufficient time to sear without moving it; it will release easily from the pan when it's ready.
- Once you add the cream, gently simmer the sauce; don’t let it boil to keep it smooth and prevent curdling.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the chicken is perfectly cooked without drying; it's ready when it reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Taste the sauce before serving and adjust the seasoning to your personal preference.
