This delicious chicken dish is pan-seared leaving the chicken so tasty and tender with a lovely fragrant flavour of tarragon in a ginger and garlic butter sauce. This easy dairy-free dinner is perfect for any day of the week.
When our lives are busy, all we want is to be able to get dinner on within 30-40 minutes. I wanted to keep this recipe simple with only a few vegetables to give this dish texture, colour and additional flavour. These vegetables added enough flavour but also, they were able to take on the flavours of the herbs which really worked nicely.
Tarragon isn’t a herb I used very often in my cooking and when I do, everyone enjoys the wonderful distinct licorice-like taste and fragrance that really makes a dinner special. By adding ginger and garlic, it compliments then tarragon so well, and the flavours are absolutely outstanding. If you never used tarragon in your cooking I highly recommend you give it a try.
INGREDIENTS
- unsalted butter: I prefer unsalted in my cooking, if you have salted that’s fine too, you need to adjust the amount of salt added
- chicken breasts: I used boneless and skinless, works best for this dish
- salt and pepper
- dried and fresh tarragon
- extra virgin olive oil: I like to use a good quality evoo and most often it is a Greek olive oil
- garlic and ginger
- vegetables: brussel sprouts, zucchini and spinach
- chicken broth
- white wine: you can easily substitute with chicken broth
- arrowroot or cornstarch
WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE....
- Only needs a few ingredients
- Take just 35 minutes from start to finish
- An easy recipe to follow and perfect for any day of the week
- You can substitute the chicken breasts for boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- I can’t forget to mention how amazingly delicious this meal is
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Once you have pounded down the chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness then, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter. Season chicken with tarragon, salt and pepper and pan-sear on each side for about 4-5 minutes until golden. Transfer to a plate.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil, sauté onions for about 2 minutes, then add garlic, ginger and Brussel sprouts and sauté for about 2-3 minutes until the Brussel sprouts get crispy. Add the white wine and scrap the bottom to loosen the bites on the bottom, and allow to boil until half has evaporated. Then add the chicken broth, and zucchini, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Return chicken to the skillet and add spinach and fresh tarragon, simmer for about 3 minutes, long enough to soften the spinach and warm the chicken. To thicken the sauce, mix together arrowroot and water in a small bowl, then add to the skillet. Increase heat slightly, and once thickened, then remove from heat. Adjust seasoning if needed.
FAQ
Can I use thighs for this recipe? When selecting chicken for this recipe, I recommend boneless and skinless chicken breasts. They take less time to cook once they are pounded down to about 1/2 inch. If you want to use bone-in, you have to keep in mind they will need extra 3 minutes on each side when pan-searing. Boneless chicken thighs will take less time, similar to the chicken breasts.
What happens if I don’t have fresh tarragon? If you don’t have fresh tarragon, then add another 1/2 teaspoon to the skillet at the same time when adding garlic and ginger. When adding tarragon to this dish, I used dry before pan-searing the chicken then added fresh tarragon at the end of the cooking process.
Can I substitute tarragon for other herbs? Yes you can, I would use dill, marjoram, oregano or basil.
Do I have to add white wine? Sometimes when recipes call for white wine and it’s usually added to enhance the flavours, however, you can easily replace it with chicken broth. I have done that many times, and the outcome is so delicious.
This dish is luxurious with the lovely garlic butter sauce and the wonderful flavour of tarragon. I served this dish with rice noodles and thoroughly enjoyed it! Garnish with fresh tarragon and pecans. As well, you can serve this delicious easy one-pan chicken dinner with brown rice, basmati or jasmine rice.
STORE
This chicken dish can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, then after that I would recommend freezing the chicken only in a freezer safe container with a lid. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the zucchini or brussel sprouts as they will become mushy when thawed.
Chicken Tarragon with Ginger and Garlic Butter Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp dried tarragon
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 7-8 brussel sprouts, sliced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 2 handful baby spinach
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch (cornstarch)
- 1 sprig fresh tarragon
- chopped pecans for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast in half and lay between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them down to 1/2 inch thickness with a mallet or rolling pin.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter. Season chicken with dried tarragon, salt and pepper and pan-sear on each side for about 4-5 minutes until golden. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil, sauté onions for about 2 minutes, then add garlic, ginger and Brussel sprouts and sauté for about 2-3 minutes until the Brussel sprouts get crispy.
- Add the white wine and scrap the bottom to loosen the bites on the bottom, and allow to boil until half has evaporated. Then add the chicken broth, and zucchini, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet and add spinach, and tarragon, simmer for about 3 minutes, long enough to soften the spinach and warm the chicken.
- To thicken the sauce, mix together arrowroot and water in a small bowl, then add to the skillet. Increase heat slightly, and once thickened, then remove from heat.
- Serve with rice noodles or basmati, jasmine or long grain rice.
