French-roasted chicken with tarragon cream sauce
The best one-pan chicken ever and I don’t feel cocky saying so because I learned this recipe at a Sur La Table cooking class. This dish is my go-to dish when I want to wow my guests with comfort food.
The combination of crispy chicken, perfectly roasted vegetables, and thick cream sauce make this to die for. Two cups of heavy cream might seem like a lot, but I can assure there can never be enough of this sauce. This dish has the added benefit of being made in one pan, although it does use an additional dish for transferring chicken and vegetables.
Diet: meat, gluten-free • Servings: 4 • Prep time: 1 hr 20 minINGREDIENTS
Chicken and vegetables
Clarified butter
4 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on, sprinkled with salt on both sides)
2 carrots, cut to the size of half a baby potato
1 parsnip, cut to the size of half a baby potato
1 pound baby potatoes (I happened to have red potatoes on hand so I used those)
Cream sauce
You can wait to prep this while the chicken and vegetables are in the oven.
1/2 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon capers
Splash of white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
TOOLS
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Cast iron pan
Rubber spatula
METHOD
For the chicken and vegetables:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
In a large oven-safe pan: sear the chicken in clarified butter, about 3 minutes each side at very high heat starting with the skin side down. Chicken shouldn’t be moved until it lifts easily off the pan.
Set chicken aside and toss vegetables in fat, being sure to coat thoroughly so they cook evenly in the oven.
Place chicken on top of the veggies and bake for about 25 minutes at 450 degrees.
For the cream sauce:
Remove chicken and vegetables from the pan, leaving the drippings in the pan.
On medium heat, saute shallots for a few minutes, then garlic until the garlic releases it’s aroma. Stir in mustard, capers, and white wine vinegar, scraping all the bits off the pan.
Add tarragon and heavy cream. Stir with a rubber spatula until the sauce leaves tracks in the pan. Add the vegetables and chicken back on top and serve. Garnish with leftover fresh tarragon.
PLAYLIST PAIRING
Welcome Home, Bon Voyage - Live - by The Hot Sardines. This is my favorite contemporary jazz band (contemporary meaning the musicians are all still alive).
Fun fact #1: Ryan and I were at Joe’s Pub during the live recording! It was recorded in two places—New York City’s Joe’s Pub and Toronto’s Koerner Hall.
Fun fact #2: The Hot Sardines’ encore is almost always Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen which is the song that was playing when Ryan proposed to me on the dance floor in 2008.
Prep the ingredients
It’s always a bit easier to prep everything ahead of time, especially if you’re new to a dish and don’t have the timing down pact. That said, you can wait to prep the shallots, garlic, and tarragon for the cream sauce while the chicken and vegetables roast for 25 minutes.
Do not skip the capers
It seems like capers are a love or hate situation. That said, even people who claim they “hate” capers love this dish because the capers come across very mild in the cream sauce.
Chop vegetables evenly
Take care to make your veggies the same size and shape so they will be evenly cooked. The French really do take their time to get this right and it makes all the difference!
Prep the cream sauce
Dice the shallots, garlic, and fresh tarragon for the cream sauce. Since my mustard happened to be garlic flavored, I decided to skip the garlic this time.
Start on the stove, finish in the oven
In a large oven-safe pan: sear the chicken in clarified butter, about 3 minutes each side at very high heat starting with the skin side down. Chicken shouldn’t be moved until it lifts easily off the pan. The skin should be golden! Set chicken aside and toss vegetables in fat, being sure to coat thoroughly so they cook evenly in the oven. Place chicken back in the pan on top of the veggies and bake for about 25 minutes at 450 degrees.
Make the tarragon cream sauce
Once the chicken and vegetables are done baking, remove chicken and vegetables from the pan, leaving the drippings in the pan. On medium heat, sauté shallots for a few minutes, then garlic until the garlic releases it’s aroma. Stir in mustard, capers, and white wine vinegar, scraping all the bits off the pan. Add tarragon and heavy cream.
Finish the cream sauce
Stir with a rubber spatula until the sauce leaves tracks in the pan. Add the vegetables and chicken back on top and serve. Garnish with leftover fresh tarragon.
This roasted chicken is to die for and I love that it can be made for four people using just one pan! As the French say, Bon Appétit!
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