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Mary Berry Chicken Tarragon Recipe

Mary Berry Chicken Tarragon Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken tarragon is a classic French dish with chicken in a cream and tarragon sauce — fragrant, elegant, and completely wonderful.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British, French
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Chicken Tarragon:
  • 4 large bone-in skin-on chicken breasts or 8 bone-in skin-on thighs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil 25g unsalted butter
  • 3 shallots very finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 200 ml dry white wine
  • 200 ml good quality chicken stock
  • 200 ml double cream
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon finely chopped — added at the end only
  • 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped — added at the end
  • Juice of ½ lemon — added at the end
  • Salt and white pepper
  • To Serve:
  • Steamed new potatoes fine green beans, crusty bread

Method
 

  1. Season chicken generously. Brown skin-side down in hot oil 5–6 minutes without moving. Turn — 2–3 minutes. Remove.
  2. Pour off most fat — leave 1 tbsp. Add butter over medium heat. Cook shallots 5 minutes. Add garlic — 2 minutes.
  3. Add wine — bubble vigorously 3–4 minutes until reduced by two-thirds.
  4. Add stock — simmer 3 minutes. Add cream and mustard. Season assertively.
  5. Return chicken skin-side up. Cover partially over low heat. Cook 20–25 minutes (breasts) or 30–35 minutes (thighs) until cooked through.
  6. Add lemon juice, fresh tarragon, and parsley. Stir gently. Taste and adjust. Serve immediately.

Notes

Fresh tarragon at the very end only — cooked tarragon loses its fragrance almost completely.
Dried tarragon goes in at the beginning if fresh is unavailable — use 1 tsp at the shallot stage.
Dijon mustard deepens and rounds the sauce — it does not make the sauce taste of mustard.
Brown the chicken properly — the golden bits on the base of the pan are essential flavour.
Lemon juice at the end brightens everything — the cream sauce needs it.
Add fresh tarragon again when reheating stored leftovers.
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