When we made Felicity’s lemon truffles (recipe over on the Bean to Bar Bonus Recipes Page), we had a bit of leftover tarragon, so I found and modified a recipe for tarragon chicken. The original recipe used crème fraiche, but we were working with ingredients we had on hand, so we went with sour cream. The sauce is liquidly, so Jake put his over rice (not pictured) to absorb some of the rich flavors. So good!

3 lb. boneless chicken, cut into large pieces
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ c. onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
1 c. chicken stock
½ c. dry white wine
½ c. sour cream
½ tsp. lemon zest grated lemon zest

Place the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Leave for an hour at room temperature.

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Place the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become soft and translucent and just start to brown. Add the chopped tarragon and cook for 1 additional minute. Add the chicken, arranged in a single layer over the onion mixture. Add the broth and wine, and bring to a simmer.

Lid the Dutch oven and transfer it to the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 45 minutes, or until the chicken becomes very tender. Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and keep warm.

Strain the pan juices into a saucepan and skim off any excess fat. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, add the sour cream and lemon zest, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly thickened.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve warm.