Chicken Tarragon Cooked in White Wine Paired with Oregon Pinot Noir

You’ve heard of drunken duck…well my chicken tarragon cooked in white wine should be christened ‘drunken’ chicken; cooked in wine and then paired with wine. It’s one thing to pair wine with food, but cooking with wine adds a whole new flavour dimension that your palate will thank you for. Additionally, pairing this dish with an Oregon Pinot Noir from the famous Beaux Frères Vineyards is pure perfection! Enjoy!

Prepping the Ingredients

• Begin by setting the oven to 200°C, as you’re going to eventually bake the chicken breasts and you want the oven hot and ready to go.
• I always try and prepare my fresh vegetables before handling meat. I think this helps prevent any cross-contamination. So, before getting the chicken ready, let’s slice and dice some veggies!!

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• Once you’ve prepared the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and tarragon leaves, place them in separate dishes and set aside.

Dredging and Browning the Chicken

• Now, you’re ready to focus on the chicken! Let me begin by saying that you can always make this dish using bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, legs etc…). The skin and bones certainly add more flavour to the dish. The issue in my house is that my kids don’t like the ‘squishy bits’ and they savage their food so quickly that bones annoy them and slow them down. I’m really making them sound like ravenous creatures! So, this is why I’m using boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
• Pat the chicken breasts dry with a towel, place on a plate and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Pour the cup of flour onto a dry plate, dredge the chicken breasts, and set them aside on a dry plate.

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• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter (you may need to use more if you cook more batches) in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Once fully melted, add the dredged chicken breasts and brown for 2 minutes on both sides. Try not to move the chicken around, as the browning occurs when the chicken remains in place. Also, if you’re cooking in batches, remove any ‘bits’ from the Dutch oven to a separate plate between batches. These will burn and then you can reincorporate them later.

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• Once browned on both sides, remove the chicken breasts from the Dutch oven and arrange in a baking dish.

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Tarragon White Wine Sauce

• Now, you’re ready to begin creating the creamy Riesling and tarragon sauce. Melt two tablespoons of butter in the Dutch oven and sauté the shallots, bacon lardons and pressed garlic for about two minutes over medium-high heat. Add the sliced chestnut mushrooms and cook for another minute.

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• Next, pour the Riesling into the mix and watch it bubble away for about 30 seconds. I chose to use an off-dry Riesling over a dry Chablis for two reasons; it adds a bit of sweetness to the mix and also has a higher acidity level which cuts through any greasiness within the dish. Your goal is to create a cream sauce that complements, not overpowers, the amazing, earthy flavours.
• Then add the chicken stock, Dijon mustard and single cream. Stir together and bring to a slow, gentle simmer. You don’t want the cream to separate, and this happens when sauces are heated too quickly.
• At this point, add the bay leaves and tarragon leaves, stir and simmer for approximately 10 – 15 minutes. This will enable the sauce to reduce and thicken.

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• Once the sauce has thickened, season with salt & pepper and pour over the chicken breasts. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

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When the chicken is done cooking, remove from the oven and check that the chicken is cooked through. It should be juicy and tender but not pink!

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Serve

• Plate your chicken and serve with a side of scalloped potatoes and green beans. Keeping the side dishes simple, enables the chicken to be in the spotlight.

Wine Pairing

• Serve with a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir.

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