Fragrant, colourful, beautiful and delicious, Lemon Tarragon Chicken ticks a lot of boxes. I love to serve this when I want something really eye-catching that can easily go from the oven straight to the table. Served alongside some potatoes and veg, it’s the perfect weeknight dinner that doesn’t require too much time or effort.
If you don’t really like lemon much, then I’m afraid this recipe won’t be for you. I love sharp citrus and the way it softens and sweetens as it roasts in the oven. It’s the perfect compliment to chicken! Tarragon adds fragrant aniseed and herby flavours that fill the kitchen with beautiful aromas as it cooks. These flavours together are a match made in heaven.
One thing about this recipe that’s very convenient is that it’s so easy to double up on. There’s more than enough lemon & tarragon flavoured liquid in the casserole when it’s all said and done, so by simply adding two more chicken breasts you can just as easily feed 4 people as you can 2.
The sauce for this version of Lemon Tarragon Chicken is quite sharp with lemon, so when serving do be cautious. A little drizzle goes a long way. Don’t forget to have some crusty bread on the side for mopping up the pan juices and any of the softened roasted lemon flesh you can coax out. Let’s get started!
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 150ml dry white wine or dry white sparkling wine (like Champagne or Prosecco)
- 150ml chicken stock
- Leaves from a handful of fresh tarragon sprigs
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° Fan / 350°F and prepare the chicken breasts by seasoning with salt & pepper on both sides.
- Heat the oil in a flame-proof casserole with a lid that can also go into the oven (cast iron styles like Le Crueset work well for this) over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until you get a good amount of colour on them, but you don’t need to cook them through at this point. When your chicken breasts are golden, remove them to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook stirring for a minute or two to soften and then sprinkle in the lemon zest and stir to combine.
- Add the lemon slices and cook for another couple of minutes, allowing them to get a little caramel colour on each side before adding in the tarragon. Cook for another minute or two, stirring in the tarragon to allow it to mix in and wilt a bit.
- At this stage you should have quite a bit of colour on the bottom of your pan, so let’s deglaze it by increasing the heat to medium-high and pouring in the wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any darker bits from the pan (this is all flavour!) to incorporate it into the sauce and then pour in the chicken stock. Let this bubble away and reduce slightly until it looks a bit thicker and well combined.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and use a spoon to drizzle some of the pan sauce over it. Pop on the lid and bake this in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- To serve, either take the casserole straight to the table looking beautiful as it is or alternatively, serve each chicken breast plated with a little of the sauce drizzled over the top.
Serving suggestions
Serve with Lemon Pepper Roast New Potatoes, Chilli Garlic Green Beans and some crusty bread on the side for a complete meal.
Tip
- Double the recipe: simply add two more chicken breasts and keep all the other ingredients the same when serving 4 people.
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