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This creamy tarragon chicken recipe is a very easy meal that’s designed to impress! It’s ready in just half an hour, so you’ll feel like a gourmet chef in no time.
Love herb-forward chicken recipes? Try my Creamy Lemon and Herb Pot Roasted Chicken or Creamy Dijon Rosemary Chicken next.
Why you’ll love it
As with all of my 30-minute chicken recipes, I love combining a handful of high-impact ingredients to make life a whole lot easier. There’s no need to source a bunch of obscure things to make this creamy tarragon chicken, but it definitely feels like fine dining!
Fresh tarragon and chicken belong together, and the white wine cream sauce here is a little bit of heaven. Picky eaters will enjoy this chicken dish, and it’s on the table very quickly for everything from an after-work meal to serving for family and friends on a special occasion.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 smaller pieces so they cook through faster and more evenly and remain tender
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, seasoning the cutlets will perk up the chicken even before we get started with the sauce
- Flour – dredging the cutlets in flour will result in a beautiful crust
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying and making the base of the buttery sauce
- Wine – use a dry white wine you’d normally enjoy drinking, not a cooking wine. Sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio would be my recommendations here.
- Tarragon – it’s the star that gives the sauce a fresh, fragrant finish
- Heavy cream – what makes the sauce rich and delish
What does tarragon taste like?
- Tarragon is bright, herbaceous, and has the slightest subtle hint of anise (or licorice) flavor, but it’s definitely not overpowering. It’s a classic herb pairing with poultry because they taste so fantastic together. People often consider it a very elegant herb choice.
How to make tarragon chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken into four cutlets, and season with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Dredge in the flour, and pan fry until golden. Transfer to a plate. In the skillet, cook the wine and deglaze the pan (scrape up browned bits). Add the remaining butter and the tarragon, and simmer.
After a couple of minutes, pour in the cream and return the chicken to the pan. Lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced a bit. Taste, season with salt & pepper if needed, and garnish with parsley if using.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Never overcook or undercook chicken again by using an affordable instant read meat thermometer. It’s so helpful to get to that perfect 165F.
- My trusty Le Creuset 10.5″ skillet is the one I generally use for my skillet chicken recipes. It comes in a bunch of fun colors!
- Don’t have a sturdy cutting board yet to chop the tarragon? This Epicurean cutting board is my favorite.
- Store any leftover fresh tarragon in a herb saver.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream. Half a cup among 4 portions isn’t a lot, and anything lower fat is likely to break the sauce and simply not taste as good.
- If you must substitute the white wine, use chicken broth, but keep in mind the dish will be less flavorful overall. I’d also add half teaspoon or so of Dijon mustard if you’re using chicken broth so it adds a little zip.
- You can add in more fresh herbs if you happen to have some, or try my similar Creamy Herb Chicken Recipe instead.
What to serve with tarragon chicken
- The cream sauce is great over a pile of Mashed Potatoes, a classic Baked Potato, rice, or even pasta.
- Easy Roasted Asparagus or Easy Roasted Cauliflower are two vegetable side dishes I’d definitely recommend. Steamed broccolini would be another!
- A salad with my homemade Balsamic Dressing or Olive Garden Dressing is always a good idea. Neither requires a blender to make.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover tarragon chicken for 3-4 days in an airtight container in your fridge.
- To reheat, do it slowly over a low heat in a saucepan for best results so that the chicken doesn’t dry out.
- This dish won’t do well in the freezer due to the dairy content.
More easy chicken recipes
If you made this creamy chicken recipe with a tarragon sauce, please leave a star rating and review below! Questions not answered in the post above? Talk to me. You can also find me on Instagram.
Tarragon Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Fresh chopped parsley, for serving optional
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and garlic powder, then coat them in the flour.
- Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes/side until golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the wine to the pan and let it bubble for about a minute. Stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the remaining butter and the tarragon to the pan, and continue simmering for another 2 minutes.
- Add the cream and chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened up a bit. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed and sprinkle with fresh parsley if using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I want to try this so bad but none of my local stores sell fresh Tarragon. Can I use dried Tarragon instead? And if so, how much? Thank you!
Hi Amber! You could definitely try it with dried tarragon. I’m not sure if it’ll have quite the same effect but I think it’s worth a try. The general rule is use 1 teaspoon dried herb to replace 1 tablespoon fresh. With that said, some herbs are stronger than others, so I’d taste the sauce and adjust as needed. Let me know how it goes!
Thank you so much! This recipe was incredibly delicious! I used 1 tsp dried Tarragon in place of fresh. I also substituted chicken broth for white wine. Even with those changes it was so good! Even my kids loved it!
Yay!!! 😀
Yum – this was so delicious Natasha! My husband said that it was the best chicken recipe that I ever made (and trust me, I’ve made a LOT of chicken recipes). Plus it was so easy to prepare. I will definitely be making it again – just loved the tarragon sauce. Thank you so much for yet another wonderful recipe ❤️
That’s so great to hear, Jenny!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know!
It was awesome!!! At the end, my husband and sons ( teens) had CLEANED the OAN! My husband was asking me if shrimp would go with the sauce. Also, they said that I need to do a triple portion of sauce because it’s that good. Thank you!!!
I love that!!! You’re very welcome, Tricia!! Thanks for your review!
This was a definite winner. It is a very classic French style dish. Easy to make and delicious. I served with rice pilaf and green beans as shown, served with a chilled white wine (Saint Bris from Chablis). So good.
Thank you so much!! Glad it was a hit!
Wine suggestions?
Sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
We served it with a Saint Bris from Chablis, but sauvignon blanc was my second choice, only because we had St. Bris. Thanks for the response and the recipe.
You are very welcome, Mary! 😀
I made hadn’t this for awhile and forgot how good itis. Made it tonightand we both loved it. Will have include it in my regular schedule.
I’m thrilled to hear it!! Thanks for your review!
Oh my goodness this was so incredibly delicious! It came together easily but was such an impressive and elegant dish. The sauce was to die for 💕. Thank you!
Thank you so much!! 🙂