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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Tarragon Chicken Thighs

I love fresh tarragon!  It has a very distinct anise flavor and it works well with chicken, fish or vegetables.  Although tarragon is used extensively in French cooking, it is not used very often in American cooking.  If you've never cooked with fresh tarragon, this is a great recipe to try.  Tarragon can be purchased fresh in your local market during the spring and summer months, and it can be purchased dried, but the fresh flavor is much more bright and aromatic.


For this recipe we wanted to showcase the tarragon flavor by using it with chicken.  Chicken thighs make an inexpensive dinner and they have much more flavor than the white meat, and tarragon adheres to the dark meat very nicely.

The seasoning for this recipe is super easy, by using a compound butter.  This is made with a mixture of butter, olive oil, minced garlic and chopped tarragon.  Mix the butter, rub it onto the chicken, pour a little white wine around the chicken, then pop it in the oven. Dinner is ready in about an hour.  Enjoy!!

8 - 10  Chicken Thighs
Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
4 oz  Salted Butter, softened
1 TB  Olive Oil
1 TB  Minced Garlic
2 TB  Chopped Fresh Tarragon
1 cup  White Wine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Rinse the chicken thighs under cool water and pat dry with paper towels.  Place the chicken on a roasting pan and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the butter, olive oil, garlic and tarragon, blending with a fork until smooth.  Rub a teaspoon of the compound butter onto each chicken thigh, rubbing half inside the skin and the other half on the outside of the skin.  This will help season the meat and keep it moist, while making the outer skin crispy.

Pour the white wine around the chicken thighs and bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and cook for 30 - 40 minutes longer, or until the chicken juices run clear and the chicken is golden and crispy.

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