Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine Sauce

I don't eat meat often unless it's Organic, free range, (blah blah blah), and finding that 'out' adds another level of difficulty to my order so I forgo it completely (besides, you try asking your server where their meat comes from. Most don't have a clue). However, I do try to get incorporate either fish or meat/poultry into my diet once a week.

I made this for dinner on July 4th. Vegan/Vegetarian food just didn't scream 'AMERICA!' like Chicken did. I found the best looking Chicken Dish Photo in Giada de Laurentis' Cookbook, Weeknights with Giada and started cooking!

This recipe is wonderful! To 'health-ify' it I used coconut oil to brown the chicken (just two small spoon fulls instead of 1/4 cup),  I omitted the butter (It didn't need any help being creamy or shiny), and I halved the amount of Dijon only because i'm not a huge mustard fan.

I served this with a Mixed Green Salad with Asparagus and Baby Tomatoes, and Quinoa.

This is the original recipe directly from Food Network. Try it with Coconut Oil and Omit the butter if you want to! Enjoy it... it's seriously SO moist, SO flavorful, SO good and SO easy.

Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine Sauce

Ingredients

Chicken:1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (4 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour for dusting
Sauce:1 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) cipollini or pearl onions, trimmed and peeled
4 cloves garlic, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine, such as Riesling
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus 1/3 cup
1/2 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

For the chicken: In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste, and dust with flour. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.

For the sauce: Heat the same pan used for the chicken over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of tarragon and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook, turning the chicken pieces over every 10 minutes, until cooked through, about 30 minutes total for the breasts and wings and 40 minutes total for the legs and thighs. Transfer the chicken to a platter and loosely tent with foil while finishing the sauce.

To finish the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/3 cup chicken broth and flour. Whisk the flour mixture into the sauce until smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of tarragon.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-with-tarragon-and-white-wine-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback