dijon-tarragon cream chicken

My mom emailed me this recipe last week saying she had all of the ingredients and it would be good for dinner that night.  I loved that the decision making of choosing a recipe was done for me, but I was a little skeptical after I looked at the recipe.  It looked so easy and there were hardly any ingredients…could it really be that great?  Oh yes…it could and it was!  The kitchen smelled amazing while the cream sauce was simmering and I am pretty sure not much was said at the dinner table besides “Mmm!” and “This is SO good!” We served it along with some roasted brussel sprouts (recipe to come), risotto, french bread, and of course a glass of red wine.  

This would be great for a weeknight when you want something special for dinner but don’t feel like spending a ton of time in the kitchen.  It would also be perfect to make for company when you would rather be actually spending time with your company rather than slaving away in the kitchen.  


The recipe comes from allrecipes.com and after reading some of the reviews, I decided to add minced garlic and a shallot to add more flavor, and I also marinated the chicken in dijon mustard for about 30 minutes.  The last change was that I doubled the amount of cream sauce because, can you ever have too much cream sauce?  I don’t think so.    


Dijon-Tarragon Cream Chicken
adapted from allrecipes.com


1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dijon mustard, for optional marinade
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
4 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped


Do ahead (optional): Marinate chicken breasts in 2 tbsp dijon mustard.


Melt butter and olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Place chicken in skillet and brown on both sides.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover skillet, and continue cooking for 15 minutes.  

While the chicken is cooking, you can chop the tarragon, mince the garlic and shallots, and prepare any side you plan on serving with the chicken.  
After the chicken is done cooking, remove from skillet and set it aside while you make the sauce.  
Using the same skillet, add the garlic and shallots and saute for a couple of minutes, until the shallots start to turn translucent and the garlic becomes fragrant.  You might want to add a little bit more olive oil if the pan is pretty dry after you remove the chicken.  
Add the cream and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan.  Add the dijon and tarragon.  Simmer for 5 minutes, when the sauce starts to thicken.

Return chicken to pan and coat with sauce.  

That’s it!  Pretty easy, right?  Don’t forget to drizzle the extra sauce over the chicken when you serve it up. 

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