Chicken with Mushroom and Tarragon Cream Sauce

French tarragon is a herb that has a slight aniseed flavour and is great with chicken. I look forward to the tarragon coming each year and make a few small containers of concentrated chicken and tarragon stock for the freezer.  For the most intense flavour, simmer the tarragon in the stock until stock is thick and becomes a golden colour and then strain. The Tarragon Cream Sauce is also delicious with pan fried fish





The sauce is easily made and can be spooned over roast chicken. Roast your own or buy a hot roast chicken. Joint the roast chicken into portions or roast chicken marylands. Pan fried chicken works well, particularly thigh fillets and breast, although you need to take care not to overcook the breast as it will become dry. If making the mushroom version, sautee and add mushrooms at the end as this will stop the sauce from becoming grey.

Chicken with  Mushroom and Tarragon Cream Sauce 

1 roast chicken
1 qty of tarragon cream Sauce
500 g mushrooms

Tarragon Cream Sauce

1 generous sprig of French tarragon
1 litre chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, squashed
1/4 cup white wine or dry sherry

1/4 cup cream to finish
freshly snipped tarragon, parsley or thyme
feshly ground black pepper

Place tarragon, stock, sherry or wine and garlic cloves in a saucepan. Simmer until stock has reduced by half. Strain to remove the tarragon and garlic.
Return stock to saucepan, add cream and simmer over low heat until warm.
Pour over meat and garnish with freshly snipped herbs.

Mushroom and Tarragon Sauce
500 g mushrooms, sauteed

Make as for Tarragon Cream Sauce, add mushrooms just prior to serving.