TarragonServes 6
Ingredients
- 12 free range, organic chicken thighs
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 1 bay leaf
- Small bunch of thyme
- Small bunch of parsley
- Small bunch of tarragon
- Glass of dry white wine, approx 150ml/¼pt
- A few black peppercorns
- 200ml/7fl oz crème fraîche or other thick cream
- Squeeze of lemon
Method
- Trim the chicken skin so that it just covers the thighs, removing any fat with it.
- Peel and thickly slice the carrots. Peel, halve and slice the onion. Place the carrot in a 2 litre/31⁄2pt capacity, lidded pan with the onion, thyme, parsley, 3 sprigs of tarragon, wine, peppercorns, bay leaf and 1 tsp salt.
- Lay the chicken, skin-side uppermost, on top and cover with 1 litre/13⁄4pt cold water. Bring the liquid to the boil, skimming away any scum that forms and immediately reduce the heat. Cook with hardly a tremble to the water for 40 minutes.
- Lift the chicken on to a plate and strain the stock into a sauté or other wide-based pan. Return the chicken to the original pan, add about 300ml/1⁄2pt of the hot stock, cover and leave to rest and keep warm while you complete the sauce.
- Boil the stock until thick and syrupy and reduced to about 200ml/7fl oz. Add the crème fraîche or cream, stirring until thoroughly mixed, then simmer briskly for a few minutes until thick and slightly reduced. Stir in 2tsp chopped tarragon leaves, taste and adjust the seasoning with a squeeze of lemon juice, simmer for 1 minute and turn off the heat.
- Remove the skin from the chicken thighs, arrange them in a serving dish and pour the sauce over them.
This recipe was first published in the June 2007 edition of Saga Magazine.
Lindsey Bareham's website is: www.lindseybareham.com