• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Mediterranean Latin Love Affair
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Miscellaneous
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Mediterranean Food
  • Albanian Food
  • Latin Food
  • Bolivian Food
  • About
  • Follow Me:

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Tarragon Chicken In White Wine Sauce

    Published: Feb 13, 2019 · Modified: Apr 17, 2023 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    • 251
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you are looking for an elegant chicken dish that doesn’t require a lot of effort, look no further than this Tarragon Chicken in White Wine Sauce. Tarragon Chicken is very easy to make, but it looks gourmet and you’ll impress your guests with a simple meal as if they were dining in a fine restaurant.

    Tarragon chicken in white wine sauce, shown in a skillet already cooked and garnished with tarragon.
    Tarragon Chicken in White Wine Sauce

    Skillet tarragon chicken is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. The chicken is cooked in a skillet with white wine, dijon mustard, and fresh tarragon, creating a flavorful and creamy sauce. We usually serve this dish with rice, potatoes or steamed vegetables.

    I have been cooking a lot more chicken dishes lately because they are fast to cook especially on busy weeknights. Also, I tend to stick to Mediterranean cuisine, my husband wants more low carb/high protein dishes and I don’t have the time to cook separate meals for everyone.

    So one pan chicken meals have been my sanity for the past couple of weeks. I usually make several sides and let everyone choose how they want to serve their chicken.

    Skillet chicken recipes like Creamy Spinach and Mushrooms Chicken and Rosemary Chicken Parmesan make my evenings so much easier.

    Skillet chicken with tarragon in a white wine sauce and dijon mustard. There's tarragon garnishes over the chicken and around the skillet.
    Tarragon chicken with white wine sauce and dijon mustard

    How To Serve Tarragon Chicken?

    I usually serve my chicken dishes with roasted potatoes, roasted vegetables, or salad. If they are chicken meals with sauce, then I do serve pasta, rice or steamed veggies as sides. When I cooked this Tarragon Chicken in White Wine Sauce few weeks ago, I served it over black quinoa fusilli pasta for some of us and over steamed vegetables for others. It was a big success!!!

    What Is Tarragon?

    Tarragon is a culinary herb used mostly in fine cooking. It can be used both in fresh and dry form. This herb has a bittersweet flavor, so for some it can take some getting used to have it in their food. If you don’t know your guests’ preferences go light in the beginning when you use it so everyone can enjoy their meal.

    This herb has been used over the years to help increase appetite, intestinal issues, cardiovascular issues etc.

    The most famous use of tarragon is in bernaise sauce over eggs. Other uses are in seafood, poultry and sauces.

    I love using tarragon in these other recipes: A Tuna Dip with Tarragon and a Salmon with Tarragon and Dijon Mustard Sauce.

    Ingredients

    These are the ingredients I use to make this flavorful dinner. They’re simple and the recipe is not complicated.

    • Chicken breasts – I use about 2 lbs of chicken for a family of four. It can be 3-4 chicken breasts, depending on their size.
    • Tarragon leaves – fresh tarragon is what works best for this recipe.
    • Shallots – you can use red onions in the absence of shallots
    • Garlic – obviously lots of garlic like in most Mediterranean recipes.
    • Dijon mustard – the mustard adds such depth of flavor to the sauce.
    • Dry white wine – if you don’t want to cook with wine, replace with chicken broth.
    • Heavy cream
    • Butter – you can use olive oil instead for a healthier option.

    Sonila’s Tips and Notes about the recipe

    Over the years I have cooked so many variations of this dish. I tend to substitute ingredients, quantities, cooking time or type of protein. I have cooked with chicken breast or chicken thighs, boneless or bone in. Several times I have replaced wine with chicken broth.

    Usually I cook it with shallots, but if i don’t have any shallots on hand, I’ve used white or red onions etc. I will always try to encourage my readers to experiment in the kitchen. Recipes are merely a guideline, your touch and creativity can make a recipe your own:).

    Adding dijon mustard to this recipe is the secret that ties it all together. Dijon mustard makes an excellent taste pairing with tarragon. This combination gives a feel of sophistication or gourmet to such a simple dish.

    If you are going to use drumsticks, then you might have to cook them a little bit longer since chicken breasts cook a lot faster.

    Step by Step Process

    Start by mincing garlic and chopping shallots really fine and set those aside. Then cut chicken breasts lengthwise if they’re too big. Season chicken carefully on both sides.

    Cook chicken on both sides in the skillet after you have melted the butter. Then remove chicken breasts and place them on a platter, covered.

    Seasoned chicken with salt, paprika on a cutting board.
    Searing chicken in butter on the skillet.
    Searing chicken on the other side in the skillet.
    Cooking Chicken

    Once you set chicken aside, it’s time to prepare the Dijon mustard with white wine sauce.

    Preparing the White Wine Sauce with Dijon Mustard

    Add more butter or olive oil to skillet if needed. Start by sauteing the shallots and garlic until translucent. Deglaze the skillet with white wine.

    Then finally you can add the cream, dijon mustard and chopped tarragon to the sauce. Lower the heat and mix slowly to incorporate the ingredients. Taste for salt.

    Don’t add too much tarragon as it might make the sauce bitter. It’s better to go slow and keep adding if desired.

    Place chicken back in the skillet and nestle all the pieces in the sauce. Add fresh tarragon leaves over chicken and sauce as garnish.

    Preparing the white wine sauce for tarragon chicken. You can see the sauce cooking in the skillet.
    White Wine Sauce
    Adding cream and dijon mustard to the skillet to make the white wine sauce with dijon mustard.
    Adding Dijon and Cream
    Finalized chicken and tarragon dish. You can see the chicken in white wine and dijon mustard sauce, garnished with fresh tarragon.
    Final Dish
    A skillet with a creamy chicken dish shown garnished with tarragon leaves.

    Tarragon Chicken In White Wine Sauce

    Sonila
    If you are looking for an easy, elegant and gourmet chicken dish, look no further than this Tarragon Chicken In White Wine Sauce. This tarragon chicken in a creamy sauce can be served over rice, pasta or veggies.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 550 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Skillet

    Ingredients
      

    • 3-4 chicken breasts (about 2 lbs chicken) cut them in fillets or length wise if they are too big
    • 1 tsp sea salt
    • 0.5 tsp paprika
    • 3 tbsps butter
    • 2 shallots
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 1 cup white wine i usually use pinot grigio or chardonnay
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
    • 3 tbsps fresh tarragon leaves add more for garnish if desired, usually I chop 2 tbsps for the sauce and 1 tbsp for garnish at the end.

    Instructions
     

    • Dice shallots and mince garlic, set aside.
    • If chicken breasts are too big, cut them in fillet or lengthwise. It'll help cook the faster if they're not too big. Season chicken with salt and paprika generously on both sides.
    • Saute chicken in butter in medium-high heat on a large skillet. Once chicken pieces become golden brown, flip them once. Once cooked on both sides remove chicken with tongs from skillet and place them on a plate. Cover so they remain warm.
    • Add an extra tablespoon of butter to skillet if skillet is dry (or some olive oil). Add shallots and garlic to skillet and saute, use a wooden spoon to stir as they cook.
    • Once onion becomes translucent, add wine to skillet. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon and mix everything together. Add dijon mustard, cream and about 2 tbsps of chopped tarragon. Lower heat to medium-low. Mix the sauce thoroughly, taste for salt.
    • Place chicken back into the pan. Pour in the skillet the juice accumulated in the plate where you were storing the chicken. That is all flavor. Let incorporate and cook for 2-3 moire minutes and turn heat off.
    • Finally add about 1 tbsp of tarragon leaves that will serve as garnish. Serve right away over rice, pasta or veggies.

    Notes

    • This recipe is for 4 people but I always end up with leftovers, maybe because my children are still young and don’t eat full portions yet. 
    • To make the recipe healthier, replace butter with olive oil and maybe heavy cream with half and half. 
    • Store leftovers in an airtight container, warm up leftovers in a skillet or microwave. 
    • Adjust tarragon to taste, too much can make the dish bitter and too little you’ll miss out on flavor. 

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Tarragon Chicken In White Wine Sauce
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 550 Calories from Fat 252
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 28g43%
    Saturated Fat 15g94%
    Trans Fat 0.03g
    Monounsaturated Fat 7g
    Cholesterol 214mg71%
    Sodium 963mg42%
    Potassium 1175mg34%
    Carbohydrates 10g3%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 52g104%
    Vitamin A 1207IU24%
    Vitamin C 8mg10%
    Calcium 143mg14%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 550kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 52gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 15gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 963mgPotassium: 1175mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1207IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 143mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword chicken in white wine sauce, creamy tarragon chicken, mustard chicken, tarragon chicken
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!
    Can you make grilled tarragon chicken or roasted tarragon chicken instead of the creamy skillet one?

    Yes, you can. Even though they’d be totally different recipes I can give you a quick outline. Marinate chicken in olive oil, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and paprika. Then grill or roast as desired!! If you love the creamy tarragon sauce from this recipe, you can still prepare that as a sauce and serve it over the grilled chicken or the roasted chicken. Enjoy:).

    Does tarragon come in a dry form instead of fresh?

    Yes, it does. It’s not common but I have been able to find dry tarragon in the market too. However, I can’t seem to achieve same results with the dry version as I do with fresh tarragon leaves. Feel free to try for yourself and let me know:).

    If you would like to save this recipe for later on, please pin the image below to Pinterest. Let me know in comments if you have any questions. Feel free to tag me in social media with pictures of your version of this recipe. Thank you for reading my blog:)

    An image prepared for Pinterest. It shows a picture of Tarragon Chicken in a white wine sauce with cream and dijon mustard. Picture has a title bar on top and a website link at the bottom.
    Tarragon Chicken In White Wine Sauce

    Additional Mediterranean Inspired Chicken Recipes

    I love cooking Mediterranean food since I grew up in the Mediterranean. Some are family recipes and some are inspired recipes from the surrounding countries.

    • Sheet Pan Mediterranean Chicken with Veggies
    • Chicken Kebabs in Cast Iron Skillet
    • Mushrooms and Spinach Chicken in a Creamy Sauce
    • Chicken in Sun Dried Tomatoes Sauce with Mushrooms

    More Main Dishes

    • An oval Dutch oven showing a cooked chicken and rice dish. The food seems to have lots of veggies in the picture peaking through the rice like peppers, onions, olives etc.
      Spanish Chicken and Rice in the Dutch Oven
    • A dinner plate showing a breaded steak, topped with tomatoes and onions, next to rice and lemon slices.
      Beef Milanesa Steak (Milanesa de Res)
    • A baking dish showing a baked casserole made with spinach and rice and topped with eggs.
      Albanian Burani – Spinach, Rice and Eggs
    • A platter with cooked and slathered in bbq sauce country style boneless ribs.
      Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Dutch Oven
    • 251

    Filed Under: Main Dishes, Mediterranean Food, Recipes

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Moire

      June 27, 2023 at 7:39 pm

      5 stars
      We had this for dinner last night. It was SO good!! Definitely making it again.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        June 27, 2023 at 8:06 pm

        Thank you so much for letting me know:)). I really appreciate it!

        Reply
    2. Jennifer Pompaski

      May 02, 2019 at 6:35 am

      This looks delicious! I love the food plating as well. Couldn’t help but pin to my food recipes board! I love your blog by the way!

      Reply
      • admin

        May 02, 2019 at 10:49 am

        Thank you so much!!!

        Reply
    3. matthew ukwadia

      February 19, 2019 at 3:45 am

      5 stars
      This looks yummy and easy to prepare. Would definitely try this recipe on a less busy weekend

      Reply
      • admin

        February 19, 2019 at 2:49 pm

        Thank you Matthew:).

        Reply
    4. Poorna Banerjee

      February 17, 2019 at 2:01 pm

      easy peasy! Loved the recipe! Please do visit my blog too!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        February 17, 2019 at 5:34 pm

        Thank you!! Just checked out your page:), the country chicken curry looked delicious.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    More about me →

    Trending Recipes

    • Chicken drumsticks and rice casserole
      Baked Chicken & Rice
    • Keto/Low Carb Creamy Spinach and Mushrooms Chicken
      Creamy Spinach and Mushrooms Chicken
    • Seared lamb chops in a cast iron
      Cast Iron Grilled Lamb Chops
    • A platter of potato salad, decorated with dill over a bed of green lettuce
      Mediterranean Potato Salad

    Featured In

    As Seen In collage as of Fed 2021

    My Web Stories

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Contact

    Privacy & Disclaimer Policies

    CCPA

    Do Not Sell My Information

    Weekly Newsletter!

    Please Sign Up for our weekly Newsletter for recipes and more:)

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

    Copyright © 2022 MediterraneanLatinLoveAffair