One Perfect Bite: Smothered Chicken Thighs in a Tarragon and Mushroom Cream Sauce

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Smothered Chicken Thighs in a Tarragon and Mushroom Cream Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My herb garden this year was a half whiskey barrel that sits on our deck. It began the summer with neatly planted starts of rosemary, marjoram, spearmint and tarragon. Unfortunately, while the spearmint clearly triumphed, the tarragon managed to defend its territory and has recently demanded to be used before the first frost takes it down. That, coupled with an abundance of mushrooms that were the result of an overzealous shopping expedition, led to tonight's feature. You'll find the chicken to be rich and delicious and quite easy to do. If you find the light cream to be too caloric, use whole milk instead. Bone-in chicken thighs are inexpensive in this area of the country, so this company worthy dish can be made for less than a king's ransom. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. It is hard to beat fast, easy and delicious. Here is how the chicken is made.

Smothered Chicken Thighs with Tarragon and Mushroom Cream Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the Suburban Soap Box

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 bone-in chicken thighs
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
3 large shallots, peeled and sliced thin
8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons corn starch
2-1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1-1/2 cup light cream or half and half
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2) Season chicken thighs with kosher salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
3) Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add chicken thighs skin side down, cooking in batches, if necessary, so pan is not crowded. 4) Cook chicken until skin is crispy and golden brown (chicken will lift away from pan easily at that point...if it sticks, let it cook a little longer.) Turn chicken over, cook until crispy and golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a plate, drain fat and repeat with remaining chicken. Set aside.
5) Drain fat again leaving about a tablespoon in pan. Add shallots to pan. Cook over medium-high heat until softened then add mushrooms. Continue cooking until mushrooms are golden brown. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in tarragon and butter cooking until melted, then sprinkle with cornstarch. Cook for 30 seconds then stir in chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Once mixture begins to thicken, turn off heat and stir in half and half and mustard.
6) Return chicken to pan. Roast chicken for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.