Sautéed Chicken Breasts With Tarragon
Updated May 15, 2025
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1teaspoon Madras curry powder
- 6large (about 6 ounces each) or 12 small (about 3 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt
- Canola oil
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1tablespoon minced shallot
- ¼cup dry white wine
- 1cup chicken stock
- 1tablespoon coarsely chopped tarragon plus 1 tablespoon whole tarragon leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
123 calories; 8 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 8 grams protein; 208 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
In a small bowl mix together paprika and curry powder, and sprinkle on both sides of chicken breasts; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Step 2
Place 2 breasts on large sheet of plastic wrap, cover with more plastic and pound with a mallet until they are about ¼-inch thick. Repeat with remaining breasts. (Chicken may be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)
- Step 3
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Season chicken on both sides with salt. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add enough canola oil to film the bottom of pan. Working in batches, without crowding, place breasts smooth side down and let cook until golden brown, 1 to 1½ minutes. Turn and cook for another 1 to 1½ minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven.
- Step 4
Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and shallot, and sauté for 30 seconds, swirling pan to coat shallot with butter. Add wine, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add stock, bring to boil, and cook until reduced and slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 5
Stir in chopped tarragon, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and any juices that have accumulated on baking sheet. Swirl to melt butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken on a warmed platter, pour sauce over it, and garnish with whole tarragon leaves.
Private Notes
Comments
Argh! I read the intro and it says this can be ready in 20 minutes. Imagine my disappointment when I read the recipe only to find out there are 2 hrs of marinating time as well. What am I cooking for dinner now?!
This was delicious. I added mushrooms to the sauce and I think that improved it. I didn't have "sweet" paprika. No worries.
I make this about once a month or so. It's very tasty. Any changes I've made don't make it better, just a bit different: if I don't have a shallot, I use sweet onion or scallion. I've sometimes cut back a bit on the butter, which is probably why the sauce doesn't thicken enough, but that's okay. It's still rich and I like a lot of sauce for the rice that I usually serve with it.
Good, not great. I was excited to try this recipe and use the beautiful tarragon in my garden. This tasted to me like a recipe from the 1980's and made me wish for an update to freshen it up. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great, and had it not been for the comment about it taking more than 20 minutes due to the marinating time, I would have made the same mistake and been caught up short on time. Always read the comments. They're so helpful!
Yum! I had this cocktail at a restaurant and loved it so was excited to try it at home. Delicious as-written! I’ll be buying more lemons tomorrow for another pre-dinner cocktail!
This was very good. I doubled the mixture of curry and Sweet paprika 2tbs/2tbs because I felt I otherwise would not have enough to adequately cover the chicken breasts I had already pounded & cut up. The tarragon was fresh and flavorful. Served this with rice simmered in broth & peas. Really nice dinner.