This oven-poached tarragon chicken is perfect in so many ways! It’s low-calorie, quick to make (hello weeknight dinners), heart-smart and very nutritious. Simple yet rich in flavour, it takes little more than popping a few ingredients in a dish and putting it in the oven.
Based on home-made chicken stock with its wonderful comfort and healing properties, this meal is good for the mind, body and soul. And the goodness of chicken stock isn’t just an old wives tale: there is a wealth of scientific research that demonstrates its benefits. Chicken stock contains glutamine, which soothes the gut lining, enhancing digestion and supporting the immune system (good news for those suffering tummy upsets or conditions like IBS). It also contains collagen & amino acids which support things like the skin, tendons, bones, muscles, ligaments, sleep, memory, and performance. Phew!
The sauce is quite thin in this recipe, so if you’d like to thicken it or bulk the meal out, I have a couple of recommendations. If pasta is your thing, you can throw a couple of handfuls of a fine pasta like risoni into the tray and mix it through five minutes before cooking is due to finish. Alternatively, mix a couple of whisked eggs through instead, which will thicken the sauce & increase the protein.
Here’s How to Make It
Slice the chicken as you like (I leave it at least 1/2″ thick) and lay it along the bottom of your baking dish. Chop the tomatoes and layer them on top.
Mix the lemon zest and juice, garlic, chicken stock, wine and mustard together in a bowl. Pour this mixture over the chicken and make sure it is fully submerged.
Strip the leaves from the tarragon, rip them apart a little, then add them to the top of the dish. Cover with foil (or a lid) and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with steamed green vegetables or salad.
Oven-Poached Tarragon Chicken
Equipment
- 1 small deep oven-proof dish
- 1 small sheet of alfoil
- 1 kitchen knife
- 1 chopping board
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken thighs, boneless & skinless breast fillet can be substituted
- 125 grams fresh tomatoes
- 1 lemon lime can be substituted
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 750 ml chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C (355F)
- Slice or dice the chicken as you like.
- Place the chicken into an oven-proof dish. Make sure the dish you choose is fairly small and deep, so that the chicken can be fully submerged in the liquid.
- Chop the tomatoes and spread over the top of the chicken.
- In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken then cover the dish tightly with alfoil or a lid.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Serve with vegetables or salad.
