Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Baked Tarragon Chicken Breasts

This would go nicely with the polenta (below). It's flavorful, and goes together really quickly. I find with the smaller chicken breasts here in Taiwan that the cooking time is a bit shorter than the original recipe calls for (30 instead of 35 minutes). This recipe is easily doubled or halved – just use a pan that will hold the chicken snugly in a single layer.

From Maryana Vollstedt's What's for Dinner?:
Baked Tarragon Chicken Breasts (serves 4 to 6)

Preheat oven to 350ยบ.

In a lightly oiled baking dish (8"x11" or so), place
6 boned and skinned chicken breast halves

In a small saucepan (for stovetop) or small bowl (for microwave) melt
2 tablespoons butter

Whisk in
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons dry white wine (or vermouth)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dry tarragon, crumbled
1/2 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste


Pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 30 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Buying info:
Walason's has dried tarragon, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and vermouth (in the green bottle that says "Martini"). The vermouth is a great substitute for any recipe that calls for dry white wine, and while it's not much cheaper (at least here) than a bottle of sauvignon blanc, it is shelf-stable, so you can always have some on hand.

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