Here it is... Judy Hallberg's Chicken w/ Tarragon Cream Sauce

After many requests for Judy's entree recipe at this year's Greens Meeting, here is her recipe. Thanks so much Judy.

Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce

Serves 4

Cooking the chicken

·       2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2 pounds. (use large whole chicken breasts)

·       1 tablespoons coarse salt – for optional brining

·       ¼  cup fresh tarragon leaves, or 2 tbls dried tarragon

·       1 – 2 cups water

·       ¼ cup white wine, vermouth

Optional, brine the chicken: rub  1 tbsp. coarse salt over chicken pieces, put in shallow enamel  or crockery bowl, cover and keep refrigerated for 24 hours, turning the chicken once. Before cooking, rinse chicken thoroughly.

Poaching the chicken: Heat oven to 325, put chicken in stainless steel or oven safe crockery pan, add tarragon, white wine and enough HOT water to cover chicken. Cover the pan and place in hot oven.

Check for doneness at 45 minutes. Add more water if necessary to keep chicken covered (but not drowning). A fast-read meat thermometer is useful – DONE is 155. The meat should be slightly underdone as it will continue to cook after removing from the heat.

Remove from oven and let chicken cool in the poaching liquid at least 2 hours. Refrigerate if you don’t plan to serve it within 3 hours. Use within 24 hours or drain and freeze.

Slow cooker poaching is preferred if you have one large enough for the amount of chicken you’re cooking. It will take longer than the oven method and requires less water. Use whatever temperature setting is hot but not simmering.

Tarragon cream sauce

·       ¾  cup plain mayonnaise, reduced fat versions are OK

·       1  cup béchamel or white sauce

·       1 tbls fresh, whole tarragon leaves or 1 teas dried tarragon

Judy’s béchamel sauce:  (makes 1 cup

·       1 tbls butter

·       2 tsp flour

·       ½ cup chicken stock

·       ½ cup warm milk

·       Nutmeg, pepper

Melt butter in saucepan until it foams, quickly toss in flour and whisk or stir, whisk in hot chicken stock, whisk in warm milk, remove from heat. It should be the consistency of heavy cream. Add pepper to taste, add salt sparingly – check your chicken to see how salty it is before you add salt to the sauce. Add a pinch – 1/8 teas nutmeg.

Combine béchamel and mayonnaise, stir in tarragon.

Drain chicken pieces, cut each in half to make 4 pillow shaped pieces. Put chicken in shallow baking and serving dish with space between each piece. Blanket the chicken with the sauce so it is generously covered but not swimming in the sauce. Garnish with whole, sliced or coarsely chopped almonds.

Heat for 15 minutes in 325 oven. Do not overheat as the sauce will get crusty and the chicken will be overcooked.

This is also delicious served cold. NOTE: I poach larger quantities of chicken this way and then use the meat in salad or with various sauces or sliced. It’s very important to not slice the chicken until it is completely cool as the juices will escape and you’ll be left with dry meat. This is a very low fat method and you need the meat to retain as much juice as possible.