Tarragon Chicken dinner

I found this recipe on the William Sanoma site about 5 years ago and at the time I'd never tried the popular french herb Tarragon.  It is so simple with a creamy and flavourful Tarragon sauce that is made right in the pan.  I just purchased a Tarragon plant for my garden this weekend and I plan on using it lots this summer!  In the past years I've purchased the herb and kept it in the kitchen but this year I've set aside a small section of my garden for herbs and I planted my precious French Tarragon there!  Hopefully it grows nice and big so I can enjoy lots of dishes with this lovely herb!  I'd really like to try some new recipes that use Tarragon so if you have any to share please comment below and let me know!

Tarragon from the garden

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbs. chopped shallot
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
• 1⁄2 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Directions:

Trim any excess fat from the chicken. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. One at a time, place a chicken breast half between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, flatten to an even thickness of about 1⁄2 inch.

In a large sauté pan or fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. When hot, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and sauté gently, turning once, until the chicken is golden and opaque throughout and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a warmed plate and keep warm.

Pour off any excess fat from the pan and place the pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and sauté, stirring, until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tarragon and cream, increase the heat to medium and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom and blending well. Cook, stirring, until bubbling and thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Return the chicken to the pan and turn each breast several times in the sauce until well coated and hot. Transfer the chicken to a warmed serving plate or individual plates and spoon the remaining sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.