French Bistro Chicken with Tarragon Tomato Sauce

The success of this dish depends on the quality of the chicken you buy and the ripeness of the tomato you use. If you don't have ripe red tomatoes from the garden, use canned.

The inspiration for this dish came from a meal I had in a small restaurant outside of Lyon, France. A college friend and I were hitchhiking through on our way south from Strasbourg. We stopped for the night and had a fantastic dinner near the local pension where we stayed. Typically, I can't remember the name of the town or the restaurant, but I can remember what was in that dish! For fourteen years I have reminisced over the stove while making this treat. Here is as close as I can get to the original.

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  
• 3/4 cup flour
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 medium sized red onion, finely diced
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
  
• 1 1/2 cups tomato concasse (or diced canned tomatoes)
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (not dried!)

Cut the chicken into eight pieces. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow pan and dredge each piece of the chicken in the flour, making sure to shake off the excess.

In a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat until the oil slides easily across the bottom of the pan.

Add the chicken to the pan in a single non-crowded layer. (Do this in two batches if you do not have enough space.) Cook the chicken to deep golden brown on each side and set it aside on a platter. Add the onion and the garlic to the pan and cook until slightly softened. This should take only a few seconds. Add the vinegar, turn up the heat, and scrape the flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil the vinegar until it is nearly evaporated. Add the chicken broth and boil until reduced by half. Add the tomato concasse and reintroduce the chicken to the pan. Cover and let the dish simmer on the stove until the chicken is done, perhaps 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter, stir the fresh tarragon into the simmering sauce, and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with the Yukon Gold Smashed Potatoes (pg 133 of the cookbook) and some fresh green beans, et voila!

Serves 6

Return to Recipes Home