What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen

It appears that Spring is finally upon us. As the warmer temperatures make their way into homes, gone are the days of slow braises and winter soups and stews. And in their place, we’re going to move into a bounty of dishes featuring fresh herbs.

This week, we’re going to highlight one of my favorite herbs: tarragon. A gentle herb with notes of licorice, vanilla, and pepper, the addition of fresh tarragon leaves can elevate a simple weeknight meal into an elegant dinner for two.

Too often, many home cooks don’t prioritize their sauce game, and as a result, their dishes don’t have a level of depth and sophistication that you find in restaurant kitchens. This week’s recipe builds upon one of Escoffier’s foundational mother sauces, where we traditionally make a blond roux and add stock to create a velouté. 

We’ll build upon this sauce with the addition of white wine, cream, fresh tarragon, and Dijon mustard to create a luxurious sauce that will bathe seared chicken quarters. Additionally, we’ll sear the chicken in a cold pan, to allow the skin to get super crispy while allowing the meat to remain super moist and tender.

While this recipe uses chicken, you could easily use this vibrant springtime sauce with fish or with roasted vegetables.

Pan-Seared Chicken Quarters with Mustard and Tarragon Velouté

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup white wine (sauvignon blanc)
• 14 fluid ounces chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Fresh Tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
• Lemon juice to taste
• 2 skin-on chicken quarters
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides liberally with salt and black pepper. In a cold cast iron or stainless-steel skillet place the chicken quarters skin-side down into the pan and turn the heat to medium. Gradually cook one side of the chicken until the skin gets crispy and releases from the pan, about 15-18 minutes.
2. Once one side of the chicken is cooked, place the skillet with the chicken in the oven and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
3. Once up to temperature, remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest.
4. While the chicken is cooking, in a small saucepan eat the chicken stock until simmering.
5. In a separate saucepan or heavy bottomed skillet with high sides, preheat on medium-low and melt the butter. Right as the butter is starting to foam, slowly add in the flour and whisk to combine.
6. Allow the roux to cook, whisking consistently to avoid burning. We are looking for a blond roux here, which will take about 3-4 minutes.
7. Once the roux is lightly colored and has a toastiness to it, gradually ladle in the hot chicken stock into the pan, whisking constantly to work out any lumps.
8. When you’ve added all of the stock, add the bay leaves, and increase the heat a little. Stirring consistently until the sauce comes to a boil.
9. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 10-15 minutes.
10. In a separate stainless-steel bowl, mix the Dijon mustard with a small amount of the sauce to make a slurry and prevent the mustard from forming lumps in the sauce.
11. Reincorporate the slurry into the remaining sauce. Add the cream, Worcestershire sauce, and chopped tarragon. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
12. When serving, flood the plate with the sauce. Top with the seared chicken quarters and garnish with a final crack of black pepper.