Because chicken without tarragon and garlic isn’t chicken dinner in our home, I planted “tarragon” in my garden when we moved to Houston 18 years ago. I never knew why that herb, while still tasty, wasn’t as flavorful as the tarragon I purchased up north. It’s surely not the same, and given our hot climate, I should have realized this. It still imparts a mild licorice vibe, but not quite the same. Thanks—now I know why. I’ll just chop up more! Now if I could just find a good sherry vinegar here. . ..
Hot and dry sounds like Provence to me, where tarragon flourishes.
There’s a type of tarragon that has almost no scent though it looks exactly like the other. The tarragon used as an herb in cooking is usually sold as French tarragon. There was a period maybe 15-20 years ago when nurseries around me had lots of the non-scented kind, and the only way you could tell the difference was by pinching a leaf.
Taragon is also fantastic with tomatoes as a change from basil
I am glad for this recipe.
We like chicken and this could be a great addition to the recipe box.
We like chicken and this could be a great addition to the recipe box.
Made this tonight & it was terrific... the overnight marinade was essential, as the tarragon flavor came out perfectly. Used more garlic & oil than the recipe called for, also the wife prefers white meat so I cut a split breast in half horizontally & added it 5 minutes after the thighs went in, everything was finished at the same time...broiling at the end was needed to crisp it the way we like...will definitely be making this again...
I saw this recipe and was so excited because I love tarragon. Went straight to Eataly's produce dept. and purchased tarragon and moved on to the the meat dept. and purchased chicken thighs. Followed Melissa's recipe completely -- no subs. Instructions and results were perfect. Thighs succulent and perfectly cooked. However, not a real tarragon flavor. Tonight I made shrimp risotto and used the leftover tarragon. I chopped it up and started sniffing. No mistake about it -- the overwhelming odor was marigold. Joe and Mario you should be ashamed! You are not selling French tarragon. Buyers beware of Eataly.
Can anyone tell me why pictures are not printed with the recipe? They're always so great and it would be nice to have them included.
In California, I remember fresh tarragon was unforgettable wonderful chicken, omelettes...but in NYC, fresh tarragon which seems French! is absolutely bland, a loser. I've checked the comments here, suggesting it's Russian or Mexican marigold...not quite convinced as when I do photo checks of our NYC tarragon it looks like the French. Then, dried tarragon is a total bust as well. It would have been nice if the wonderful Ms Clark had addressed this since I am obviously not alone.
Tarragon can really jumpstart a chicken or potato salad.
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The inspired combination of tarragon and sherry vinegar reminds me of a great Paula Wolfert recipe for pork chops, using the same flavors, plus garlic and butter. Really quick, really easy, really delicious.
One more simple combination- sautéed new carrots: butter, a sprinkle of tarragon, done. A squeeze of lemon at serving.
Thinking about its use: it doesn't seem to go well with many standard combos, many which include garlic. Fennel has a strong anise flavor and some sort of effect on the tastebuds which can distort some other flavors, and a quick bit or research shows that it shares some chemical with tarragon.
Thinking about its use: it doesn't seem to go well with many standard combos, many which include garlic. Fennel has a strong anise flavor and some sort of effect on the tastebuds which can distort some other flavors, and a quick bit or research shows that it shares some chemical with tarragon.
Melissa so are so spot on. We grow tarragon every summer, in fact due to the mild winter, last year's container has sprouted again, and yes it is the least used herb in our garden. This recipe could change that. Thanks.
Cooking time and temperature please?
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Click on the recipe below the article.
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Folks should understand that Tarragon is a perennial; plant it, and it comes back year after year. The first shoots in Spring are almost unbelievable....tender, succulent, pluck them eat 'em straight in the garden. After a few years, you'll have a Tarragon bush that just keeps on giving. When it starts dying off in Fall, pluck it all and soak the leaves in a fine olive oil. The infused oil keeps well and it's a fantastic mid-winter salad dressing.
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Hooray! Tarragon is my favorite herb.
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I love tarragon and use it often.
But there are 10,000 other things that really deserve attention before tarragon.
But there are 10,000 other things that really deserve attention before tarragon.
Love tarragon. Never had to acquire a taste for it, though did for fresh cilantro. Was introduced to that herb in Taiwan where it often dressed spicy beef noodle soup. Yum!
I love tarragon in Chicken salad and baby red potato salad made with red onion (salted and rinsed) and dressed with olive oil, white wine vinegar, a touch of mayo to make the dressing more creamy, and dijon mustard. Delish!
I love tarragon in Chicken salad and baby red potato salad made with red onion (salted and rinsed) and dressed with olive oil, white wine vinegar, a touch of mayo to make the dressing more creamy, and dijon mustard. Delish!
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Tarragon is my all-time favorite herb to use in chicken and eggs, but I didn't know there was such a science devoted to this one herb. I learned something from the comments, and I'll go to bed tonight more educated than I was this morning. But my question is, can you use just plain ol' sherry and add some white vinegar? I realize that the alcohol content may be a deterrent. Still, I hesitate buying sherry vinegar. Such a big bottle for such a small amount.
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Accidentally I discovered Tarragon vinegar when I was much younger, I received it as a gift at a Yankee Swap. It changed my life. I absolutely LOVE tarragon.
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Tarragon has been my secret weapon for years. For some reason no one thinks of it, maybe because dried is so horrid. Grows like a weed and is absolutely magic with chicken, pasta, fish, scrambled eggs, you name it. Even like to chop it and toss it with lettuce greens.
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Sound delicious and worth investigating. For myself chicken needs a lot of help basically the way our poultry is raised and injected with chemicals/antibiotic's it is tasteless .It sells because meat/beef, is supposed to cause cancer.
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The problem with tarragon is that most people have been deceived into believing it is that "Mexican Tarragon" crap. The deception filters down from growers to brokers to vendors to chefs. Chefs may know better but have no problem in writing tarragon on the menu when they are using Mexican Marigold. Like so many other things, the falsehood is accepted for so long that it becomes a quasi- truth. French tarragon is a wonderful herb but needs a particular climate and care. Diners are gullible, which is why most people now believe a California roll is sushi.
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Can't abide tarragon. My problem, I know.
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With chicken I'm with you - would do fresh thyme and put some under skin as well as long marinade.
Tarragon and quiche are also perfect together
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I am so very lucky to have a greenhouse, so winter over tarragon in a giant pot.Have planted it in my veggie garden,but will only last 3 years, or maybe only 1 year. Most garden centers I frequent sell "Russian Tarragon", not "French Tarragon". A totally different plant, and its taste is horrible.Though sold as "Tarragon", is frequently not labelled properly.If that was the herb I tasted, I would hate it too. "French Tarragon", one of my very favorite herbs.Can't wait to try this recipe!
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I absolutely adore tarragon, an herb that is not used much in the Italy, alas. Since moving permanently to this country in 2011, I looked everywhere (and I mean everywhere) for the real deal, rejecting a number of plants that appeared to be the Russian imposter, when I found true tarragon on a brief trip to --where else, Provence -- five years ago.
A word to Jan Laidlaw from Australia: Roman summers are brutally hot, but my tarragon does well in a planter on my terrazza in semi-shade. (I believe it would suffer terribly in full sun.) Every spring when it re-emerges from its winter disappearance, I pot up several pieces that I can place elsewhere... because, well, you never know.
To date, I've had more than enough fresh tarragon to serve all my needs, and impress my Italian friends.
Buon giardinaggio!
A word to Jan Laidlaw from Australia: Roman summers are brutally hot, but my tarragon does well in a planter on my terrazza in semi-shade. (I believe it would suffer terribly in full sun.) Every spring when it re-emerges from its winter disappearance, I pot up several pieces that I can place elsewhere... because, well, you never know.
To date, I've had more than enough fresh tarragon to serve all my needs, and impress my Italian friends.
Buon giardinaggio!
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Thank you so much for your suggestion - I'll try the more shaded option! Always thought that full sun was the only way to go.
Glad to hear that you've experienced the Russian impostor, too. So many people here in Aus have never tried the real French tarragon.
If I ever get enough French tarragon to stuff a chicken , let alone give excess to friends, I'll post this here!
Thanks again,
Jan
Glad to hear that you've experienced the Russian impostor, too. So many people here in Aus have never tried the real French tarragon.
If I ever get enough French tarragon to stuff a chicken , let alone give excess to friends, I'll post this here!
Thanks again,
Jan
One of the problems that other people here have commented on is, I think, the fact that different herbs are sold, purporting to be tarragon, when they aren't, in fact, French tarragon.
In Australia, what is called Russian tarragon is often sold as French. The two tarragons have some similarity as far as leaves are concerned, but the flavors are totally different. The Russian variety grows like a weed. If only the French one would do the same...
Over the last four years, I've tried to grow the French one, but so far have yet to get a large enough bunch to stuff a single chicken. The plant is in full sun, here at Geelong, about an hour's drive south west of Melbourne. It's a true perennial, and dies down completely over winter - we're now towards the end of fall here - autumn to us Aussies.
My plant, which I've tried to grow over the last couple of years, had a mega growth spurt this year - one sprig, a whole 4 inches long. I've tried dried tarragon, but it doesn't have the same flavor as fresh.
I pray that one day there'll be enough to stuff a chicken
In Australia, what is called Russian tarragon is often sold as French. The two tarragons have some similarity as far as leaves are concerned, but the flavors are totally different. The Russian variety grows like a weed. If only the French one would do the same...
Over the last four years, I've tried to grow the French one, but so far have yet to get a large enough bunch to stuff a single chicken. The plant is in full sun, here at Geelong, about an hour's drive south west of Melbourne. It's a true perennial, and dies down completely over winter - we're now towards the end of fall here - autumn to us Aussies.
My plant, which I've tried to grow over the last couple of years, had a mega growth spurt this year - one sprig, a whole 4 inches long. I've tried dried tarragon, but it doesn't have the same flavor as fresh.
I pray that one day there'll be enough to stuff a chicken
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Had no idea some people hate tarragon the way some hate cilantro! To me, the taste and fragrance are pure bliss!
I love tarragon with eggs in any form - scrambled, fried, omelettes. With eggs particularly, I add the tarragon to melted butter in the pan while cooking the eggs.
Tarragon is also perfect with various vegetables - especially broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas. In fact, in my family, we find it makes vegetables palatable to otherwise vegetable-averse kids!
And it's fabulous with fish, makes a great pesto with almonds or pistachios, and wonderful in mayonnaise.
Of course, as with anything, not good to overdo it so much it overwhelms the main ingredient instead of enhancing it.
I love tarragon with eggs in any form - scrambled, fried, omelettes. With eggs particularly, I add the tarragon to melted butter in the pan while cooking the eggs.
Tarragon is also perfect with various vegetables - especially broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas. In fact, in my family, we find it makes vegetables palatable to otherwise vegetable-averse kids!
And it's fabulous with fish, makes a great pesto with almonds or pistachios, and wonderful in mayonnaise.
Of course, as with anything, not good to overdo it so much it overwhelms the main ingredient instead of enhancing it.
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It's a revelation to realize that tarragon - which I loved the first time I tasted it - is a turnoff for a lot of people.
The simplest dish to use it in is an omelette -with a bit of semisoft cheese- the fragrance shines through
The simplest dish to use it in is an omelette -with a bit of semisoft cheese- the fragrance shines through
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Tarragon one of the four essential French herbs...cannot imagine cooking without it. Chicken, lamb, pork all benefit from its delicate taste and aroma. So many great recipes from Pierre Franey and Julia and yours. Thanks Melissa for reminding us of its deliciousness. In North Italy, it's used too, the word is dragoncello.
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Good article. Tarragon is used with chicken, or rabbit, to good effect in the far north region of France, around Lille and Roubaix. It's often combined with cream and beer, served in a white tureen. And frites.
Good point about the herb not being sun-drenched, it is not really a southern, Provence-type herb.
Good point about the herb not being sun-drenched, it is not really a southern, Provence-type herb.
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For years I have been making a beef stew using tarragon. I love the flavor of the herb but, like other commenters, some of the people i've made it for say, ... interesting but not again please. As for the cilantro haters, your genome and mine must be really different.
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French tarragon is extremely had to find. The markets now offer Texas tarragon with its wide leaves and overwhelming anise flavor. I substitute dried tarragon when I can't find the true one.
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I would recommend Penzey's for dried tarragon. It's the best I've found in terms of being closest to fresh.
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I think what you are really getting is Mexican mint marigold. French tarragon will not grow down here, but we use Mexican mint marigold as a substitute. It's also a very pretty bush! (I have an herb garden in my yard!)
Yes there are many unpleasant varieties out there. Weeds really. We call it Russian tarragon in the southwest. If you can get the real French tarragon started in a bed it makes a neat, hardy and water thrifty plant.
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Years ago, I had a recipe for microwave poached boneless chicken breasts in white wine and tarragon. I can't tell you how easy and good this was! Need to find that recipe again....
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I wonder if tarragon is like Cilantro--in that it tastes quite differently to some people. Just the smell is enough for me. The pictured dish looks quite good--perhaps I can substitute another herb in these recipes.
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You can always use basil, as mentioned in the article - check out different Asian basil-type herbs, there are excellent choices that are very flavorful.
I think some people are intolerant of tarragon the way some people are intolerant of cilantro. I can't stand tarragon in any way, shape or form. The licorice-like taste overwhelms my taste buds. I can instantly tell if it has been added to a dish.
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I think this must be right. I find it intense but pleasant in small quantities. My mother despises even the smell. Incidentally, I taste cilantro the way cilantro-intolerant types do. I gradually acquired a taste for what I think of as its peculiar soapy flavor, but was puzzled by its popularity until I grasped that most people were tasting something more mainstream.
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Add me to the "loathe cilantro" group. I used to enjoy tarragon, when used judiciously. However, a friend years ago persisted in using so much of it when cooking chicken that I can no longer stand the smell of it. Moderation isn't a bad word, cooks!
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I've had to throw out large casseroles of chicken with tarragon when no one would taste more than a small bite. Tarragon just makes enemies wherever it goes.
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We love tarragon and it's become a standard in our backyard herb garden. Can't imagine making tartar sauce without it. It's also one of the herbs I use in this roasted cauliflower recipe, combining it with mint and parsley:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017902-whole-roasted-cauliflower-wi...
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017902-whole-roasted-cauliflower-wi...
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When I was a young woman, and learning to cook French flavors and techniques from Julia Child's work, I made roast chicken with tarragon leaves and butter under the breast skin. It was so good, I proposed to cook a meal for the entire family, French style. The proposal was accepted. Went to the family home with great ingredients, did the prep, did the cooking, and served. No cheers. I had not considered the meal as a whole. Except for dessert, everything was white or pale, and everything was flavored with tarragon. I haven't used tarragon since then. Will need to emotionally disconnect from the failure, to explore this flavor again.
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You should have re-styled it as a "tarragon tasting menu." :) That is the kind of exercise you do in culinary school to learn the dimensions of a seasoning in different contexts. The family seems ungrateful; you made a great effort. Explore it again, this time with curious people! Cheers!
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