Thyme
Tarragon is one of those herbs that took me years to fall properly in love with. For a long time it sat in the back of my spice cabinet, used once for some recipe I no longer remember and then mostly ignored, until a trip we took years ago, and a meal that leaned heavily on it, reminded me how much it has to offer once you actually let it lead. There’s something almost anise-sweet about it, something a little bit French in the way it perfumes a dish without shouting about it, and once I started cooking with it seriously, it became one of my favorite ways to dress up an otherwise simple weeknight chicken dinner.
This is the recipe I make on the nights when October has worn us both out a little, when the light is going earlier and the air finally smells like it means it about fall, and we want something that feels a little special without actually being complicated. The chicken gets seared until the skin turns properly crisp, the kind of crisp you only get by leaving it alone in the pan and resisting the urge to move it around. While that’s happening, a whole pile of onions slowly goes soft and golden and almost jammy, with garlic added near the end so it doesn’t burn, and a generous handful of fresh tarragon stirred in right before serving so it stays bright instead of going dull from too much heat.
Patrick, who used to be deeply suspicious of any herb he couldn’t immediately identify, now asks for this by name, which I consider one of my quieter culinary victories of the last several years. We usually eat it with something simple alongside, mashed potatoes or a crusty bread to take care of the pan juices, because the chicken and onions are really doing all the talking here.
Crispy Tarragon Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Garlic
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Splash of white wine or extra broth
Directions
- Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken skin side down and cook undisturbed for 7 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Flip and cook another 6 to 7 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until soft and golden.
- Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Pour in the wine or broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the Dijon mustard and butter.
- Return the chicken to the pan to warm through and coat in the sauce.
- Stir in the fresh tarragon just before serving, and spoon the onions and pan sauce generously over the chicken.