Le Poulet à l’Estragon - Roasted Tarragon Chicken

Le Poulet à l’Estragon - Roasted Tarragon Chicken is a classic French dish of chicken roasted with tarragon. It is simple but delicious - so much more than the sum of its few parts. It is traditionally served alongside potatoes or rice.

Home is where the heart is
We have lived it so many places that I have fallen at least a little bit in love with, if not head over heels. I am an unabashed Anglophile starting from my first few years of school on the British system from 1968-70 and a large piece of me will always love tropical Trinidad.

I can cook and samba with the best of Brazil and my deep relationship with Malaysia defies borders and description. Tanah Airku. My homeland. Although, of course, it’s really not.

I’ve been a devoted Francophile since the spring sun began warming our garden just south of Paris and our prolific cherry tree came into bloom in 1992. And I could go on.

But as a person who was raised to love food and adventures with ingredients and preparing deliciousness, let’s just talk some more about France. Never have I lived anywhere more obsessed with the sourcing and the cooking and eating of food. Unless you count my own grandmothers’ kitchens where we would talk about what to cook for the next meal even while eating the current meal.

I learned my way around buying the delicacies of France by asking questions and blundering through with my high school French. If only I had had this book!

A few weeks ago I received a very welcome email about a new book that was just being published called The Farm to Table French Phrasebook: Master the Culture, Language and Savoir Faire of French Cuisine.  It was written by a French woman named Victoria Mas and centered on FOOD: the etiquette of eating, great ingredients and their French translations, how to ask for what you want in France, how to buy it in markets and order it in restaurants or bakeries or butchers and, finally, with a few recipes at the end, how to cook some essential classic French dishes and desserts.

I could have saved myself a scolding from the market stallholders years ago with Victoria’s instructions not to touch the fruit but to allow the proprietor to choose the tomatoes or pears or lettuces for me, if only I had had this book. I could have avoided the distain of haughty French waiters by ordering in French from the get-go. Okay, that’s probably a pipe dream, but it would be worth a try, right?

Gift idea!
If you have aspirations as a Francophile, or know folks who already are, I highly recommend you get yourself or them a copy of this useful book. It’s hardback but a great little size for traveling, which you will want to do directly when it arrives; straight to France to try out all the vocabulary and hints and tips.

Thanks to the publisher, Ulysses Press, I have one copy to give away! Please scroll down to the bottom of this post to leave me a comment to enter. I’d love to hear about whether France is on your must-visit someday list or if some other food-centric country is at the top. It’s all about the food for me. :) If it’s some place else, maybe we can talk the publisher into making this a series with different native authors!

This is not a cookbook but, as I mentioned, it does have some recipes at the end so, even if your trip isn’t imminent, you can still enjoy French cuisine at home. I got permission to share the very simple but delicious recipe for chicken with tarragon with you. I was first introduced to the herb tarragon in France – Is it used anywhere as much as there? – and it is special. It elevates a simple chicken dish from ho-hum to remarkable. What follows is the original recipe as it is in the book with my adaptations in parentheses.

Le Poulet à l’Estragon - Roasted Tarragon Chicken

French tarragon, cultivated for its aromatic, somewhat anise-like flavor, with works beautifully with chicken or fish and is essential in a classic béarnaise sauce.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 1.5 kg/about 3 lbs, cut into 6 pieces (I used 1kg or 2.2 lbs chicken thighs.)
30ml or 2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh tarragon
 (I couldn’t find fresh so I used a couple of teaspoons of dried.)
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C or 375°F.

(First I drizzled a little olive oil in my oven-proof dish.) Place the chicken pieces in an oven-safe dish. Drizzle with the olive oil, garnish with the tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for about 40 minutes.

Turn the chicken pieces every 10 to 15 minutes so that all sides are evenly browned. (I set my timer for 15 minutes and sprinkled more salt, pepper and tarragon on the under side after the first turning.)

(I also browned it under the broiler or grill for about 10 minutes to crispy the skin at the end of the cooking time.)

Serve warm.

See those sticky bits? Those are THE BEST.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer:
This recipe is republished by permission from the publisher. I was sent a copy of The Farm to Table French Phrasebook: Master the Culture, Language and Savoir Faire of French Cuisine to review but no other compensation was offered or accepted. Links to the book are Amazon affiliate links.

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Spicy Southern Fried Chicken

A picnic in the southern United States just wouldn’t be complete without some fried chicken. My grandmother always fried hers in peanut oil because of its health benefits with the added bonus of a very high smoke point, ensuring the chicken will get crunchy on the outside, keeping it tender on the inside.

Did you know that today is International Picnic Day? Yep, that’s right. Why it falls on a Wednesday is anybody’s guess but at the very least, even if you have to work today, let me encourage you to take your lunch outside and find a picnic bench and enjoy it in the sunshine. 

If you’ve read my About Me page, you know that my grandmother’s fried chicken is one of those things I keep trying to duplicate. Mine’s good, because all crispy fried chicken is good, but it just isn’t the same as when she made it for me. I am also open to trying other people’s fried chicken recipes. Because, once again and repeat after me, there is no bad fried chicken. 

A number of years ago my daughters gave me Maya Angelou’s memoir/cookbook, Hallelujah! The Welcome Table.  *Affiliate link* Her fried chicken recipe calls for marinating the chicken for an hour in a generous quantity of fresh lemon juice. I was a little skeptical at first, but I can tell you, it brightens the flavors beautifully without being overwhelmingly lemony. I like to add a bunch of cayenne too to make it spicy but otherwise, this is essentially Maya Angelou’s fried chicken. Just one more reason to admire our late poet laureate and mourn her recent passing.

Ingredients
1 chicken (Mine was a huge fryer, about 6 lbs and a pack of just wings)
2 cups or 480ml fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 teaspoons cayenne

For dredging the chicken:
2-3 cups or 250-375g flour

For frying:
3-4 cups or 710-950ml peanut oil

Method
Wash and dry the chicken with some paper towels and cut it into pieces.  Put all the pieces into a big Ziploc bag or a large bowl and add the fresh lemon juice.

Put it in the refrigerator for one hour, turning the chicken halfway through to make sure the top pieces get their share of lemon juice time.

Rinse, dry and season the chicken generously with salt, black pepper and cayenne.  I say three teaspoons of cayenne in the ingredients list but truth be told, I just keep sprinkling it on until the chicken is covered in red. We like our chicken spicy.

Put your flour in a paper grocery bag. This was something my grandmother insisted on. Plastic would not do.

Dredge the seasoned chicken in the flour.

Heat your oil in large pot. I use a heavy roaster, just like my grandmother did. Ideally, the oil should be at 375°F or 190°C when the chicken is added. Add a few pieces of the chicken and cover.

Fry on high until brown on both sides.

Reduce heat to low, cover the pot leaving just a small gap, and cook for 30 more minutes.

Remove from heat, drain on paper towels (an extra paper grocery bag also works well) and serve hot.  I pop mine into a warm oven if I am not serving immediately and to keep the first batch warm while I fry the rest.

Repeat the process until all the chicken is cooked.

Enjoy!

This leg is for you! 

Curried Cauliflower Chicken Pilaf

Curry powder, cardamom and cinnamon, with a kick of cayenne, make this fragrant curried cauliflower chicken pilaf a delicious and easy one-bowl meal for the many busy days when you are short on time.

This recipe is adapted from Patricia Well’s Vegetable Harvest. Amazon affiliate link>

My husband travels a lot on business so friends often ask me if I cook when he’s gone. Absolutely! Since I love to be in the kitchen creating, and I deserved to eat well, even alone, I do cook. I tend to make simple meals, like pan-fried salmon with salad or pasta and broccoli with crispy prawn chilli paste stirred through, which I adore. I buy the paste in Kuala Lumpur when I am there and have it stockpiled; enough to last me till the next visit. This is my favorite brand, but I am sure there must be others, perhaps even where you live.

The dish I'm sharing today fulfills so many of my needs. It’s full of flavor but easy. Served in just one bowl and nothing to cut so I can eat it with a spoon and read my book at the same time. And when it’s just me eating, it is great, dare I say even better, the next day as leftovers.

Ingredients
3 boneless chicken breasts (Approximate weight 4-6 oz or 115-170g each.)
Sea salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
8 ounces or about 225g cauliflower
12 whole cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 stick cinnamon
1 1/2 cups or 300g long grain rice
2 cups or 480ml chicken stock
Fresh cilantro or coriander leaves or parsley for garnish

Method
Slice your chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cut your cauliflower up into florets.

Measure out your spices and have them ready in a small bowl. Seriously. Just do it.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a skillet and pan fry the chicken until it is browned and caramelized. Remove it from the pan and set aside.

In a large pot with a tight fitting lid, mix the rice with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Cook over a medium heat for just a few minutes and stir so that the rice is well coated with the oil.

Add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. If your stock is homemade and unsalted, add in a teaspoon of salt. I had made mine from stock cubes, which are notoriously high in sodium already, so I didn’t add any extra salt.

Add in your measured spices and the cinnamon stick and give it a quick stir.

Add the cauliflower to the pot, along with the chicken. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer.

Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes and then turn the fire off. Leave the pot covered for at least 10 more minutes or until you are ready to serve.

Discard the cinnamon and fluff the rice with a fork, mixing in the cauliflower and chicken.

Warn your family or guests to avoid chewing on a cardamom seed. (Or you can pick these out too, but I didn’t bother.)

Garnish with cilantro or parsley, if desired.

Enjoy!


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Pan-fried Chicken with Bacon and Asparagus

A great, quick one-pan meal: pan-fried chicken with bacon, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, black olives and basil. Deliciousness on your plate in under 20 minutes! When you pan-fry chicken with bacon, the resulting salty stickiness creates its own delectable sauce, especially when you add a little butter and white wine at the end.

Back in 2002, I met a new love. He was witty and adorable in a crooked-tooth sort of way with a cocky grin and an easy manner that drew me in. We met almost daily, me with pen and paper in hand, ready to take down the words of deliciousness and technique that tumbled from his rosy lips as easily as his broad sunshiny smile.

It was the start of a beautiful relationship that added joy and laughter and good food to my life that has continued to this day. And he is not just a pretty face that could cook! Oh, no! He is also a philanthropist, educating young, at-risk men and women so they can earn their way and learn to be part of a team, bringing misfits into the fold of the tight culinary world.

He also aspires to get the world cooking healthy meals for their families and to bringing real food into the lunchrooms of schools, to better nourish and educate our growing children.

So I guess you all know I am talking about Jamie Oliver, right? Anybody else in love with him too?

Our Sunday Supper theme this week is one-pot meals and two of my favorites come from a single episode of Jamie’s show Oliver Twist, which first aired in 2003. Unfortunately the original has been taken off the internet. I make today’s dish almost exactly as written, only increasing amounts depending how many are coming for dinner.

Substitutions and variations
I’ve also been know to substitute fine green beans for the asparagus when they are out of season or hard to come by. The ingredient amounts are flexible, depending on your appetite so, by all means, if your pan is big enough, add more tomatoes or asparagus (or green beans) if you are extra hungry. I also use my huge non-stick pan to make this for four or six, doubling or tripling the amounts you see here.

Pan-fried Chicken with Bacon and Asparagus

Ingredients to serve two
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 slices smoked bacon, preferably thick cut
2 good handfuls asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed off (or substitute green beans)
16 cherry tomatoes
10 Kalamata olives, stones left in
Handful basil leaves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup or 60ml dry white wine

Method
Cut the thick end of the chicken breast into three relatively even pieces. I loved this trick when I first saw it and use it in other recipes now. It helps the breast cook faster and more evenly since the thick part is cooked when the thin part is. Season the breasts on both sides with a generous sprinkle of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.



Heat a large (at least 12in or 30cm wide) non-stick frying pan and add a drizzle of olive oil. Put the chicken breasts in, round side down and pan-fry for two to three minutes or until the breasts are a lovely golden brown.



Turn the breasts over and lay one folded bacon strip on top of each. Add the asparagus, tomatoes and olives into the pan.



When the other side of the chicken is golden, which takes just a couple of minutes, carefully flip the chicken breast back to the other side, along with the bacon. You want the bacon to crisp up. It took mine only four minutes, so keep an eye on it. Your heat should still be up high so that the asparagus and tomatoes get a little charred on the bottom. Toss them around gently with tongs.



Turn the chicken back over so the bacon is on top again and add your basil and the butter. Add in the white wine and remove from the heat.



Give the whole pan a gentle shake so the wine and melted butter mix and the basil wilts. Jamie suggests smashing a few tomatoes to make a sauce, but I find that the sauce is lovely just as is from the butter and white wine and the sticky bits from the pan-frying bacon and chicken.

Enjoy!

This is not only a great one-pot meal, but it lives up to the name of Jamie’s episode title, which was Flash in the Pan. I timed this and from the moment I cut the first chicken breast until the photo when I am dripping on the sauce on the plate, was 18 minutes!

If you’d love to see all the other great one-pot wonders the Sunday Supper group have for you this week, join me and our host, the talented Amy Kim from kimchi MOM,  and click on the links below.
Take the chill off” Chilis, Soups, and Starters

• Beefy Skillet Nacho Bake by The Weekend Gourmet
• Chicken Corn Chowder by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Chicken Tortilla Soup by What Smells So Good?
• Cream of Tomato and Tortellini Soup by Noshing With The Nolands
• Eggplant Parmesan Soup by The Texan New Yorker
• Fall Squash Chili by Pescetarian Journal
• German Onion Soup by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Korean Oxtail Soup (Kkori Gomtang) by kimchi MOM
• Lasagna Soup by The ROXX Box
• Spicy Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini Soup by Neighborfood
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili by Alida’s Kitchen
• White Bean and Spinach Soup by Ruffles & Truffles

“Put meat on your bones” Stews

• Brew Stewed Beef by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Claypot Braised Tofu by My Trials in the Kitchen
• Dr. Pepper Shredded Chicken (slow cooker) by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Fabulous French Cassoulet by Webicurean
• Moroccan Lentil Ragout with Poached Eggs by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Pepper Beef Stew by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Slow Cooked Beef Stew with Red Wine, Carrots and Tomatoes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Slowcooker Coq Au Vin by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

“Make room for seconds” Main Dishes

• Asian Chicken Rice Pot by a distinguished palate
• Beef and Quince Tajine by MarocMama
• Carnitas with Queso Fresco Enchiladas by Casa de Crews
• Chicken and Dumplings by Hip Foodie Mom
• Crockpot Roasted Corn, Tomato and Broccoli Risotto by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Easy Chorizo, Corn and Potatoes by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Easy Oven Sweet & Sour Chicken by Momma’s Meals
• Jambalaya by Country Girl in the Village
• Mediterranean Chicken Bake by The Dinner-Mom
• One Pot Coconut Rice Shrimp Pilaf by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• One Pot Spicy Pasta by Mess Makes Food
• One-Pot Lentil Chicken by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Pan-fried Chicken with Bacon and Asparagus by Food Lust People Love
• Quick ‘n Easy Asian-Style Quinoa by NinjaBaking.com
• Quick One Pot Red Beans and Rice by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Slow Cooker Garlic and Herb Pork Chops and Veggies by Cookin’ Mimi
• Slow Cooker Hawaiian Kalua Pork by Shockingly Delicious
• Slow-Cooked Italian Beef Sandwiches by Juanita’s Cocina
• Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole by The Urban Mrs.
• Spicy Tomato Pasta by Supper for a Steal
• Sunday Supper Pork and Chorizo by Family Foodie
• Sweet & Sour Vegetarian Stir Fry by Foxes Love Lemons
• Turkey Sausage and Noodle Pesto by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Vegetarian Chipotle Tamale Pie by Curious Cuisiniere

“Can’t say no” Desserts

• Busy-Day S’mores Cake by Treats & Trinkets
• Flourless Almond Butter Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Mascarpone Pumpkin Cheesecake in the Microwave by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Spiced Apple Crisp by Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Vegan Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding by Killer Bunnies, Inc.

Arroz con Pollo or Rice with Chicken for #RandomRecipeChallenge

My fellow food blogger, Dom, posed the question.  If you had 10 seconds to grab one cookbook, which one would it be?  Quick!  Don’t think too long.  As much as I would have liked to say my newest cookbook, received as a gift from my friend, Jenny, (See exhibit A, below, thoroughly bookmarked with recipes I want to try.)   I knew the only genuine choice is the book that comes in the suitcase with me when we move countries.  My all-encompassing, knows-everything standby since the days before the internet and Skype, the 1980 edition of The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook.   You’ve heard me wax eloquent about it here and here.   And I’ve used its recipes too many times to list all the links.  It’s even made it into the Random Recipe Challenge once before, by default.

Exhibit A - Need to bake so much

This month the great book opened at a dish I’ve eaten many times in my lifetime, sometimes called by other names, like jambalaya or paella.  Frankly, I don’t know what the difference is between arroz con pollo, jambalaya and paella, save the names.  Chicken, sausage, rice.  Other odds and ends like seafood and/or paprika and saffron but essentially the same main ingredients, right?   And before a bunch of angry Spaniards flock here to leave shouty comments, (¡Bienvenidos!) my research reveals that I am correct.  At least as regards, paella and arroz con pollo.  I grew up with both jambalaya and arroz con pollo so I rest my case.

Anyhoo, on to the dish and the fulfillment of this month’s Random Recipe “grab and go” challenge.

Ingredients
1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil
4- to 5-pound or 1.8 – 2.25kg roasting chicken
1 large onion
1 1/4 cups or 295ml water
14 oz or 400g can tomatoes
4 oz or 115g canned or jarred pimentos or sweet red peppers
2 1/3 oz or about 65g black Spanish olives
2 cups or 400g Basmati rice
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 chicken stock cubes
16 oz or about 550g smoked pork sausage
8 oz or about 225g frozen peas

Method
Remove your peas from the freezer and set aside.

Cut the chicken up into manageable pieces.  The usual is eight, but, if the breasts are large, as these are, I like to cut them in half as well.

Chop your onion, dice your pimentos and pit your olives.  Slice the sausage into pieces.  Big, small, it’s up to you.

Heat the olive oil and brown your chicken on both sides in your pot, a few pieces at a time.  (Or use another enormous skillet to brown them all at the same time like I did.  Sure, I have another pan to wash, but that takes less time than browning the chicken a few pieces at a time.  Your call.)  Set the chicken aside while you get on with the rest of the recipe.

Cook the onion until soft in the chicken drippings.  At this point I transferred said drippings to the pot I would cook the arroz con pollo in to cook my onions.

Add in the rice and give it a good stir to coat with oil.

Add in the water, the tomatoes, pimentos, olives with all of their liquids along with the stock cubes, salt and pepper.  Stir again to make sure the stock cubes have dissolved.

Now set your browned chicken in the rice pot and bring the liquid to boiling.   

Turn the fire down to low and cover the pot with a tightly fitting lid.  My lid has a little air hole for steam so I covered it first with some foil and then popped the lid on.

Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is almost fork tender and the rice is just about cooked.  Test a few grains to see.

Add the thawed peas to the pot and cook for about 10 more minutes.   Good Housekeeping suggests that if the mixture seems dry when you add the peas, you should put the lid back on.  If it seems wet, you can cook with the lid off.  I put the lid back on.

Serve with another light sprinkle of cayenne or the hot sauce of your choice.  We used this one.

Enjoy!

Once again, I've waited till the very last minute to post my Random Recipe, but if you'd like to join Dom's challenge in future months, follow this link to Belleau Kitchen.