This Rustic Tarragon Chicken is the perfect comfort meal, packed with hearty veggies, tender chicken, and a deliciously fragrant herb sauce. It’s an easy, one-pot dish that’s simple to throw together, making it great for busy weeknights or lazy weekends. With just a few basic ingredients, you’ll have a nourishing and delicious dinner on the table in no time! Remember it’s supposed to be rustic so don’t get hung-up on chopping everything up perfectly.
Health benefits
This dish is loaded with a nutritious rainbow of veggies and lean protein from chicken thighs, making it a wholesome, balanced meal. The combination of antioxidant rich tarragon, garlic, and fresh parsley brings plenty of flavour and nourishment. The chicken broth adds more protein, minerals and gelatinous, gut healing goodness.
Ingredients
The key ingredients for this dish are chicken thighs or drumsticks, fresh or dried tarragon, cannellini beans, and a mix of vegetables like onions, garlic cloves, carrots, capsicum, celery, and sweet potatoes. You’ll also need some chicken stock, dry white wine, and seasonings like sea salt and black pepper to tie everything together.
How to make this tarragon chicken recipe
Start by sautéing the onion and garlic in a deep pan or casserole dish, then brown the chicken on all sides. Add the veggies, beans, tarragon, wine, and stock, season to taste, and pop it in the oven with the lid on for about an hour. When it’s done, finish it off with fresh parsley for a burst of flavour and serve it up!
Serving suggestions and how to store
Serve this rustic tarragon chicken over mashed potatoes, cauliflower puree, or steamed greens like broccoli or kale for a complete meal. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and will keep for up to three days. You can also freeze it for longer storage and just reheat it when needed.
Vary this to suit your dietary needs
For a vegetarian or vegan version, swap out the chicken for tofu, chickpeas, or mushrooms and use vegetable stock instead. If you’re avoiding legumes, simply omit the beans. You can also easily substitute any of the veggies or herbs to suit your tastes, and thyme makes a lovely alternative to tarragon if preferred.
Check out the variations below the main recipe for tips on how to adapt it to your specific dietary needs.
Ingredients
- 1 onion/s -roughly chopped
- 2 clove/s garlic -chopped
- 700 g chicken thighs -or drumsticks
- 400 g can cannellini beans -drained and rinsed
- 2 carrot/s -peeled and roughly diced
- 2 stick/s celery -diced
- 1 red capsicum/s -diced
- 2 sweet potato/s (small) washed and diced
- 3 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves -picked and chopped or 1 tbsp dried
- 60 ml dry white wine (¼ cup)
- 120 ml chicken broth or stock (½ cup) - or vegetable stock
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper -to taste
Serve
- ¼ bunch/s fresh parsley leaves -to serve
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180℃/350℉ (fan-forced).
- Use an oven proof deep pan (with a lid) or a casserole dish. On a stove top, begin with softening the onion and garlic in a little coconut oil or butter over a moderate heat.
- Push aside and brown the chicken. Take off the heat.
- Now add the cannellini beans, vegetables, tarragon, wine, stock, and seasoning. Mix together roughly to make sure the herbs are evenly distributed.
- Place on the lid and throw in the oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until the meat is cooked.
- Finish with parsley leaves (which adds a real freshness to the dish and more nourishment).
Slow Cooker
- This can certainly cooked in a slow cooker. However, as the speed and temperature varies between the many brands of slow cookers, base the amount of liquid you add and the cook time on a similar style of recipe in the guide book for your specific slow cooker. The general rule of thumb is to halve the liquid and double the cook time, but understanding your own slow cooker is the best guide.
Time-saving tip
- If you are pushed for time and want to pre-prepare this meal, don't worry about sautéing the onion, garlic, and meat. Just throw all together, cover and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. You will just need to bake it for an extra 10-20 minutes to ensure the meat is cooked. I also often take the lid off for the last 10 -15 minutes to brown the chicken.
Grab Bag Formula Method
- If you've done the **Grab Bag Formula Short Course, this is the method to convert this recipe...
- Place all the tarragon chicken ingredients (except the lime and fresh coriander) into the Grab Bag.
- Carefully seal your Grab Bag. I close most of the seal then press out as much air as I can then complete the seal. Place the Grab Bag in the freezer.
- To cook, remove the Grab Bag from the freezer, place on a baking tray and thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Tip the contents of the Grab Bag into a large oven proof dish (with a tight fitting lid) or Dutch oven. It may still be a bit frozen; that’s okay.
- Place the lid on the pot, set your oven to 150°C/300°F (fan-forced) and cook for 2 hours.
- If there is a lot of liquid, remove the lid, increase the oven to 200°C/380°F and cook for a further 15-20 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce (the sauce flavour really develops too).
- Finish with parsley leaves. Season again if necessary (sea salt lifts the flavours in this so make sure you add it).
- ** The Grab Bag Formula Short Course is available to purchase for just AU$46 HERE.
- OR
- If you are a full-access Well Nourished Family member, the course is included in your membership and you can access in the members portal - HERE.
Serve
- Over chopped salad greens, chopped kale, steamed broccoli and mashed (pureed) cauliflower or potato.
Make-ahead
- Re-heat (covered) in a low oven until just hot.
Store
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Can also be frozen.
Variations
Vegetarian and vegan
Replace the chicken with 300g of firm tofu or chickpeas and 300g of mushrooms. Choose vegetable stock. Cook for 1 hour.Legume-free
Simply omit the beans.Onion-free
Replace the onion with a small bulb of diced fennel.Garlic-free
Simply omit the garlic or replace with a pinch of chilli.Different vegetables
If you dislike or don't have a particular vegetable, just substitute it or leave it out. This is a very versatile dish - anything goes!Don't like Tarragon?
Simple, thyme is a delicious alternative.Love you to try this tasty dish and let me know how you like it? Did you make any changes, love you to share?
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Anita says
Yum! Looks delicious. Will make this on the weekend.
Georgia Harding says
Hope you enjoy, G x
Rochelle says
Our family fav. We love it!!! Serve with couliflour rice. Yum
Georgia Harding says
That’s fantastic, thanks for the feedback. G x
Nina says
Could you use a slow cooker for this?
Georgia Harding says
Absolutely Nina, it would be delicious slow cooked. G x
Natalie says
Hi Georgia! If I used a slow cooker how long would you suggest I let it cook for? Thanks in advance
Georgia Harding says
I’d go by other similar bakes you’ve cooked in your slow cooker. I’ve had two slow cookers in my life time and it shocked me how different the cook time with the two different brands were (my second one runs much faster so cooks in half the time to my old one). G x
katie says
Hi Georgia, This was so simple and delish. Easy to substitute any veg for whatever. We had it on rice. Just used thyme, not the tarragon though and everyone liked it. will be making again and again
Thanks
Katie
Georgia Harding says
Hi Katie, another winner, thrilled you are loving my recipes G x
M says
Chilly Melbourne weather was perfect for this bake last night. Used spring onion instead of onion and omitted the garlic – worked perfectly. Am looking forward to leftovers tonight! Thank you!
Georgia Harding says
Fabulous – so pleased you enjoyed it. It’s great winter grub for sure. G x
Suzie says
A really delicious meal! I made it in the slow cooker, 3 hours on high. I left the cannellini beans out of the slow cooker but mashed them and served them as a side to soak up all the delicious sauce. Thanks, Georgia!
Georgia Harding says
You’re welcome, thrilled you enjoyed it and thanks for your feedback and for rating the recipe Suzie G x
Emma says
What can you sub the dry white wine with 🙂
Georgia Harding says
A stock or bone broth Emma G x
Maxine Berezy says
Such a wonderful dish to enjoy on a cold Winter’s night. Great flavours, easy to prepare and tasted so damn good!
Georgia Harding says
So pleased you enjoyed it Maxine G x