This French-inspired sauce is a delicious pairing for sautéed chicken.  Tarragon is an herb that tastes a lot like black licorice and is completed by the flavor of mustard.  I like to serve the chicken with wild rice and some roasted potatoes on the side.  I usually also make a tossed green salad with red wine vinaigrette to round out the French theme.

For sautéed chicken:

4 chicken breast halves pounded

Flour for dredging

Salt and pepper

3T olive oil

For Sauce:

1-cup chicken broth

I/2 cup white wine-I use chardonnay

2T chopped fresh Tarragon

2T Dijon mustard

4 cloves garlic minced

4T butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

Zest of 1 lemon

1 Shallot minced [optional)

Pound the chicken breasts between two layers of plastic wrap until they
are about half an inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour.

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in a sauté or frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil to the pan and let it heat for a moment.  Place chicken breasts in the pan and brown one side for about 3 minutes. Flip chicken and cook the other side until brown. Remove chicken to an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, deglaze the pan that you cooked the chicken in with wine.  Add chicken broth and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Add mustard, garlic, tarragon, lemon zest, and optional shallot to the pan and reduce further for 4 minutes.  Add 4T of butter and incorporate into the Sauce. Add cream to the sauce. Remove chicken from the oven and place back into the Sauce. Continue to simmer until sauce coats a spoon.  Taste the sauce and season the dish with salt and pepper. To serve spoon rice on plate and top with chicken breast, and spoon sauce over chicken and rice. I also like to serve with roasted Potatoes.

I Pair this dish with a French Chardonnay from the Southern Rhone Valley. You can use the same wine to make the sauce too.  Bon Appétit!