Tarragon Chicken

Name: Tarragon Chicken
Cuisine: Romanian
Ingredients: 800g chicken (legs and/or wings; i used 6 drumsticks); 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 50ml dry white wine; 6 sprigs tarragon; 2 tablespoons sour cream (full-fat); 2 tablespoons oil; 2 1/2 cups water; salt, black pepper

June 25, 2012

Chicken Budget Recipes Meat Dishes Romanian

I love tarragon chicken for many reasons. It is fragrant, it has a creamy sauce, but more importantly for me, it is identical to my aunt Valera who made the best "zamuca" in the world. Yes, that is what we called this tarragon chicken: zamuca. What wonderful memories... What great food... Now that I think about it, I realize that my aunt Valera (my grandmother's sister), with her impeccable cooking, was the first one who instilled in me the pleasure of flavors...

But it is time to leave sentimentalism behind and come back to the present, letting her tarragon chicken recipe served on a bed of polenta speak for itself.

Ingredients

800g chicken (legs and/or wings; I used 6 drumsticks)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
50ml dry white wine
6 sprigs tarragon
2 tablespoons sour cream (full-fat)
2 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 cups water
salt, black pepper

How to prepare tarragon chicken

In a pot large enough to fit the chicken in a single layer, heat the oil. Add the chicken and fry on both sides until slightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot.
Add the wine to the pot and with a spoon scrape the bottom to release the caramelized chicken bits. Let the wine almost completely evaporate (about 2 minutes).
Add the flour and stir quickly to absorb all the liquid in the pot.
Start adding water in a thin stream, stirring with a whisk the whole time. After the first cup you will get a thick sauce. Continue adding until you use all the water. You will get a liquid sauce.
Place the chicken in the pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and add 2 sprigs of tarragon. The sauce should almost completely cover the chicken (see photo 4). Bring to a boil, put the lid on and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook for another 20 minutes. After this time, the sauce should have reduced and become creamy.
Remove the tarragon from the pot. Reduce the heat.
Add a few tablespoons of the hot sauce to the sour cream. Pour the cream into the pot along with the rest of the chopped tarragon. Stir.
Let it simmer for 5 more minutes. Adjust salt to taste.