Poulet Sauté à l’Estragon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy sauté pan with lid
• •Small saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Heatproof liquid measure

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the tarragon gravy

   Simmer the chicken stock in a small saucepan until exactly 6 tablespoons (90 ml) remain. If it slips below that mark, restore the measure with a little water. Take the pan off the heat, add the tarragon leaves, cover, and infuse for 8 minutes. Strain without pressing, then keep the gravy warm. It should taste concentrated and distinctly of tarragon, but not salty.

   A stock that sets softly when cold has enough natural gelatin to give the gravy body. Flour-thickened prepared gravy clouds the sauce and defeats the clear arrowroot finish.
2. 2

   Parboil the sprays

   Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Lower the tarragon tip sprigs into it for 5 seconds, just until their green brightens, then cool them immediately under cold running water. Pat them completely dry and set them aside. This brief parboiling softens the leaves and fixes their colour without cooking away their fragrance.

3. 3

   Sauté the chicken

   Pat every chicken piece thoroughly dry. Season with 1½ teaspoons of the salt and all the white pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When it foams, lay in the thighs and drumsticks skin-side down and brown them without fussing for 6 to 8 minutes; turn and brown the other side for 3 minutes. Transfer them to a plate. Add the remaining butter and brown the breasts and wings the same way, allowing 5 to 6 minutes on the skin side and 2 minutes on the other. Return all the pieces to the pan, skin-side up, lower the heat, and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Cook until the breasts and wings reach 165°F (74°C) and the legs reach about 175°F (79°C), removing each piece as it is ready. Arrange the chicken on a warm platter with the wings visible.

   The butter should turn hazelnut-gold, never black. If it darkens too quickly but still smells sweet, lower the heat and add a small piece of cold butter. If it smells bitter, lift out the chicken, wipe the pan clean, and begin again with fresh butter. You lose some fond, but you save the dish. Ça se rattrape.
4. 4

   Reduce the wine

   Pour off excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon and every browned trace clinging to the pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat, add the white wine, and scrape firmly with a wooden spoon until the fond dissolves. Reduce the wine from 6 tablespoons to about 3 tablespoons. Watch the depth in the pan rather than the clock: the bubbles will become finer, the sharp smell of raw wine will soften, and a spoon drawn through the liquid will briefly expose the pan. Do not add the gravy early. If the wine nearly dries out, add a spoonful of water and free the fond before it scorches.

5. 5

   Thicken to a gloss

   Add the 6 tablespoons of tarragon-infused gravy and any juices collected beneath the chicken. Simmer gently for 1 minute. Stir the arrowroot with 1 tablespoon of the cold water until perfectly smooth, then take the pan off the hard simmer and whisk in half the slurry. Return it to low heat for 20 to 30 seconds. Add only enough remaining slurry to make the sauce nappe, meaning it coats the back of a spoon in a thin, translucent layer. Taste and use the reserved salt if needed. Arrowroot loses strength under prolonged boiling, so keep the heat gentle. If the sauce turns too tight, loosen it with the remaining cold water; if it stays thin after 30 seconds, mix a fresh pinch of arrowroot with cold water and whisk it in off the heat. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Sauce and garnish

   Pour the clear, glossy tarragon gravy over the chicken, letting it run beneath the pieces rather than drowning the browned skin. Lay two parboiled tarragon sprays across each wing. Serve immediately while the sauce still holds its light arrowroot gloss. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use French tarragon, which smells distinctly of anise when a leaf is rubbed between your fingers. Russian tarragon is vigorous in the garden but timid in the pan. Dried tarragon can scent gravy, but it cannot make the parboiled sprays this entry requires.
• •Begin with unsalted stock because reducing one cup to six tablespoons concentrates every grain of salt. A gelatin-rich roasted chicken stock is ideal; it supplies the body that a classical kitchen’s standing gravy once provided without making the sauce floury.
• •The wine should be dry and lively, not heavily oaked. An unoaked Chardonnay or a dry Chenin Blanc works in the pan and beside the plate. Use something you will happily drink, since reduction has no mercy on poor wine.
• •Arrowroot makes a bright, translucent sauce, but it dislikes repeated boiling. Reheat leftovers gently over low heat with a teaspoon of water, stopping as soon as the gravy loosens and shines.

Advance Preparation

• •The stock can be reduced and infused with tarragon up to 1 day ahead. Chill it promptly, then warm it gently before building the pan sauce.
• •The tarragon sprays can be parboiled up to 4 hours ahead and held between barely damp towels in the refrigerator.
• •The chicken can be jointed and salted up to 8 hours ahead, then kept uncovered in the refrigerator. Take it out 20 minutes before cooking and dry the skin again before it meets the butter.
• •The finished sauce is best made at the last moment. If service must wait, hold the cooked chicken loosely covered and keep the gravy separate for no more than 20 minutes, reheating it below a simmer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)