French Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Sauce

Recipe courtesy Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

Show: Party Line with the Hearty BoysEpisode: Elegant Dinner Party

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (27)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(27)

Cook Time:
20 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 20 min
Total:: 35 min

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Ingredients

8 chicken breasts, skin on and wing bone attached
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs tarragon
4 TBS unsalted butter, cut into bits

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet and place it over high heat for 2 minutes. Season the chicken breasts with a sprinkling of salt and pepper and place 4 of the breasts in the pan skin side down. Sear for 1 minute or until the skin is crispy and a golden brown. Turn the breasts and sear 1 more minute. Remove to a baking dish and repeat the process with the rest of the butter, oil and breasts. Place the baking dish into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add orange juice, chicken broth, and tarragon to the hot skillet. Cook until reduced by about 3/4 (sauce should coat the back of a spoon). Right before serving, whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve the chicken with the sauce spooned over the top.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe French Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Sauce
Jamie Portland, OR 10-24-2009
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Quick and yummy.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

The sauce was very good. I added the drippings from my chicken to it after the chicken rested. Using fresh tarragon is... crucial, I wouldn't sub dried. My chicken breast was giant, so I knew it would take longer to cook. If you're using skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts, take your time searing them to get a nice crust on them, this will probably take more than 1 minute per side, and if they're huge like mine (about 1 lb. per breast) turn your oven up to 450 so they won't take 40 minutes. If you're using boneless, skinless follow the recipe. I also didn't add any butter to the oil when I was searing them, I thought it would probably just burn during the searing process. And thanks to Mark for suggesting glazed carrots, I made these: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/glazed-baby-carrots-recipe/index.html and they complimented the sauce perfectly!Read more
recipe French Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Sauce
Shirin n, NV 10-14-2009
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YUMMY
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I used this recipe as inspiration. didnt have any chicken broth left so i used water.. I used dried tarragon and some OJ I... had hanging in the fridge.. I also added 1/4 of a jalepeno... I served it with smashed garlic potatoes and used the sauce as a gravy over the chicken as well as the potatoes... YUM.. it turned out DELICIOUS!!!Read more
recipe French Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Sauce
Christy Redlands , CA 09-15-2009
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Best Orange Chicken EVER!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I love this recipe! I did add orange zest to the sauce because I love the orange flavor. So fancy and yet so simple and... easy to make! Thanks dudes!Read more
recipe French Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Sauce
Karen Lompoc, CA 08-09-2009
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Soooo Easy and Delicious!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I was out of chicken stock, so used a bit of water and additional juice from orange. Added some zest and a little flour to... thicken up the sauce. Served with garlic smashed red potatoes and stir-fried green beans with onions and garlic. What a meal!!! Family couldn't get enough. The sauce is so light and tasty. Next time I will use the sauce over grilled fish. Tarragon goes so well with fish.Read more
recipe French Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Sauce
Carmen Cumberland, VA 07-23-2009
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Really good chicken, but needs more time to cook
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is really good, but you definately need to cook longer. I seared my breasts for a total of at least 5 minutes: got a... good crisp on the skin to seal in the juices. My breasts were very plump, so I checked after 30 minutes and they were still pink at the bone. Cooked at least 20 more minutes and they were perfect. Needless to say, my rice, vegies and sauce were done way early. As for the reduction, be patient if you have never done one before. Don't start tasting too soon, you'll be dissappointed and tempted to add more of something for flavor. Once it is reduced down, the taste is amazing: the orange and tarragon are wonderful together and my rice just soaked it up...yummmmmmm!!! Read more
recipe French Chicken Breast with Orange Tarragon Sauce
Carrie Cornelius, NC 06-08-2009
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Fantastic
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is just a fantastic recipe. I substituted boneless skinless chicken breast and they worked just fine. The sauce is... great. I would advise making extra. Consistent with other reviews, the cooking time for the chicken and the sauce does take a bit longer but it is worth the wait. I made some couscous with dried cranberries and a little bit of some leftover tarragon to go along with the chicken. The sauce was yummy drizzled over the couscous. This sauce would be delicious with fish, pork, or even turkey. I can see making this sauce to go along with the Thanksgiving turkey. My husband loved this recipe and he can't wait for me to make it again!Read more