Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Tarragon Cream Sauce

This French-ispired classic has crispy-skinned chicken legs and baby potatoes in a delicious white wine and cream sauce with a hint of tarragon. French cooking at its best. This tarragon flavoured sauce is one of the most beautiful inventions of the French cuisine but sadly not as popular in other countries and that's a shame. Tarragon is a fragrant herb that deserves recognition. Can be cooked in the oven or stove top, up to you. I prefer cooking mine in the oven uncovered as it gives the chicken skin that beautiful colour and crispy texture. The cream is added in the last 10 minutes to avoid curdling as cream tends to do at high temperatures and prolonged cooking process.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 chicken legs (2 lbs)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ cup dry white wine (125 mL)
1 cup chicken stock (250 mL)
4 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves only
1 lb potatoes or 5 small potatoes
½ cup heavy cream (125 mL)

Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Brown seasoned with salt and pepper chicken legs in olive oil until golden on each side but not cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add chopped onion and garlic to the pan and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes, add flour and stir it into the fat, let it cook for a minute or so, then pour in white wine, chicken stock and fresh tarragon leaves, stir until well combined and bring to a boil.

Bring the chicken legs together with the juices back to the pan, add halved potatoes and cook in the preheated oven uncovered for 35 minutes, then take the pan out and pour in the cream. Cook for 10 minutes longer until the potatoes are soft and the chicken skin is golden.

Makes 4 servings.