Grilled Tarragon Chicken is perfect for a quick summer meal. The unique marinade tenderizes the chicken and gives it a wonderful flavor. Although I always use chicken breasts for grilling since they cook very quickly and I prefer the mild flavor, you may use boneless chicken thighs if you like the stronger flavor of dark chicken; they will take a few minutes more to cook.
While this juicy, tender chicken does require a bit of advance planning to marinate, the easy marinade has only six readily available ingredients and can be put together in about 5 minutes. If you don’t have French Tarragon growing in your herb garden, it’s usually available in the produce departments of larger grocery stores as well as farmer's markets. Alternately, a tablespoon of dried tarragon may be substituted.
Tarragon is one of the four basic French herbs, and is a major ingredient in Herbs de Province, a spice mixture considered indispensable in French cooking. It’s spicy anise flavor is also the major flavoring component in classic Béarnaise sauce. It adds a distinctive flavor too, when it’s chopped and added to salads.

This chicken is so good, you’ll want to plant some French Tarragon if you don’t already have it growing in your yard. When choosing tarragon plants, make sure you purchase French Tarragon. Beware of plants labeled Russian Tarragon or simply Tarragon; these plants are very prolific, but are tasteless and definitely not worth growing. For more information on French Tarragon, check out this article in Fine Gardening, an online gardening magazine.

There are lots of quick and easy side dishes on the BellaOnline Quick Cooking Site suitable for serving with this Grilled Tarragon Chicken. Quickie Picnics and Alfresco Dishes

Grilled Tarragon Chicken

6 Servings

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of any fat, veins, or other unsavory things

Marinade
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup fresh tarragon sprigs (loosely packed), coarsely chopped

1. Place the chicken breasts in a large shallow glass dish.


2. Pierce each chicken breast on both sides with a fork.


3. Mix the marinade ingredients in the blender.


4. Or, place the marinade ingredients in a glass or plastic container (since the ingredients can have a reaction if in aluminum or steel) and whisk until smooth; stir in the tarragon.


5. Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts.


6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.


7. Drain the marinade off the chicken and discard.


8. Preheat an outdoor grill to high.


9. Place the chicken breasts on one side and turn the heat on that side off.


10. Shut the lid to the grill and cook about 5 minutes; turn the breasts (still on the burner that has been turned off), and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until just barely cooked through. The chicken breasts will continue cooking a little, so make sure you don't overcook them.


Amount Per Serving
Calories 270 Calories from Fat 135
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 50% Protein 44% Carb. 5%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 15 g
Saturated Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 108 mg
Sodium 898 mg
Total Carbohydrate 4 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 30 g

Vitamin A 8% Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% Iron 6%