Braised Chicken Tarragon

Fun fact-I've never tried tarragon before. A day or two before I decided to tackle this dish, I was talking to my mom and mentioned that I was trying a new recipe with tarragon. Surprisingly, she didn't sound too enthusiastic. (My mom is a pretty adventurous eater, so I didn't quite know what to make of her reaction). She said she wasn't a huge fan of tarragon because of the lasting licorice flavor. Being the licorice lover that I am, I decided to forge on ahead with my plans for this recipe. Honestly, I didn't get a "licorice-y" taste at all, and neither did Will. Both of us decided we really enjoyed this recipe, and with the exception of the heavy cream, it was really quite healthy. Not to mention I will use ANY excuse to cook with wine. I had to alter this recipe a little bit, because this was technically a one-pot meal. However, I don't have a stovetop-safe slow cooker, so I had to improvise a little bit. Like all Williams Sonoma meals, this recipe required lots of prep time, but I think it was well worth it.
Source: Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 chicken, about 4 lb., cut into 8 pieces
• 2 large leeks, white and light green portions, rinsed well and thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Mashed potatoes for serving (see related recipe at left) I did not do this.

Directions:

1. In the stovetop-safe insert of a slow cooker (I used my Le Creuset braiser) over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

 3. Add the garlic and flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

 4. Add the wine and cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom, until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 1 minute.

5. Add 1 Tbs. of the tarragon, 2 Tbs. of the parsley, the lemon juice, broth, carrots and chicken.

6. Transfer the insert to the slow-cooker base. Cover and cook on high according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the chicken and carrots are tender, about 3 hours.

7. Stir in the cream during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

8. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. tarragon and 1 Tbs. parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes alongside. Serves 4 to 6.