Tarragon Chicken & Pasta
Tarragon Chicken & Pasta is easily made gluten free by simply using your favorite gluten free pasta. My long time favorite pasta because of it’s flavor and consistency is made by Barilla. For this recipe I use the Fettuccine variety, but you can use another type of string or shaped pasta if you’d like. The French inspired sauce was introduced to me by my daughter. She made something similar during a cooking class and has been creating her own versions of it for a few years now. It was originally made with a side of rice, but I switched it up to pasta coated with a little more of the wonderful sauce. A creamy mixture accented by dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice, garlic and fresh tarragon.
Making the Chicken
Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes. Cook them in a large skillet coated with olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper. Once cooked through on all sides, remove them from the skillet and let them rest on a plate. This should only take about 5-7 minutes.
Making the Pasta
Nothing tricky here! Just boil the pasta in a big stock pot full of heavily salted water. Boil the pasta for about 10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta you are using. When cooked properly it should not be mushy. Then use pasta tongs to transfer the pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Reserve the pasta water. This should only take about 10 minutes.
Making the Sauce
The sauce can be made in the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in. Just add a little more olive oil to the skillet before adding the onions and mushrooms. With the heat on medium high, they should become lightly browned, in less than 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir to heat it through. Finally, add the liquids- lemon juice, dijon mustard and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Give it all a good stir to bring the sauce together, then turn off the heat.
Bring the Tarragon Chicken & Pasta Together
Use pasta tongs to transfer the pasta into the sauce. Add the cooked chicken and chopped fresh tarragon to the skillet and stir until combined well. Turn the heat back on to a low setting to heat the entire mixture through. Taste and re-season, if needed. If the sauce is too thick, which is usually the case, add pasta water, chicken broth, white wine or a combination of them until you reach your desired consistency and flavor. Now you are ready to serve it up, and it only took about 30 minutes!
More Weeknight Meals
- Pesto Cod with Sauteed Veggies
- Chickpeas & Spinach Stew
- Smothered BBQ Chicken
- Skillet Pork Chops
- Easy Garlic Baked Shrimp
- Honey Ginger Stir-Fry
Tarragon Chicken & Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box Barilla Gluten Free Fettuccine Pasta
- 1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breast (cut into bite-sized cubes)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 medium onion (quartered and sliced)
- 1 large clove fresh garlic (finely chopped)
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon (tough stems removed & finely chopped)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Cook the cubed chicken on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper. Approximately 5-7 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes of chicken.. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet, drizzle with more olive oil. Add the mushrooms and onions, seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir from time to time until cooked through and lightly browned. Approximately 7 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the chopped garlic. Stir and allow to heat through and become fragrant for about 1 minute. Add the fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard and sour cream. Stir to combine well and turn off the heat until the pasta is fully cooked.
- Boil fettuccine pasta for 9-10 minutes in heavily salted water. Using tongs or a slotted pasta spoon, transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet with the mushroom sauce. Reserve the pasta water. Add the cooked chicken and tarragon, stirring to combine well. Turn the heat back to medium low heat, stir and allow to heat through.
- Taste and reseason if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a ladle or two of pasta water until it reaches your desired thickness. Another option would be to add chicken stock or white wine to add flavor and reach the desired thickness.
