Citrus Tarragon Chicken

I had some Mexican tarragon (yautli) leftover from my previous post, so I thought using it in a marinade for chicken breasts would be delicious. This is a contemporary recipe, but still has a Mexican touch from the spicy chili powder, lime juice and Mexican tarragon.

Citrus Tarragon Chicken – Pollo con cítricos y estragón

Printable recipe: Citrus Tarragon Chicken

Ingredients

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb (454 g) mini potatoes; washed and cooked
½ lb (227 g) green beans; washed and trimmed
2 oranges; washed and halved
1 lime; washed and halved
1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves (Mexican, French, or a mix); washed, and chopped
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp coarse salt, plus more, to taste
½ tsp ground black pepper, plus more, to taste
½ tsp garlic powder
Hot chili powder, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more, as needed
¼ cup water, or more, if needed

Prepare marinade: In a non-reactive container, place the chopped tarragon, one teaspoon of coarse salt, half a teaspoon of black pepper, half a teaspoon of garlic powder, and hot chili powder, if using (photo below, left, with the citrus halves and I am using one teaspoon of ground comapeño pepper.) Squeeze juice from oranges and lime into the container; add two tablespoons of olive oil, and stir everything together, to incorporate (photo below, right):

Set aside.

Prepare chicken: working with one piece of chicken breast at a time, remove the filet and reserve. Holding the breast from the top with one hand, slice horizontally with a sharp knife across the middle (photo below, left), stopping short of completely dividing the breast. Flip the top part, to open the breast into a “butterfly” cut (photo below, centre). With the flat side of a meat tenderizer or another heavy utensil, gently pound the chicken, just to shape to a uniform thickness (photo below, right, I am using a citrus juicer (photo below, right):

Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts, then place all pieces (including filets) in the reserved marinade:

Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight or at least for two hours.

Prepare potatoes: Close to meal time, place the cooked mini potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (photo below, left). Using a heavy utensil with a flat side, smash each potato, to flatten, but trying not to break them up (in the photo below, right, I am using the bottom side of a measuring cup):

Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper, preferably freshly ground:

Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for fifteen to twenty minutes, until crispy and slightly browned outside. Keep warm until serving time.

Finish chicken: Meanwhile, warm up two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan or iron skillet over medium heat; add a few pieces of the marinated chicken, allowing to cook and brown on one side, then flip (photo below, left). Continue browning the other side for a few minutes (photo below, centre) until fully cooked (internal temperature at least 165ºF- 74ºC, photo below, right):

Transfer to a plate and keep warm, then repeat with the rest of the chicken in batches.

Prepare sauce: In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour, and stir with a beater to mix into the butter. Continue cooking and stirring for one minute, then add one quarter cup of water, and the liquid left behind in the container from the marinade. Continue stirring and cooking, adding a little more water, if needed, until a light sauce consistency is achieved:

Reserve sauce.

Cook green beans: Right before serving, warm up two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan; add green beans and sauté :

Stir and cook just for a couple of minutes, until they turn bright green; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, place a portion of chicken on a plate, drizzle sauce on top, then add some smashed potatoes and sauteed green beans on the side:

This recipe is easy, well balanced, both in terms of ingredients, and in terms of flavours. It does not require special equipment, but I like using my food thermometer to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked, and maybe I should get myself a meat tenderizer, so I can use my other kitchen utensils as they were designed for!

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