Thursday, April 14, 2011

Creamy Tarragon Chicken with Couscous and Peas

Confession #1: I have been in somewhat of a blogging funk lately.

Confession #2: I have an AMAZING chocolate chip cookie recipe to share with you, but those pictures are locked away in the ol' laptop until further notice.

Confession #3: I think you should know that for some reason, the only way to see the pictures from my memory card on this new computer is to click on each individual file until I find the one I want! I'm sure the settings can be changed, but trust me, seeing 600+ little picture files all lined up makes you want to run away and forget about the whole blogging thing!

Confession #4: This is why there is only one picture on this post, and I don't even think it's the best one, I just happened to find it and decided it was decent enough to do the job. I possibly would have edited it (via auto-adjust. Go ahead, shun me) but I have no idea how to do that yet on this computer.

Confession #5: Typing on this keyboard still feels very strange after having a laptop for so long, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.

Confession #6: I love having a mouse now though! It's much better than the little square of something that you slide your finger on from the laptop.

I'm done now, I promise.

Now I'll get to the point here. This chicken recipe is from this blog and it is fantastic! I had a hankering to try couscous, and as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a whirl. The creamy sauce is packed full of flavor, and the couscous made a wonderful starchy bed for the delicious chicken. When cooking the couscous, I just followed the directions on the container, substituting half the water for chicken broth to give it more flavor. I steamed the peas in the microwave and then mixed them together.

I made a few changes to the recipe to make the process easier for myself. This dish is very simple and it's a great way to introduce yourself to this wonderful Israeli style pasta!

Creamy Tarragon Chicken with Couscous and Peas (Print)
adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice
Total time: 20-30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup half & half
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Black pepper, to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cut chicken breasts into thin (1/4 to 1/2 inch) slices. Sprinkle chicken with tarragon. Add chicken to skillet; avoid turning until the first side is cooked. At this point, flip the chicken strips and add the garlic to the skillet, gently stirring as needed.

2. Add chicken broth and salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Start the couscous if you are serving it.

3. As soon as the chicken is cooked through, you can choose to remove it to a plate or keep it in the skillet (I left it in the skillet). Add the half & half, mustard, and black pepper to taste. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Serve over couscous and peas.

My Review


  • Preparation: 5
    • Under 30 minutes is always a plus!
  • Taste: 5
    • I loved the flavor of this dish, I'm sure I will make it again in the future.
  • Cost: 4
    • The ingredients aren't necessarily pricey, but there are a few things that you may not always keep stocked.
  • Clean-up: 5
    • A one-pan meal is welcome in my no-dishwasher kitchen!
  • Changes
    • To see the changes I made, you can have a peek at the original recipe with the link above.
  • Summary
    • Quick, simple, one pan...what are you waiting for?

1 comment:

  1. I love the look of the little couscous! cute! And the chicken does sound wonderful! Now I just need the motivation to cook...

    Love the computer comments! I am sure there is a way to save things in folders or something. Please ressurect the laptop so we can have the cookie recipe and a certain cheeseball...;)

    ReplyDelete