This Tarragon Chicken recipe is easy and delicious! Baked in the oven with asparagus, lemon, garlic & leeks, it’s a fresh, healthy weeknight dinner. Vegan-adaptable. Watch the Video!  

one pan tarragon chicken with asparagus, lemon and leeks.

Whether we are happy or not depends on our awareness. ~Thich That Hanh

This Tarragon Chicken with asparagus is so fresh and flavorful- the perfect meal for spring! You’ve been telling me you want to cook more “lean and green” recipes featuring fresh seasonal veggies and lean proteins. Here’s a simple sheet pan dinner that fits the bill and highlights fresh spring asparagus. We’ve paired it with chicken, but this also works with tofu if you are plant-based.

Why You’ll Love This!

  1. Vegan-adaptable. This can easily be made vegan by substituting tofu – or use both chicken and tofu (for mixed households where both vegans and meat-eaters cohabitate).
  2. Easy to make (and clean up!). A one-pan dinner where you simply toss the parchment paper and be done. Great for busy weeknights!
  3. Utilizes fresh, seasonal produce. Made with spring produce, asparagus, leeks, and herbs.
  4. A lightened-up version. This is often served as a creamy tarragon chicken recipe with a creamy tarragon sauce. There is no butter or heavy cream sauce here!

Make It with Chicken Or Tofu!

On the left is my dinner (made with tofu) and the chicken dinner is on the right. One meal two ways. That’s what I love about sheet pan dinners….they are so adaptable!

Ingredients in Tarragon Chicken

  • Chicken breasts: Medium, boneless, skinless. Or sub tofu or chicken thighs. See notes.
  • Fresh tarragon leaves – offer up classic French flavor here.
  • Asparagus: Extra large bunch, trimmed.
  • Leeks: Large, cleaned (see notes), sliced into rounds.
  • Lemons or Meyer Lemons
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic cloves: Finely minced or use a garlic press.
  • Dijon Mustard

How to make Tarragon Chicken (or Tofu)

Preheat oven to 425F.

Step 1: Make Lemon Tarragon marinade. Add lemon zest and lemon juice to small bowl. Add oil, garlic, dijon mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, and mix well. Add 1/2 of the fresh French tarragon.

tarragon lemon marinade in small bowl.

Step 2: Add marinade to vegetables and protein. Toss asparagus in a bowl with a little marinade over the top. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan.

trimmed asparagus in mixing bowl with lemon tarragon marinade.

Add leeks to the same bowl, stir with a little marinade, then spread out onto the sheet pan.

sliced leeks in mixing bowl with lemon tarragon marinade.

If using tofu, season with salt, then add to the bowl, mixing with a little marinade. Add to pan (or bake on a separate pan).

tofu slabs in mixing bowl with lemon tarragon marinade.

Finally, add the chicken the same bowl and pour the remaining marinade into the bowl. Coat well. Nestle chicken amongst the asparagus.

chicken breasts in lemon tarragon marinade.

Chef’s Tip: Tossing in this order allows you to use one bowl, without getting chicken all over your veggies and tofu. Get it? 😉

sheet pan with chicken breasts, tofu, asparagus, lemon slices, and leeks in lemon tarragon marinade.

Chef’s Tip #2: Create a little “barricade” with the asparagus between the tofu and chicken. Or if you need total separation, of course, baking on a separate little pan is just fine. But then you’ll have two pans to clean up – so I just do the one because it’s just Brian and me. Up to you.

tofu in lemon tarragon marinade on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 3: Add lemon slices to the pan. Zest the second lemon over the sheet pan, then slice into rounds and layer over the asparagus.

Step 4: Roast. Bake 15-20 minutes. Check internal temp of chicken. It should read 160-165F. For golden color, broil just a couple of minutes. (Tofu may need a little longer.)

*** If using very thin asparagus, check after 12 mins and perhaps remove it early.

Step 5: Serve. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Toss the contents of the pan, turning the chicken over to coat with flavorful juices. Garnish with fresh tarragon and serve. Parsley makes another lovely garnish.

parchment-lined sheet pan with tarragon chicken with asparagus, lemon and leeks.

What to Serve with Tarragon Chicken

Serve over your favorite starch! Mashed potatoes or creamy polenta make delicious bases for this dish, or even risotto, rice, or pasta. Serve with bread to soak up any remaining accumulated juices and liquid from the pan.

Storage

Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge and have be reheated in a microwave, on the stovetop or in the oven.

FAQs

What does Tarragon Chicken taste like?

Fresh tarragon has a bright, elegant herbal flavor with a slight hint of anise (licorice). It is the perfect match for poultry. The dish is vibrant with lemony flavor!

How long does leftover Tarragon Chicken keep for?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat.

Can I add other vegetables to the pan?

Of course! Green beans would make a nice addition, as well as onion or shallots.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs …..serve over your favorite starch if you like, or keep it low carb. Enjoy this Tarragon Chicken (or Tofu)!

xoxo

Sylvia

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Tarragon Chicken & AsparAgus Video

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Tarragon Chicken with Asparagus

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 46 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine| Feasting at home
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: main, chicken, tofu, low-carb
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: French

Description

A healthy delicious sheet-pan dinner, that features the best of spring produce! Make it in 30 minutes with minimal clean up. Vegan adaptable, GF and paleo!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lemons
  • 1/ 4 cup olive oil
  • 46 garlic cloves, finely minced ( or use a garlic press)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1-ounce package of fresh tarragon leaves, rough chopped, about 1/41/3 cup
  • 1 extra-large bunch asparagus, trimmed (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 12 large leeks, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds ( if dirty, rinse, see notes)
  • 45 medium chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) about 1- 1 1/2 lbs or sub tofu, or chicken thighs- see notes

Serve with (all optional):


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. In a small bowl make the marinade. Place the zest of one lemon, and its juice ( about 3 tablespoons) in a small bowl. Add oil, garlic, dijon, salt and pepper, and mix well until salt dissolves. Add ½ of the fresh tarragon, saving the rest for garnish.
  3. Place trimmed asparagus in a bowl and spoon some of the marinade over the top. Toss to combine and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Add leeks to the same bowl, toss with a little marinade, and spread out on the sheet pan. If using tofu, season it with salt, then place in the bowl, adding a little more marinade, toss to coat, and add to sheet pan. Lastly, add the chicken breasts with the remaining marinade, coating well. Nestle the chicken amongst the asparagus.
  4. Zest the second lemon over the whole sheet pan and slice the lemons into rounds, layering them over the asparagus. Place in the hot oven. If using tofu, either nestle it into one side of the pan or place it on a separate sheet pan – up to you.
  5. Bake 15-20 minutes and check chicken- internal temp should read 160-165 F –  thicker pieces will take longer.  To get a more golden color, broil for just a couple of minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven. Give everything a little toss, turning the chicken over to coat the top with the flavorful juices. Sprinkle with remaining fresh tarragon and serve.

Notes

TOFU: Use extra firm tofu. Pat dry. Slice into ¾-1 inch thick slabs, season with a little salt and coat on all sides with marinade. For mixed households, serve both tofu and chicken!  (Marinade is enough for 1.5 lbs chicken + 8 ounces tofu and the veggies.)

ASPARAGUS: The thickness of the asparagus and the thickness of the chicken may affect cooking time. Here I’m using pencil-thick asparagus and 6-ounce chicken breasts (relatively thin and small). If your sizing differs greatly, you could use two separate baking sheets. Very thin asparagus cooks in 12-15 minutes- so check it.

CHICKEN: You can also use skin-on bone-in thighs. Sear the skin side first in a skillet, then nestle in the sheet pan. This will most likely require a longer cooking time- asparagus may need to come of the oven out sooner – so either place to one side or on a separate pan.

LEEKS: If the leeks are dirty when you slice them into rounds, not to worry. Just place the cut rounds into a bowl of water, gently swish and soak them for a few minutes. The dirt will fall to the bottom. Fish them out, pat dry. (They don’t need to be perfectly dry.)

If cooking for two – you could easily half the chicken and double/ or triple the asparagus. ( We do this a lot at home.)  You could also marinate the chicken/tofu ahead, overnight if you like.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 326
  • Sugar: 2.7 g
  • Sodium: 939.5 mg
  • Fat: 17.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 7.5 g
  • Fiber: 3.4 g
  • Protein: 35.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 103.4 mg

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Comments

  1. I made this last week for dinner and it was delish! Even better for the next day’s lunch as the chicken had really absorbed all that yummy marinade plus I went ahead and squeezed the rest of the lemon juice from the remaining half of lemon over the leftovers before I put them in the fridge. Lemon is my favorite flavor so this was perfect. The only difference was I could not find fresh tarragon anywhere, so I ended up using thyme, but it still turned out great.






  2. This was a hit for a small dinner party. I used red onion and parsley that were already in my frig. What a great meal – I will definitely try again with the leeks and tarragon. Thanks!

  3. Made a few swaps, using sage instead of tarragon, one lemon and one lime and shallots instead of leeks. Still delicious!






  4. WOW! so flavorful. It didn’t look like your picture 🙂 but the flavor was incredible. My leeks fell apart and the asparagus were too thin so they over cooked…oh well. hopefully next time I can find thick ones. All the recipes I have tried from your site, have been a success :). Thank you!






    1. Great to hear! Yes, if asparagus is too thin, or you are using bigger pieces of chicken, you may need to remove the asparagus before the chicken is done.

  5. Gorgeous flavor! I used thighs and swapped zucchini for asparagus. So delicious! The leeks definitely elevate.






  6. I love the brightness of this recipe! I missed the first use of tarragon, so landed up adding it to the chicken marinade step only, but was fine. The only bummer is that the asparagus gets overcooked in the process. I can’t think of a solution for that. Still delicious though! Thanks, Sylvia!






    1. Thanks so much. If the asparagus is thin, you could add it to the sheet pan, a little later in the baking process?

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