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Tarragon Chicken with Asparagus, Lemon and Leeks – all roasted on a sheet pan for a fast and healthy dinner with minimal cleanup! Serve this with a side of mashed potatoes or soft polenta. Vegan Adaptable! Video.
Whether we are happy or not depends on our awareness. ~Thich That Hanh
Tarragon Chicken with Asparagus can easily be made vegan by substituting tofu – or use both chicken and tofu (for mixed households where both vegans and meat lovers cohabitate). When cooking for two, feel free to load up on the veggies and decrease the protein, like we do at home.
You’ve been telling me a lot of things. Mainly that you really want to cook “healthy” meals, really fast! Healthy means so many different things to so many different people. And of course, it should, because our bodies are all different and we have different needs. To some, healthy means vegan. To others, healthy means low-fat, low cholesterol, or means low carbs and paleo. You’re a tough crowd!
But one thing we all seem to have in common is we all mostly believe that fresh seasonal produce is healthy. Which I just happen to love and why you see so many veggie-based recipes on the blog.
In fact, when I make recipes, I make them around the produce. That’s why on instagram, you’ll see I go to a lot of farmers’ markets….the place I get the most inspiration.
Tarragon Chicken & Aspargus Video
So here is tofu on the left and the chicken on the right. One meal two ways. That’s what I love about sheet pan dinners….they are so adaptable!
Plus, the clean-up is super easy, especially when using parchment paper! If you haven’t adopted this habit, you must try it. It makes life so much easier!
What to serve with Tarragon Chicken
- Creamy Polenta or Instant Pot Polenta
- Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Risotto Recipe
- Smashed Potatoes
- Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients in Tarragon Chicken
- lemons
- olive oil
- garlic cloves
- fresh tarragon leaves
- fresh asparagus
- leeks
- chicken breasts: or sub tofu, or chicken thighs- see notes.
How to make Tarragon Chicken (or Tofu)
Step One: Make the Lemon Tarragon marinade.
Step Two: Toss the asparagus in the bowl with just a little of the marinade, then the leeks.
Step three: Then coat the tofu in marinade, if using.
Step four: Then lastly, toss the chicken in the marinade.
Tip: Tossing in this order allows you to use one bowl, without getting chicken all over your veggies and tofu. Get it? 😉
Step five: Arrange on a large, parchment-lined sheet pan, or two smaller ones.
TIP: 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.
Step Six: Bake at 425F for 15- 20 minutes, then re-assess.
Note: If using very thin asparagus, check after 12 minutes and perhaps remove it early.
Give the chicken a little color by broiling for just a couple of minutes after it cooks through. Tofu may need a little longer.
Sprinkle with fresh tarragon …..serve over your favorite starch if you like, or keep it low carb, and enjoy!
xoxo
More Recipes you may like
- 25 Best Sheet-Pan Dinners!
- Sheet Pan Chicken & Crispy Potatoes w/ Lemon & Thyme
- Sheet-Pan Szechuan Chicken and Brussels Sprouts
- Harissa Chicken (or Tofu) with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Tarragon Chicken ( or TOFU) with Asparagus, Lemon and Leeks
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: main, chicken, tofu, low-carb
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Diabetic
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
- 2 lemons
- 1/ 4 cup olive oil
- 4–6 garlic cloves, finely minced ( or use a garlic press)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1-ounce package of fresh tarragon leaves, rough chopped, about 1/4–1/3 cup
- 1 extra-large bunch asparagus, trimmed (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1–2 large leeks, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds ( if dirty, rinse, see notes)
- 4–5 medium chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) about 1- 1 1/2 lbs or sub tofu, or chicken thighs- see notes
Serve with (all optional):
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F
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, salt and pepper, and mix well until salt dissolves. Add ½ of the fresh tarragon, saving the rest for garnish.
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.
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.
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.
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
Keywords: tarragon chicken, chicken and asparagus, asparagus chicken, baked chicken with asparagus, spring chicken recipes, asparagus recipes, tarragon chicken
Forgot to rate this. It is obviously five stars given my review!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, very appreciated!