Think basil is the only herb for pesto? Think again. Try something different with tarragon pesto and then use it to make this Chicken with Fresh Tarragon Pesto. The pesto keeps the chicken so moist and adds so much flavor. Post may contain affiliate links. 
Chicken with Fresh Tarragon Pesto
Do you have an herb garden? I do. Unfortunately I don't utilize it as well as I should. So, sometimes I search for recipes not based on the main ingredient, but based on an herb. This time it was tarragon. My tarragon is doing wonderfully this year. I will definitely be making some Tarragon Vinegar.
One of the first recipes I found was Chicken Baked with Fresh Tarragon Pesto in The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh
- one of my all time favorite go-to cookbooks. I have made pesto out of basil, parsley, and arugula, but not tarragon. Maybe I'm slow, but I just now realized that besides putting away jars and jars of basil pesto in my freezer, I can put all sorts of other pestos! I'm going to do tarragon, mint, maybe oregano, rosemary, and even sage! It's genius. Out of all the things I store away in my freezer, pestos are the one that I actually use the most. Stirred into rice, or used to sauce pasta, or spread on top of chicken or fish, so many uses!
This recipe shows how easy it is to use pesto. Here it is just spread on top of some whole chicken legs, which are then roasted in the oven. Super easy. And if I my genius moment had occurred when I was actually making this, I would have doubled the pesto and put one batch in the freezer!
Chicken with Fresh Tarragon Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 green onions cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup parsley leaves
- ¼ cup fresh tarragon or basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons walnut pieces
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon peel finely grated
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 ½ pound whole chicken cut up
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Process the first 6 ingredients in a food processor until finely minced. With the motor running, add the oil through the tube, and process to a coarse paste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Oil a large baking sheet. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Spread the pesto over the chicken, coating both sides. Arrange chicken, skin side up on the baking sheet. Bake chicken until tender about 30 minutes.
Tim says
Looks delicious! I love tarragon dishes!
Alesha @ Full Time Mama says
My mouth is watering- The pesto sounds fabulous! Thank you for sharing with us at Delicious Dish Tuesday!!
Swathi says
Delicious chicken with pesto, thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop. pinning
Cynthia says
That chicken looks terrific. I'm always looking for recipes with ingredients I can find in my own garden. Love it. Thank you for linking at the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you again next week.
Pam Greer says
Thank you! I'll be back next week!
Chris says
I have a productive tarragon plant in our front yard but I only use it in small quantities for Bearnaise sauce. I find it is too overpowering for most applications so using it in a pesto seems like a bomb of tarragon just reading about it. Did it come across as very strong or did everything else balance it out? I would love to find more ways to use ours, it just intimidates me from using much due to past experiences.
Pam Greer says
The pesto only uses 1/4 cup of tarragon leaves and 1/2 cup of parsley leaves, so it balances it out nicely.
Monique says
Love the pics and board!
Pam Greer says
thanks Monique!
Marjie says
My herb garden got overgrown, went to seed, and then got mowed over. Oh, well. Your chicken looks wonderful.
Pam Greer says
Oh no! You need to put some rocks around it.
Yankee Kitchen Ninja (Julianne) says
Your photos are getting more and more lovely, Pam, and I'm digging the simple redesign!
Pam Greer says
Thanks Julianne!
grace says
i don't necessarily like tarragon in certain applications, but i haven't tried it in pesto. worth a shot, for sure!
Pam Greer says
Tarragon is such a tricky herb to use, isn't it? I really only like it with chicken.
Joanne says
I've done many different herb pestos, but never tarragon! It has such a distinct flavor that I'm sure it's really good.