Food and Recipes Recipes Creamy Slow-Cooker Tarragon Chicken 5.0 (1) A tarragon cream sauce takes this chicken dish over the top. By Melissa Gray Melissa Gray Instagram Melissa Gray is a Recipe Developer and Food Stylist for Dotdash Meredith. She attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where she studied Culinary Arts and Culinary Arts Management. She began working in food publishing in 2015 and joined the Dotdash Meredith test kitchens in 2019. During her career, she has developed over 1,500 original recipes and food styled in hundreds of photoshoots. When not in the kitchen, you can find Melissa spending time with her dog, exploring new restaurants or breweries, or honing her martial arts skills. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on February 8, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Active Time: 15 mins Slow Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 45 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Winner winner, chicken dinner. Any chicken dish that comes together in the slow cooker is already a winner in our books; this Creamy Slow-Cooker Tarragon Chicken also happens to be incredibly delicious. This recipe is a simple starting point for a weeknight dinner—just prepare some rice or egg noodles to serve alongside this chicken-and-vegetable meal and you've got dinner squared away. A quick sear in a nonstick skillet helps the chicken thighs gain a little color before heading into the slow-cooker; they're fall-off-the-bone tender by the end of cooking. The moist, tender chicken is complemented with onion, garlic, fresh tarragon, and bright sweet peas; they cook on top of the carrots, which soak up all that schmaltz to get an infusion of rich flavor. Despite a long cook time, the carrots remain al dente and not at all mushy. The tarragon-laced cream sauce really takes this dish to another level, tying together all the individual components to make one cohesive meal. Adding the cream mixture, which is thickened with cornstarch, later on in the cooking process helps to prevent the sauce from breaking. Pair this simple chicken supper with the starch of your choice—egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, you name it. It's as easy as that. Ingredients 6 (6-oz.) bone-in, skinless chicken thighs ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided 1 teaspoon olive oil 8 ounces small carrots with tops, cut in half lengthwise 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped (2 cups chopped) 4 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 ½ Tbsp.) 2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, warmed (about 80°F) ¼ cup cornstarch 1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish Hot cooked rice or egg noodles Directions Season chicken evenly with black pepper and ¾ teaspoon of the salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, and add chicken. Cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side; remove from heat. Stir together carrots, onion, garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a 6-quart slow cooker. Place chicken on top in an even layer. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours. Remove chicken and carrots; set aside. Whisk together warmed cream and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth. Add cream mixture to slow cooker, stirring until combined. Place chicken and carrots in even layer on top of vegetable mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH until chicken is very tender and sauce is thickened, 30 to 45 minutes more, stirring in peas and tarragon during last 15 minutes of cooking. Serve over rice or egg noodles. Garnish with tarragon. Print