Winner, winner. Chicken dinner! From the stove to the table in under a half hour, chicken thighs are cooked in a creamy wine-spiked tarragon and mustard sauce and then tossed with rigatoni and topped with crunchy toasted bread crumbs.
Last month I was in NYC for a girl's weekend away and was able to take advantage of NYC Restaurant Week at the Michelin two star restaurant, The Bar Room at The Modern, which is housed in MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art). I chose the Hand-cut Mafaldine with Braised Rabbit as my entree and savored every last bit of it along with the silky mustard seed studded sauce.
I've not had pasta in a mustard sauce before and was inspired to recreate this, opting for the more readily available chicken thighs instead of rabbit (which can lend itself to overthinking when it comes to cooking). The resulting Chicken and Rigatoni in Tarragon and Mustard Sauce was exactly what I was hoping for!
Ingredients
- rigatoni pasta
- extra-virgin olive oil
- skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- shallots
- dry white wine
- chicken stock
- heavy cream
- grainy mustard
- tarragon
- breadcrumbs
- garlic
- parsley, optional
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
Cook pasta according to package directions
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet.
Cook, turning once, until browned but not cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off any fat in the skillet.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until softened, scraping up browned bits.
Increase heat to medium high. Add the wine and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes.
Whisk in the chicken stock, cream and mustard and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare breadcrumbs. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken and accumulated juices to the skillet and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes; Stir in the tarragon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss with rigatoni and top with breadcrumbs and parsley if desired.
Hint: Chicken and Rigatoni in Tarragon and Mustard Sauce is a perfect meal to make in advance. Make it on a Sunday for a weeknight meal that can be warmed up covered -- in an oven-proof dish for 25 minutes at 275°F.
Consider serving this with my Haricots Verts with Shallots, Hazelnuts, Tarragon and Citrus
Substitutions
- Chicken Thighs - if you prefer white meat, substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders. Or consider substituting sliced browned chicken sausage.
- Rigatoni - I like how rigatoni holds sauce, but this would be great with farfalle pasta (bowtie shaped), radiatore, penne -- or even over egg noodles. Or spooned over toasted French bread!
- Shallots - substitute diced yellow onion
- Fresh Tarragon - substitute 1 teaspoon dried tarragon instead of 2 tablespoons fresh.
Variations
I will be making this again and again and plan to try the following:
- Mushrooms - Sauté 8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms with the shallots
- Fennel - Dice a cored fennel bulb and saute for 6 - 8 minutes prior to sautéing the shallots. Garnish finished dish with reserved fennel fronds
- Crème fraîche - Truth be told that I added a few scoops of crème fraîche to this prior to serving to add a bit of decadence
Equipment
- large saute pan or skillet
- stock pot or large saucepan for pasta
Storage
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 275°F for 25 minutes.
🍽️Recipe
Pasta and Chicken in Mustard and Tarragon Sauce
Equipment
- small, medium and large skillets
- stock pot for pasta
Ingredients
- 10 to 12 ounces mafaldine pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1-½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in ½" strips
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 2 large shallots, minced
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1-½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 1-½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 1-½ teaspoons dried)
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons capers, patted dry
- vegetable or canola oil
- minced parsley, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet. Cook, turning once, until browned but not cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off any fat remaining in the skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Add the wine and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock, cream and mustard and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
- Prepare breadcrumbs: In a medium nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes.
- Prepare fried capers: Pour oil into a small skillet to ⅛" deep. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering (350°F). Add capers to the pan and fried until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove capers from oil using a slotting spoon and drain on a paper towel.
- Return the chicken and accumulated juices to the skillet and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through, about a 6 minutes; Stir in the tarragon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve chicken and tarragon sauce over mafaldine pasta and top with breadcrumbs, fried capers and parsley..
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