Laura the Gastronaut > Julia Child > Poultry > Casserole-roasted Chicken with Tarragon

Casserole-roasted Chicken with Tarragon

March 6, 2020 | Updated August 25, 2023 | Laura

✽ Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I | Julia Child ✽

Julia Child Recipes 79-80 | 448 recipes to go!

✽ Casserole-roasted Chicken with Tarragon [Poulet Poêlé à l’Estragon], p. 249
✽ Creamed Carrots [Carottes à la Créme], p. 478

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✽ Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.

✽ You can buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I which contains these recipes here. (affiliate link)

The purpose of this Julia Child section of my blog is to document my journey of learning how to cook. To show my successes, my failures, and what I learned along the way.

Since I didn't create these recipes (if only!), I do not post exact amounts of ingredients or word-for-word instructions. If any of these recipes spark your interest, I highly recommend you buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (affiliate link). It's a great investment and learning tool and contains hundreds of classic recipes.

I hope that you enjoy reading my thoughts, learn something new, and leave inspired to try a new recipe. Bon appétit!

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✽ Butter Count: +11.5 TB

✽ Cost: $10.58 [~$2.65 per serving]

Check out the total Julia Child butter count & cost here!

→ Looking for a different Julia Child recipe? Here's a list of all of the completed and pending Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipes!

There are a few differences between the two (which I just learned!). A casserole-roasted chicken is browned in butter and oil first and then roasted in a covered casserole with herbs and seasonings. The buttery steam will make the chicken tender and flavorful.

The recipe was great. I actually read somewhere that this is Martha Stewart’s favorite Julia Child recipe. I can see why. It is a perfectly roasted chicken.

I think if I enjoyed tarragon more, this recipe would’ve made it higher on my list. I just can’t get past the licorice taste.

Looking for more Julia Child chicken recipes to read about?

→ Check out all of the poultry recipes that I've completed so far!

✽ Step 1: Prep Chicken

The chicken’s cavity is seasoned with salt, pepper, butter, and tarragon and then trussed. The skin is dried and rubbed down with more butter.

✽ Step 2: Brown Chicken

Now here’s the fun part! Heat some oil and butter in your casserole and brown each side of the chicken until there is a nice golden color all over. This will take about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the casserole.

✽ Step 3: Cook Carrots & Onions

By this point, your butter is probably browned. So, get rid of that and add in new, fresh butter. The carrots and onions are slowly cooked in the casserole and salt and tarragon are added.

✽ Step 4: Roast Chicken

Once the vegetables are done, the chicken is salted, laid breast up on top of the vegetables, and basted with the butter. Cover the chicken with foil, place the lid on the casserole, reheat on top of the stove, and place in a 325 degree oven. Roast the chicken basting once or twice. This recipe is much less work than the other roasted chickens. For the others, you must baste every 8-10 minutes!

✽ Step 5: Make the Sauce

Now the really magical part- the sauce! Once you remove the chicken from the casserole, add in stock or bouillon and simmer for a couple of minutes. Skim off most of the fat, blend in cornstarch, simmer for a minute, and then boil until lightly thickened. Strain into sauceboat and stir in minced parsley and enrichment butter.

I didn’t have any fresh tarragon leaves, but Julia suggests decorating the chicken with blanched tarragon leaves.

I also made creamed carrots. You will first braise the carrots in butter. Bring the cream to a boil and pour into the carrots until they are covered. Boil for about 15 minutes until the cream is absorbed by the carrots. YUM. Carrots absorbing cream is as delicious as it sounds.

Right before serving, throw in some butter and minced parsley. These carrots taste more like dessert than a side. They are rich, and they are good. If you have no guilt for more than canceling out any good nutrition that vegetables give you, this recipe is for you!

*This blog, Laura the Gastronaut, and this post were/are not endorsed or supported by Julia Child or The Julia Child Foundation.

Category: Julia Child, Vegetables, Poultry Cuisine: French
Keywords: julia child roast chicken recipe, french chicken recipes, julia child carrots recipe

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More Chicken Recipes:

✽ Old-fashioned Chicken Fricassee (a classic and delicious chicken recipe)
✽ Sauteed Chicken (perfectly cooked and seasoned sauteed chicken)
✽ Casserole-roasted Chicken (another roasted chicken made with bacon, onions, and potatoes)
→ Check out all of the completed Julia Child poultry recipes!

✽ You can find this recipe and all the other Julia Child recipes I make in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I (affiliate link). Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.

✽ Check out my Julia Child Recipe Checklist to see a list of all my completed and pending recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking!

Bon appétit!

March 6, 2020 by Laura Ehlers

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