Pipsqueak chicken!

I don't drink cider. I'm sure it's lovely, but it's just not my thing. When I discovered a bottle or two had been left in my fridge after an afternoon of friends visiting at my place, I got to thinking of what good use I could put it to. Cooking, of course! So, I checked out a few recipes, and after some tweaking this is what I came up with ... chicken cooked in cider, flavoured with tarragon and mellowed with a dash of cream. Here's how it went ...

Brown some chicken fillets in a pan with a touch of oil (I used thigh fillets for their rich flavour, but this would be equally good with breast fillets).

Pop the fillets in the preheated slow cooker and add:

- one and a half cups of apple cider, warmed in the microwave;
- two peeled and quartered brown onions;
- some fresh, chopped tarragon;
- some bay leaves;
- some chicken stock; and
- some salt and pepper.

I had the slow cooker on low while I was at work for about eleven hours all up. When I came home, the fragrance of this simmering dish was delicious and the chicken was so tender. To finish, I added about two tablespoons of cream and voila - I was done!

I shared this meal with a foodie friend and served it up with baby potatoes dressed in olive oil, fresh parsley and sea salt and a green salad with an oil and raspberry vinegar dressing.

I had never cooked with tarragon before, and I really enjoyed the flavour it gave to the chicken. Tarragon, as I've since found out (from Stephanie Alexander's Cook's Companion), comes in two main varieties - French and Russian tarragon - and it's name is thought to mean 'little dragon'. It seems to be a classic companion to chicken.

Does anyone else have any tips for using tarragon, or other great flavour combinations to suggest?