French · Authentic-ish French
Poulet a l'Estragon
369 kcal a serving, against 747 for the traditional version. That is 378 kcal off, or 51%, with 49.1g of protein. Serves 4. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Whole, skin-on chicken pieces are browned aggressively in salted butter, then braised in dry white wine and strong chicken stock. The cooking liquid is boiled down hard and finished with a giant glug of thick double cream. The result is a rich, incredibly heavy sauce beautifully flavoured with heaps of fresh tarragon and shallots.
What changed, and what each change costs
800g of skin-on chicken thighs to 800g of skinless chicken breasts
Skin-on thighs dump a huge amount of rendered fat straight into the pan. Skinless breast keeps the meat lean and stops the final sauce from turning into a greasy oil slick.
What it costs you. You lose the crispy, salty skin and the rich flavour of the dark meat. Chicken breast is completely unforgiving if you overcook it.
150g of double cream to 100g of half-fat creme fraiche
Double cream is practically liquid butter. I rely on heavily reduced chicken stock to give the sauce its sticky body, then stir in the half-fat creme fraiche right at the end to provide that necessary milky finish.
What it costs you. Creme fraiche has a distinct lactic tang that double cream completely lacks. The sauce won't have that sweet, cloying richness, and if you boil it, it'll split immediately.
50g of butter down to absolutely zero
I sear the chicken breasts in a dry, non-stick frying pan instead. You genuinely don't need a massive knob of foaming butter just to get a bit of roasted colour on the meat.
What it costs you. You miss out on that nutty, browned butter background flavour entirely. The final dish tastes much cleaner, which might not be what you expect from a French classic.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 747 | 369 |
| Protein | 37.7g | 49.1g |
| Fat | 58.1g | 10.2g |
| Saturated fat | 24.3g | 4g |
| Carbohydrate | 11.6g | 11.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5g | 13.3g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk, sulphites, celery.
The method is in the book
So: a sharper, lighter take that still feels like proper cooking. A carbon copy of a Parisian bistro classic was never on the table once the fat came out. The strong aniseed punch of the tarragon cuts through the tang of the creme fraiche brilliantly. Because you aren't fighting through a thick wall of butter and double cream, the fresh herbs actually stand out more. You get a fantastic plate of food without feeling like you need a nap immediately afterwards.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback