Tarragon Salsa Verde

Our answer

Nigella's Chicken With Tarragon Salsa Verde (from NIGELLISSIMA serves quickly roasted chicken breasts with a bright salsa verde. Fresh tarragon is used for both cooking the chicken and in the salsa verde.

You can add a couple of pinches of freeze-dried tarragon leaves to the pan when roasting the chicken as they will add some anise flavour to the juices in the pan (strain the pan juices before adding them to the salsa verde). However we would prefer not to use dried tarragon leaves in the sauce as dried herbs tend to not blend as smoothly as fresh, giving the sauce a grainy texture. Also the strength of flavour of dried herbs can vary enormously depending on the age of the dried herb and the brand used. Instead we would suggest using any fresh, soft herb leaves that you can find easily. Basil has an anise note so would be a good alternative. Use the same quantity as for tarragon. Also if using alternatives, you may like to add an extra squeeze of lemon juice to the salsa verde, but taste first and adjust according to your own palate.