Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken – Kalyn’s Kitchen

Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken has that French Tarragon flavor I love; let the chicken marinate all day for more flavor! And Chicken with tarragon is a classic French combination and the perfect way to use fresh Tarragon if you have it in your herb garden.

PIN Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken to try it later!

Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken is the perfect thing to make if you have a French Tarragon plant in your herb garden, and the tarragon growing at my old house is what originally inspired me to make this! The recipe is a cousin to the Rosemary Mustard Chicken that’s popular in my family and also on the blog, but using chopped French Tarragon instead of rosemary in the marinade gives the recipe a completely different twist.

And this grilled chicken infused with tarragon flavor reminds me how much I really love tarragon! In fact now I only have a few herbs growing on the patio and I have to buy tarragon at the grocery store, but I still make the recipe one or two times every summer.

Fresh French Tarragon has a distinctive flavor that isn’t duplicated by dried tarragon, and if this is your first time trying fresh tarragon I might use a bit less. But if you’re a confirmed tarragon fan, this grilled chicken with tarragon mustard flavors is a recipe where long marinating time will really infuse the chicken with amazing tarragon flavor. I hope you try it!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What does French Tarragon taste like?

French Tarragon has a flavor that’s somewhat similar to basil with but with more licorice flavor notes, and it’s stronger than basil so you only need a small amount of chopped fresh tarragon to add a lot of flavor to a recipe. Tarragon goes well with chicken, eggs, fish, and a few vegetables, but in the last few years I’ve noticed creative cooks are combining it with many more things.

Can you make Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken without an outdoor Grill?

This chicken can be easily cooked on a stove-top grill pan with ridges (affiliate link) or even a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link) if you don’t have an outside grill. Remember the George Foreman Grill cooks both sides at the same time, so the cooking time will be less.

How low in carbs is the Tarragon Mustard Chicken?

This tasty variation of grilled chicken with mustard and tarragon flavors has only 1 net carb per serving and 38 grams of protein!

How to make Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Here’s a photo of the lovely French Tarragon that was growing like a weed in my herb garden! If you’re picking tarragon from the garden, wash and spin dry or dry with paper towels.
2. Chop up enough tarragon to make two tablespoons (or maybe a bit less if you’re a tarragon newbie.)
3. Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, chopped tarragon, olive oil, and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) to make the marinade.
4. Trim chicken to remove fat and undesirable parts and make slits in the chicken. (I shared the technique for cutting thin slits in chicken breasts in my post on How to Make Juicy Grilled Chicken breasts. You might want to read that if you haven’t seen it.)
5. Let the chicken marinate for 6-8 hours if you can (or longer) to get the full impact of the tarragon flavor in the marinade.
6. When it’s time to cook drain chicken and let it come to room temperature while you spray grill with nonstick grilling spray and heat to high.
7. To get nice criss-cross grill marks, lay chicken breasts at a diagonal to grill slats. (Turn the temperature down to just above medium-high when you put the chicken on.)
8. After about 4 minutes lift a piece of chicken to check for grill marks. If you see them, rotate chicken 90 degrees to get criss-cross marks on the top side.
9. Cook about 4 more minutes or until second set of grill marks show on the top side. 
10. Then turn and cook on second side, about 4-6 minutes more or until chicken feels firm, but not hard to the touch, and is well browned.
11. For best results, use an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) and cook chicken until it reaches 165F/75C.
12. Actual cooking time will vary depending on grill temperature, but I cooked the chicken in the photo nearly 14 minutes at medium-high most of the time.
13. Serve the Tarragon Mustard Chicken hot. If you have any leftover chicken, it’s great on salads.

Make it a low-carb Meal:

Serve the Tarragon Mustard Chicken with one of these side dishes for an amazing low-carb meal:

Want more ideas for using Tarragon?

Check out Cooking with Fresh Tarragon for more ideas for using this interesting-tasting herb!

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 T chopped fresh French tarragon
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. minced garlic or garlic puree
• 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (see notes)
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts. (I like to trim the chicken pieces to a fairly uniform shape, saving the scraps to make chicken stock.)
2. Cut small crosswise slits down the length of each piece of chicken, being careful not to cut too deep.
3. Wash tarragon and dry with paper towels and chop tarragon very finely.
4. Combine mustard, lemon juice, garlic, Spike Seasoning, chopped tarragon, and olive oil and whisk together.
5. Put chicken into Ziploc bag or flat plastic container with a snap on lid and pour marinade ingredients over.
6. Let marinate in refrigerator 6-8 hours.
7. To cook, spray gas or charcoal grill with non-stick spray, then preheat grill to high. (You can only hold your hand there a few seconds at that temperature.)
8. Let chicken come to room temperature while grill heats.
9. To get nice criss-cross grill marks, lay chicken breasts at a diagonal to grill slats. (I turn the temperature down to slightly above medium-high when the grill marks first start to show.)
10. After about 4 minutes (or when you see grill marks) rotate chicken 90 degrees to get second set of marks.
11. Cook about 4 more minutes on first side (until second marks show) then turn and cook 6-8 minutes on second side.
12. Chicken is done when it feels firm, but not hard to the touch, and is well browned.
13. Actual cooking time will vary depending on grill temperature, but I cooked the chicken in the photo 15 minutes at medium-high most of the time.
14. Serve the Tarragon Mustard Chicken hot and enjoy!

Notes

I’m a big fan of Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) but you can use any seasoning blend that’s good on chicken for this recipe.

Recipe created by Kalyn when she had lots of French Tarragon growing in the herb garden.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving

Calories 365Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 102mgSodium 672mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 38g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Tarragon Mustard Chicken is a perfect main dish for any low-carb or Keto eating plan, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe
The grilled chicken with tarragon mustard flavors was first posted in 2012, when I had lots of French Tarragon in the herb garden. The recipe was updated with better photos in June 2020, and it was last updated. with more information in 2025!

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