Wine Pairing: Honey Roasted Chicken and Cranberry Relish with Marsanne Roussanne
I have always eaten my condiments with food, not my food with condiments. My mom loves to tell stories of me licking ketchup off of french fries. I know there are other condiment lovers out there! Are french fries not merely a vehicle for the ketchup?
As I began to experiment in the kitchen, I started by perfecting recipes for the condiments I enjoyed as a kid. My recent obsession- honey mustard. Local honey simmered with fresh whole grain mustard - to die for.
We all know that honey mustard and chicken are a classic combination. Instead of a dipping sauce, simmer the chicken in the honey mustard with fresh herbs and dry white wine. The house will smell fantastic - drawing your family to the dinner table!
I prefer to cook this in a cast iron skillet, as a one pot meal. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, simply saute the onions and garlic in a standard skillet; then use a baking dish to cook your chicken.
Wine Pairing
Marsanne and Roussanne are two white grape varieties traditionally hailing from the the Rhone valley.
This full bodied white wine, has the brightness of lemon with subtle floral hints of honey suckle. An old dynamic duo - Marsanne adds structure while Roussanne adds more aromatic notes - together they create a medium to full bodied white wine. Its supreme ability to age makes it a collector's favorite. Aging imparts more nutty notes than citrus.
Similar to Chardonnay or Viognier, a dry white wine pairs naturally with most chicken recipes. The tartness of the cranberry relish and earthy notes of the herbs make Marsanne Roussanne my go-to wine for this pairing.
HONEY ROASTED CHICKEN AND CRANBERRY RELISH
ingredients
total time: 45 minutes yield: 4 servings
- 3 tablespoons of dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons of honey
- 3 tablespoons of whole grain mustard or honey mustard of your choice
- ½ tsp of fresh grated ginger
- 2 sprigs of thyme and marjoram
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ¼ cup of Marsanne Roussanne
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
rub
- 1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Mustard Rub: Combine mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers or a brush work the rub into both sides of the chicken. Set aside
- For the Sauce: Whisk together the mustards, honey, ginger, and olive oil into a small bowl and set aside
- For the Chicken: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in your cast iron skillet, or standard skillet, over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add your onions and garlic. Cook until golden brown or about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and sear for 2-3 minutes on both sides. Add the ¼ cup of wine and honey mustard sauce. Nestle in a few sprigs of fresh herbs and place in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until chicken has reached the internal cooking temperature.
- Serve along side rice to soak up the honey mustard sauce. Enjoy with cranberry relish to brighten the dish and pair with Unionville Vineyards’ Marsanne Roussane!
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in Unionville Grapevine
The Best Wines are the Ones You Fight For
We picked from 5am that day until a little past midnight, almost 19 hours of harvesting. The pick was only interrupted for bathroom breaks, pizza, and eventually some beers to keep morale high. I think the high morale beer was Miller High Life, although the details are fuzzy and it would only have been selected ironically. It was the most tenacious day I can recall in the field here. We picked nearly 10 tons from three different vineyards, finishing with the Pheasant Hill Chardonnay. We saran wrapped the bins during transport and weighing back at the winery as Ophelia's first raindrops splashed down just after midnight.
Too Frigid For May: How Unionville Reacted to Destructive Frost
© 2025 Unionville Vineyards.
