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!
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Desk or vineyard? This is the question I asked myself when making the leap of faith to leave my corporate life behind to pursue my passion for wine. After working in the medical communications space for 10 years, 2022 was the year of epiphany. It may sound old fashion, but I did have a major realization in the beginning of the new year that I was not meant to work behind a desk and chug along doing work that I was no longer passionate about.
My first notion of my interest of wine came during my frequent business trips to Boston about 4 years ago. For the first time I was immersing myself in the world of wine through client dinners, networking events and a lot of self-exploring through Beantown. During this time was my first encounter with sommeliers and wine experts. I was fascinated and intrigued by the expertise knowledge of wine, wine making and learning about the intricacies that goes into producing a bottle of wine. At this moment, I thought about how amazing it was to witness such passion for the craft of wine.
I enrolled in an online sommelier level one course at the Wine School of Philadelphia and began studying and reading everything I could about wine. This is where my 2nd major epiphany happened – I asked myself, the question that I stated in the beginning “desk or vineyard?”
This is the question that started the major stepping stone to my journey. I no longer wanted my wine passion to be in the background – I wanted to be 100% committed and both feet in. Unionville Vineyards was the first winery that popped into my head when I thought about making my “9:00- 5:00” switch. I attended a wedding at Unionville the year prior and loved the atmosphere, the wine and the people. The position that I applied to was half farm work half hospitality. I was instantly attracted to the idea of being out in the field to where it all begins in wine making. Thoughts of my “office” transforming into the beautiful vineyard was something I desired. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Unionville has multiple vineyard sites with the Coventry site located within Coventry Farm in Princeton being my favorite (love the views there!) Working at the different sites allows you to see how the different micro climates, soil and land impact the vines and fruit cluster growth. Also working in the field to me was the perfect learning opportunity to understand the craft of wine making soup to nuts. Being surrounded by vines that produced grapes such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay was eye opening to me. I was so used to seeing the finished product of these grape varietals in their bottled form, but actually being able to perform farming techniques on the vines starts to create another level of perspective and appreciation for wine.
One of my favorite farming tasks to perform in the field on the vines is leaf pulling. Leaf pulling is when you remove leaves from around the fruit clusters. The rule of thumb is to remove leaves that are across and below from the fruit cluster. Removing the leaves creates oxygen flow, openness for pesticides to be sprayed and exposes the fruit to more sunlight. I enjoy seeing the satisfying result of a perfectly balanced vine with the right number of leaves removed. Working in the field creates a huge bond between you and your other field peers. You become a family unit and learn how to work together and communicate as a team. To me, this is a very important factor for having a successful vineyard. My experience with people at Unionville in general has been amazing. You have the opportunity to interact with people from all different backgrounds (teachers, college, corporate, etc.) which makes for some great conversations and comradery.
To anyone reading this, do not be afraid to follow your passion and take a chance on doing what you want to ensure your happiness. It was scary to make such a drastic shift from corporate to farm work, especially since the two are extremely opposite ends of the spectrum, but I have no regrets and I am happy with where my career and focus is going.
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