Chardonnay, Marlborough, Marlborough, New Zealand, New Zealand Wines, New Zealand wines, white wines, Whitehaven Wines, Wine and Dine, Wine and Food
Free-range chicken with tarragon cream sauce
Sep
A rare anniversary bottling meets a dish with real character
In September, a New Zealand wine meets a dish that offers exactly the character it calls for: the Whitehaven ‘Greg’ Chardonnay from Rapaura, Marlborough, in a strictly limited edition of just 120 cases worldwide. Crispy roast free-range chicken is served here on a bed of roasted autumn vegetables – carrots and parsnips – topped with a tarragon cream sauce made with white wine, chicken stock and a spoonful of Dijon mustard. It’s a dish for those first cooler September evenings – hearty enough to truly hold its own against an oak-aged Chardonnay, yet simple enough for a perfectly ordinary Tuesday evening.
Ideal wine pairing: Whitehaven ‘Greg’ Chardonnay (Marlborough, New Zealand)
This single-vineyard Chardonnay is a rarity: first released to mark Whitehaven Wines’ 30th anniversary, it is made from Mendoza clone vines planted in 1995 at the Balvonie Vineyard near the Wairau River, which has been managed by the MacLauchlan family for decades. Only 120 cases were produced – around 720 bottles of this anniversary bottling worldwide. The grapes were pressed as whole bunches, with only the free-run juice used; fermentation began in stainless steel and was continued, for half the batch, in French oak puncheons containing 40 per cent new wood, followed by full malolactic fermentation and 16 months on the fine lees with occasional bâtonnage – bottled unfined and unfiltered. In the glass, it displays a medium, luminous straw-yellow colour with golden highlights. The nose combines ripe peach and fresh citrus notes with smoky, spicy undertones and toasty aromas reminiscent of freshly toasted bread. On the palate, the wine is rich, dry and elegant all at once, with juicy stone fruit, toasted hazelnuts and a creamy fine-yeast texture, whilst flinty minerality adds a touch of tension. The finish is long and balanced. It is precisely this combination of woody spice, creaminess and stone fruit that complements the tarragon cream sauce, allowing the smoke and fruit to blossom on the palate.
The recipe:
Free-range chicken with tarragon cream sauce
Equipment
- Bratpfanne (Edelstahl oder Gusseisen)
- Backblech
- Kleiner Topf für die Sauce
- Fleischthermometer
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 2 Chicken breast fillets with skin Free-range chicken, approx. 200 g each
- 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
- 20 g Butter
- sea salt freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE TARRAGON CREAM SAUCE:
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 100 ml dry white wine
- 200 ml Chicken stock
- 150 ml cream
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
- 1 EL Dijon mustard
- 20 g cold butter
FOR AUTUMN VEGETABLES:
- 2 Carrots peeled, quartered lengthways
- 2 Parsnips peeled, quartered
- 1 red onion cut into strips
- 2 Tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 A sprig of rosemary
- Salt Pepper
FOR SERVING:
- Fresh tarragon leaves
- A little lemon zest
Instructions
PREPARATION:
- Pat the chicken breast fillets dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Wash the carrots and parsnips and cut them into quarters lengthways.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C (top and bottom heat).
- Finely chop the tarragon.
COOKING STEPS:
- Mix the carrots, parsnips and onion wedges with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Spread them out on a baking tray and roast for 25 to 30 minutes until they are soft and slightly caramelised.
- At the same time, heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan.
- Fry the chicken breasts, skin-side down, for 5 to 6 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden brown.
- Turn it over and fry for a further 6 to 8 minutes until the core temperature reaches 70 °C.
- Remove the meat and leave it to rest for a short while.
- Drain off all but one tablespoon of the frying fat, then fry the shallot in it until translucent.
- Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half.
- Pour in the chicken stock and reduce by a third.
- Stir in the cream and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard.
- Stir in cold butter until the sauce is glossy.
- Stir in the chopped tarragon just before serving.
- Season with salt and pepper.
SERVE:
- Arrange the roasted autumn vegetables on pre-warmed plates.
- Slice the chicken breast and arrange the slices on top.
- Spoon a generous amount of tarragon cream sauce over the top.
- Garnish with fresh tarragon leaves and a little lemon zest.
- Serve the Whitehaven Greg Chardonnay at 10–12 °C with this dish.
SIDE DISHES:
- Mashed potatoes with brown butter
- Green salad with mustard vinaigrette
- Fresh sourdough bread
Nutrition
