By Carl Franco
Eat This. Drink That.
Recipes, Wines, and some thoughts in between
Now that the holidays are over, it’s nice to return to simple meals. After weeks of rich food, everyone needs a bit of a reset, yet this is often when the daily question of “what’s for dinner?” feels hardest. Maybe you have a couple of hungry teenagers at home, or a college student still lingering on break, or maybe it’s just you and the dog. Whoever you are cooking for, don’t overthink it. Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated, and coming up with something satisfying isn’t as difficult as it may seem. When in doubt, you can always fall back on one of my favorite “go to’s”, a roasted chicken. Not only is it a crowd pleaser, it’s delicious, reliable and makes for leftovers.
There is no shortage of Roast Chicken recipes out there, but what I like most is that you can roast almost any bird using pantry staples, omitting most any need for a special trek to the supermarket. The same goes for the vegetables: whatever’s lingering in the kitchen or crisper will do. Today it was potatoes, onion, and a few Brussels sprouts, but I’ve also used mushrooms, carrots, and parsnips. Once again, whatever’s on hand works just fine.
For this recipe, I opened the pantry and made a simple glaze with hoisin sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, a bit of brown sugar, salt, and a neutral oil. I mixed it all together and slathered it over the chicken. I roasted the chicken at 375 degrees until it reached an internal temperature of 175, which took a little over an hour.
Easy enough for a weeknight, there’s still nothing better than a lazy Sunday afternoon—watching a movie or a football game while the house fills with the enticing smell of a roasting chicken.
For a wine pairing, I went with a terrific white Burgundy as there is something about the fat from poultry that meshes so well with the flavor of a carefully crafted Burgundy. Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau is a small, highly-regarded estate in the southern Burgundy region of the Mâconnais, run by the husband-and-wife team of Frantz Chagnoleau and Caroline Gon. Both trained in oenology , Frantz honed his craft working with Olivier Merlin in the Mâconnais, while Caroline, with dual degrees in agricultural engineering and winemaking, spent time at Newton Vineyard in Napa before both returned to France ang going out on their own. Since 2013 their vineyards have been certified organic, and they emphasize hand harvesting, indigenous yeast fermentations, and aging in older oak to let the true character of the land shine through.
I enjoyed this with their 2024 Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau Mâcon-Villages Clos Saint Pancras which is a lovely expression of this philosophy. Made from 100 % Chardonnay grown on a historic walled vineyard of limestone soils and farmed organically, this single-site wine combines elegance with vibrant energy. In the glass it reveals bright aromas and a mineral-tinged precision that speaks clearly of its terroir, with juicy stone fruit, citrus zest, and a saline finish that makes it as enjoyable with food as it is on its own. The 2024 vintage captures both purity and balance, reflecting the careful, low-intervention approach that defines the estate’s style.
In addition to Clos Saint Pancras, you can step it up a notch with one of their other wines. Frantz and Caroline also craft an excellent 2024 Saint-Véran “De Prisse à Chasselas,” which I also have in inventory. Like their other wines, it showcases the couple’s commitment to organic farming and terroir-driven winemaking, offering drinkers another compelling taste of southern Burgundy from one of its most thoughtful producer-teams.
However you choose to spend your quiet January weekends, always feel free to stop in for wine and recipe suggestions, all simple, comforting ways to enjoy winter Sundays while we wait for spring to eventually reward us. Wine and food are meant to be enjoyed together, and while it may be a few extra calories, the great gift of winter is that beach-body season is still safely in the distance.
