This week’s dish is an Italian classic, usually made with veal, but here substituted with Chicken. The flavours of the recipe are bold, with strong herby notes from the sage and rosemary, as well as asparagus (a difficult food and wine match). Add to this some acidity supplied by the roasted tomatoes and lemon, salty prosciutto ham, and some curry-ish caramelised nuances from the sauce, and you have a challenging wine pairing exercise.

With asparagus served on its own you’d probably reach for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire or Bordeaux, and tomatoes would certainly match well with the naturally high acidity in the wine.

However, the range of complementary flavours here call for something more rounded, like a lightly oaked, fruity style of French Chardonnay from southern Burgundy or further South.

It’s those caramelised notes and salty ham flavours that work brilliantly here with the Domaine Paquet Saint Veran 2013: The wine has all the hallmarks of a good Mâcon but has been ramped up a notch with the subtle hints of oak you’d expect from Chardonnay made further up the region in the Côte-d'Or. The southern sun rounds the palate, giving the wine a luxurious feel, while the balanced acidity works well with the lemon and tomatoes in the dish.

With complex flavours like those in my Chicken Saltimbocca you need a well textured wine, along with solid, yet discrete, flavours on the palate.

This lovely St-Veran provides a very useful backdrop that showcases rather than competes with the flavours of the chicken itself.

Chicken Saltimbocca – Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 skinless chicken breast fillets
• 2 sage leaves
• 2 slices prosciutto
• 1 tbsp olive oil – plus more for potatoes and asparagus
• 2 tbsp Marsala / dry Madeira / Palo Cortado Sherry
• 100ml chicken stock
• Half lemon
• Handful cherry tomatoes
• Packet asparagus
• Potatoes for roasting
• Sprig rosemary
• 4 whole garlic cloves

Method

Pop a roasting tray with olive oil into an oven pre-heated to 180°C. Par-boil the potatoes for 10 mins, drain, combine with the garlic and rosemary, then empty into the roasting tray with a twist of salt and pepper. Cook for approx 45 mins.

Lay chicken breasts on a chopping board and cut through the middle horizontally. Open up the meat like an escalope and place a sage leaf on top of each. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around the centre, cover with cling film and bash with a rolling pin to flatten and amalgamate the ham and sage.

After around 30mins, pop a small roasting tray into the oven with a splash of olive oil  - this will be for the asparagus to roast. Let this pre-heat for 10 mins, then cook the asparagus for approx 10 mins.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the chicken breasts, prosciutto-side down. Cook for 2-3 mins until the meat colours, then turn over and cook for 3 mins more. Pour over the fortified wine of your choice from the list above and cook for 1 min.

Remove the meat and let it rest in foil for around 5 mins while the tomatoes are cooking alongside the asparagus.

Add the stock to the frying pan and reduce to make a light sauce. Pour any juices from the rested chicken into the sauce before serving.

To serve, lay the asparagus on the plate and top with the rested chicken. Arrange the cooked cherry tomatoes on top and drizzle with the cooking juices /gravy and a squeeze of lemon. Help yourself to the crunchy, herby roasties on the side. Enjoy!

By Chris Penwarden