I love cooking during Thanksgiving and Christmas. I look forward to it all year long. My mom and I start planning it around August of every year. I really wanted to challenge myself by pairing red wine, especially Sculpterra Maquette, with poultry for Thanksgiving. You can even substitute small turkey tenderloins for the chicken in this recipe. The Italians use chicken with red wine in Chicken Cacciatore, while the French use red wine in Coq au Vin. These inspirations significantly influenced me. My friend Kristian, who is now our wine club manager at Sculpterra, inspired me to pair Sculpterra Statuesque wine with a chocolate dessert. He always tells customers that it is the perfect pairing, even more so than a dessert wine. Come back next week as I share a red wine chocolate cake for dessert. Enjoy!
Ingredients
6 small Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
cracked black pepper
1 pound of sliced Prosciutto
1-pound Gruyère Cheese (sliced thin)
6 Sage Leaves
1 cup Sculpterra Maquette wine
1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons of minced flat-leafed Italian parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For each piece of chicken, cover with a slice of cheese and a sage leaf, and then wrap the breast with prosciutto. Use just enough to cover the chicken’s surface area. Place chicken in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray or olive oil. Crack some black pepper over the top. Then pour the wine and chicken broth into the bottom of the baking dish, ensuring it comes halfway up the sides of the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the prosciutto is crispy. Allow chicken to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with a drizzle of pan sauce and sprinkle with parsley.
Maple and Thyme Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
12 Tablespoons of water
8 Tablespoons of butter, cut into eight pieces
Salt and Pepper
4 Tablespoons of maple syrup
2 teaspoons of minced fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
Combine sweet potatoes, water, butter, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes crumble easily when poked with a paring knife, 40-50 minutes, then remove from heat. Using a potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes thoroughly until smooth, with no lumps remaining. Stir in maple syrup and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve under chicken.