Sophie James

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Sundays with Sophie is Back!

Don’t miss our first episode of Sundays with Sophie - Season 4!

Welcome back to Sundays with Sophie! I’m so excited to share a few new recipes to pair with our Sophie James wines as we prepare to ship our members their Summer Club Release and new member Welcome Packages!

Our 4th season was inspired by the cuisines of the Mediterranean Blue Zones, Mother Nature, and creating a lifestyle for longevity. For anyone unfamiliar, the Blue Zones are 5 regions in the world that have been identified as having the most concentrated populations of centenarians - people that live to be 100 years or older!

In these special regions, local, organically-farmed food & wine have been a vital part of everyday life, and the key to longevity and a healthy lifestyle for centuries.

My first recipe is my Zesty Lemon, Fennel & Olive Braised Chicken, a perfect summertime dish and a personal favorite to make when we’re entertaining friends and family on the Mountaintop. I like to pair this dish with our Sophie James Chardonnay!

Our Chardonnay is off-the-charts delicious and the zesty citrus notes, acid, and minerality make it a mouthwatering combination with the juicy chicken, bright lemon, and herbaceousness of the marinade, fennel and olives - with a little kick of spice (my favorite part!). You are going to be obsessed with this pairing!

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My braised chicken recipe is inspired by the seasonal produce and local recipes of the Mediterranean, but made with our amazing, local Sonoma-grown organic produce - and it pairs perfectly with our Sophie James Chardonnay.

Interestingly, the way people eat in these Blue Zones is similar to our winemaking philosophy at Sophie James: taking the best of what Mother Nature has to offer and not adding to it. Whether it’s organically farmed vegetables or grapes, we know that eating and drinking from the beautiful bounty of Mother Nature is what is best for ourselves, our farmers, our community and the environment.

This season’s SWS is dedicated to sharing this philosophy & our organically-farmed wines with a few delicious, seasonal recipes for longevity.

Follow along with this season of SWS for a few secrets to a meaningful life, delicious recipes for longevity, & our organically-farmed wine pairings inspired by the Blue Zones & Mother Nature.

Read on for my recipe below!


ORGANIC INGREDIENTS


For Lemon Rosemary Marinade:

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons of lemon zest (roughly 2 lemons) 

⅓ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 tablespoons minced rosemary

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 


For the Chicken:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 chicken thighs & 2 Chicken breasts, bone-in-skin on

3 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 ¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

½ cup chicken broth (ideally homemade)

¼ cup Sophie James Chardonnay 

1 jar of Pitted Castelvetrano olives 

1 Fresno chilli, deseeded & chopped into rounds

2 small fennel bulbs (about 14 ounces), cut through core into 3/4-inch-thick wedges, fronds reserved for garnish

10 lemon slices (1/2-inch-thick)

Sourdough baguette, for serving


RECIPE


To marinate the chicken:

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side and place in a ceramic or glass dish with a lid. 

In a bowl combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, minced rosemary, and pepper. 

Pour the lemon-rosemary marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish a few times to cover. 

Place the marinated chicken dish (covered) in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, up to overnight (& turning at least 3 - 4 times).


To braise the chicken:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken in the oil, turning occasionally and working in batches if necessary, until the skin is golden brown & slightly crispy on both sides, about 8 - 12 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and transfer chicken to a plate. Add chicken broth and Sophie James Chardonnay (or other dry white wine) to the skillet.

Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned and crispy bits from the skillet, and stir to mix with chicken juices, broth and wine. 

Next, put the chicken skin side up in the skillet, and carefully tuck your lemon slices, fennel wedges in skillet & around & under the chicken. I like to place fennel fronds on top of the chicken. Optionally, I like to tuck the chopped chile peppers into the bottom of the skillet to soak up the juice. Lastly, sprinkle olives generously around the skillet. 

Bring liquid in the skillet to a boil over medium to high heat. Remove from heat. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil, and transfer to the preheated oven. 

Cook in the oven for 50 minutes or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 130°F.

Remove foil or lid, and increase oven temperature to roast at 425°F, drizzling the juice mixture over chicken repeatedly, to keep moist, for about 20 minutes or until the skin is browned & crispy.

Serve with baguette & dip in remaining juices. Fantastic with a simple green side salad (like arugula) with a lemon-vinaigrette dressing!

Pair with our Sophie James Chardonnay & Voila! Enjoy!