Prosecco Gravy for Chicken

Sparkling wine is not an obvious gravy ingredient, but Prosecco has pear and apple blossom notes that suit roast chicken very well. The bubbles are irrelevant once it hits the pan, so this is the perfect job for the half bottle nobody finished last night. It does need a firmer reduction than still white wine because Prosecco is quite acidic.

Ingredients

Makes about 400ml, enough for four plates

• 2 tbsp chicken fat from the tin, or butter
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1½ tbsp (22g) plain flour
• 300ml (10fl oz) Prosecco brut or extra dry, flat is fine
• 400ml (14fl oz) hot chicken stock
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 15g (½oz) cold butter to finish
• salt and white pepper

Kit

• Roasting tin or frying pan
• Whisk
• Sieve

Method

1. Set the tin or pan over a medium heat with the chicken fat and cook the shallots for five minutes until soft and glassy, without browning them.

2. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute and a half, keeping it pale.

3. Pour in the Prosecco carefully. If it is still fizzy it will foam right up the sides, so add a third at a time and let it settle before the next.

4. Boil it hard for eight to ten minutes until reduced by two thirds. Prosecco has high acidity and not much body, so it needs a firmer reduction than a still white wine or the gravy tastes like sharp lemonade.

5. Whisk in the hot stock and simmer for eight minutes until the gravy lightly coats a spoon.

6. Stir in the honey. Brut Prosecco is bone dry once reduced and that single teaspoon rounds off the acidity without making it sweet.

7. Strain into a warm jug, whisk in the cold butter off the heat, then add the lemon juice and chives. Season with salt and white pepper and serve immediately over roast chicken.

Tips worth knowing

• Flat Prosecco is genuinely better here. Fizz just makes the pan foam over and there is no benefit to it in a cooked sauce.
• Do not use a sweet Asti or a demi sec sparkling wine. The residual sugar concentrates and you end up with something closer to a dessert sauce.
• For a non-alcoholic version, use 300ml of a good alcohol free sparkling wine, or 250ml of white grape juice with 50ml of water and 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar. The vinegar matters, because acidity is the main thing Prosecco brings.
• Cava and Champagne both work identically. Champagne is a waste of money in a gravy but it does taste very good.

Keeping and reheating

Three days in the fridge. It freezes for three months but the delicate aroma fades, so this is one to eat fresh if you can. Reheat gently and add the lemon and chives after warming.

Questions people ask