Champagne (Spanish Cava) Chicken

I've made this before, but this time I did it much better. I never use actual champagne since it costs a fortune and there are some good alternatives. Instead of just using chicken breasts like the recipe calls for, I also used a whole chicken. I also let it marinate about 8 hours instead of 30 minutes. I ALSO tented the roasted chicken once its internal temperature had reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit, to let the moisture spread through the meat. Basically I actually did everything right. I even added some fresh thym to the incisions of shallots in the meat.

My cava, Segura Viudas (about $13), was a "Top 100 pick" by "Wine Enthusiast" at the liquor store (SAQ for all you non-Quebecers). It was plenty dry, and went perfectly with the meal. It also made the chicken just very delicious, though you don't need much of that since the meat is so tender. I rarely eat skin on chicken because if it's not crispy I find it disgusting, but the roasting here makes it perfect. The organic chicken I used was worth the $23 dollars. I ate the chicken pieces (of course the legs were the juiciest) on top of the last of my oyster mushroom and garlic scape risotto, along with some collard greens cooked in broth. Add a fresh salad with Quebec turnips and cucumber and a miso paprika mirin dressing (weird, I know, but it worked) made for a great meal. Tonight some new potatoes will get roasted in my lamb fat. I think it will overpower the chicken, but I'm okay with that...

OH! I wanted to let everyone who loves yogurt know that I may have found another yogurt I love...It's not necessarily better than Pinehedge, but it has a very unique creaminess. It's expensive, but so is life.