If you cook with wine you probably know that just about any bottle can make an excellent pan sauce, but did you know that Champagne or other sparkling wines can work just as well? This is my go-to dish whenever I have leftover Champagne after hosting a dinner party that has lost its fizz and it works perfectly, meaning I have no wasted Champagne. I also love to make this with a new bottle and use what I need for the sauce, saving the rest to enjoy with dinner.
You don’t have to use Champagne to make this dish – Prosecco, Cava, Crémant or any sparkling wine will work, though it’s possible the flavours will differ slightly. If you don’t have any of these to hand, white wine will also work nicely.
I love to serve this with either some mashed potatoes, roasted new potatoes or steamed new potatoes because they compliment the sauce so nicely. A green vegetable of some description alongside is also nice – my choice would be some green beans – and a crusty hunk of bread is a must for mopping up the plate afterwards. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 4 slices streaky bacon
- 2 chicken escalopes
- 200ml Champagne (or other sparkling wine of your choice)
- Chopped fresh parsley to serve
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the bacon until it’s nice and crispy. When it’s done, take the bacon out of the pan, leaving the juices and fat behind and remove it to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Put the pan back on the heat and fry the chicken until it’s cooked through and nice and bronzed on the outside. You should be getting some nice colour in the bottom of the pan by now. When the chicken is cooked through and golden, remove it to a plate to rest.
- Crank up the heat to high and pour in the Champagne. It will sizzle at first and bubble furiously. Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any of that flavourful colour from the pan – this is full of flavour – and incorporate it into the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and continue bubbling this mixture until it thickens and reduces a bit.
- Toss in the bacon and give it a stir and then add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon some of the sauce over the pieces of chicken and when it’s all reached a consistency that’s slightly syrupy, it’s good to go. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve the chicken pieces with the pan juices and bacon bits spooned over top.
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