Gigi's Roasted Lemon Chicken with Chardonnay

• 1 large chicken, ready to roast
• 2 lemons
• Cinnamon, a few pinches to taste
• 1 onion, finely sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ cup Chardonnay

Serves 4–5

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 2 hours

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the chicken on a roasting pan.

Zest one of the lemons. Pour the juice of that lemon over the chicken.

Pour the Chardonnay into the roasting pan around the chicken.

Peel the second lemon and place it inside the cavity of the chicken.

Rub a few pinches of cinnamon onto the chicken. This helps the skin turn crisp and golden as it cooks.

Add the soy sauce over the chicken. If using onion, scatter the finely sliced onion around the chicken in the roasting pan.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for about 2 hours. After 1 hour, turn the chicken over so it cooks evenly on both sides.

When finished, the chicken will be tender and deeply aromatic, with bright lemon and wine-infused juices in the pot. Spoon some of the pan juices over the carved chicken and serve warm, ideally with a glass of Chardonnay alongside.

Our 2024 Estate Chardonnay — born from hand-selected vineyard rows, aged 14 months on sparkling wine lees, and crafted in only 115 cases — is a wine that deserves a table moment worthy of its provenance.

The Charonnay's lemon curd aromatics and lifted acidity were made for a slow-roasted lemon chicken, where the bright citrus and rich pan juices draw out every layer the wine has to offer. The unctuous richness of the beautiful Chardonnay , the seamless oak, the long silky finish — it all comes alive alongside something warm, golden, and simply prepared.