Sunday Supper Rosemary Chicken Supreme, Paired With Belgian Saison

Rosemary Chicken Supreme sits in that sweet spot between a“special occasion” dish and “doable on a weeknight.” It combines Irish flair with a comfort-food payoff: chicken breasts seared for color, finished in the oven, and served with a pan sauce built from butter, shallot, garlic, rosemary, dry white wine, stock, cream, and finely grated Dubliner Irish cheese. Artichoke hearts round it out with an earthy, slightly herbal edge that keeps the plate from tipping into one-note richness. Keep reading for the perfect beer pairing, as well as Judith McLoughlin’s recipe for the dish from her new cookbook, A Return to Ireland: A Culinary Journey.

For beer, the best pairing is a Belgian saison (farmhouse ale).

Saison is one of the most reliably food-friendly styles in the beer world, especially when the dish is creamy, herb-forward, and built on subtle aromatics rather than aggressive spice or smoke. Its dryness, high carbonation, and peppery yeast character do the kind of work you usually rely on wine to handle, while still bringing a distinctly beer-driven layer of complexity.

Why saison works with Chicken Supreme

Dry finish, high carbonation, and palate reset.
This sauce is rich by design. Cream and cheese cling to the palate, and the butter base amplifies that effect. A well-made saison finishes dry and carbonates high, which makes it exceptionally good at cutting richness between bites. You get contrast without sacrificing comfort.

Herbal and peppery yeast character that complements rosemary and garlic.
Many saisons deliver a gentle pepper note, soft clove-like spice, and herbal lift. That profile naturally echoes rosemary’s piney aromatics and garlic’s savory warmth, creating a pairing that feels integrated rather than simply refreshing.

A smart approach to artichokes.
Artichokes can be challenging because they sometimes make beverages taste oddly sweet. Saison’s dryness and bright structure help keep that effect in check better than many malt-forward styles, and it avoids the harsh edge that can show up when you pair creamy sauces with overly bitter beers.

It keeps the white wine element lively.
Because the sauce reduces dry white wine, it has a subtle acidity and aromatic top note. Saison’s spritz and dryness preserve that freshness rather than flattening it.

Three easy-to-find saisons to pair

1. Saison Dupont
   A classic Belgian benchmark with a dry, peppery finish and lively carbonation. It brings structure without overpowering the dish.
2. Boulevard Tank 7
   Slightly bigger, still dry and expressive. It stands up well to the cheese and butter while keeping the pairing crisp.
3. Ommegang Hennepin
   Bright and food-oriented, with herbal and citrus tones that play especially well with rosemary and artichokes.

Tips for getting the most out of the pairing

Serve it cool, not ice-cold.
If the beer is too cold, you lose the yeast-driven aromatics that make saison such a good match for rosemary. Cool preserves crispness while keeping the peppery notes intact.

Pour into a tulip or wine glass.
Saison is aroma-forward. A proper pour gives you more of the spice and herbal lift that bridges the sauce and herbs.

Taste in a deliberate order once.
Try a bite that is sauce-forward, then sip. Next, try a bite with artichoke, then sip. You will notice how the saison both cleans the palate and sharpens the dish’s aromatics rather than simply “washing it down.”

Keep sides simple and bright.
If you are building a full plate, a small bitter-green salad with lemon or a light vinaigrette complements the saison and prevents the meal from feeling heavy.

Judith McLoughlin’s Recipe for Sunday Supper Rosemary Chicken Supreme:

Serves 4

Chicken Supreme Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 4 chicken breast fillets (2 pounds)
• 12 ounces artichokes hearts (cut in quarters)
• Fine sea salt and pepper

Sauce Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium (3 tablespoons) shallot finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¾ cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup Dubliner Irish cheese (finely grated)
• 1 tablespoon rosemary (finely chopped)

Directions

1. Season the chicken fillets with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter and oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and sear on both sides until they are browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet for a few minutes to make the sauce.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. To make the sauce, melt the butter in the same skillet the chicken fillets were browned. Add the shallot and cook until for a few minutes, until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for one minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
5. Add the wine and cook on medium for about 5 minutes or until the wine has almost evaporated. Add the chicken stock and cream and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the Dubliner Irish cheese until the cheese has melted.
6. Add the chicken fillets back into the skillet and spoon the sauce on top. Arrange the artichokes hearts all around the chicken.
7. Bake the chicken supreme in the oven for a further 18–20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and firm to the touch (internal temperature of 165°F).
8. To serve, place a chicken breast in the center of each plate and spoon more sauce on top.

Recipe credit: Judith McLoughlin’s forthcoming cookbook, A Return to Ireland: A Culinary Journey.

Judith McLoughlin is an Irish chef and owner of a gourmet food business in Georgia called The Shamrock and Peach. Specializing in Irish cuisine, Judith has created her own unique food fusion by blending the techniques of her homeland with the newfound flavors of the South. Growing up in County Armagh in Northern Ireland and setting down roots in the South, over the past decade Judith has become one of the most recognized Irish faces and brands in Atlanta, throughout the American South and abroad. She regularly contributes to food columns in national newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic and leads numerous discovery tours from the U.S. to Ireland each year. Before A Return to Ireland, she had a cookbook entitled The Shamrock and Peach.

Feature Image Credit: Gary McLoughlin