Get the wine tips that go with all chicken dishes

Chicken itself has a very mild taste and the meat is therefore often prepared with different spices and sauces that greatly affect the taste. Which side dishes and which sauce are served with will therefore have a great impact on which wine goes well with the chicken dish. However, there is one thing you should be careful of when finding a suitable wine for chicken. No matter what side dishes or sauce you serve with it – beware of too many tannins.

Avoid wines with a lot of tannins

Chicken should be cooked thoroughly to ensure that all bacteria are killed. Cooking at a high core temperature causes the proteins to lose their ability to absorb tannins, which in turn can make a tannin-rich wine feel drying instead of refreshing. This also applies to all other meats, so a tip is: if you are going to eat well-done meat – choose a wine with less tannins.

We can divide chicken dishes into 3 categories

Well-known and classic chicken dishes can be roughly categorized as follows in terms of wine recommendations:

1. Light dishes with chicken: Salads, such as Chicken Caesar, and chicken with salad as a side dish.

2. Rich dishes with chicken: Chicken with cream sauce, mushroom stew, creamy au gratin potatoes, risotto or similar.

3. Spicy or sweet dishes with chicken: Indian chicken dishes, sweet and sour chicken, BBQ chicken with sweet BBQ sauces/ marinades.

Wine for lighter chicken dishes

Light wines will go well with light dishes. Since alcohol and aging on the lees are the most important factors for fullness in wine, you should choose wines with a low alcohol percentage: around 12% and certainly not over 13.5%. Since these dishes are often dishes with clear, clean and distinct flavours, it is important that the wines also have the same clear, clean and distinct profile. Therefore, choose wines that have been aged in barrels, bottles or on the lees.

White wine for light chicken dishes

Here it is recommended to choose light, simple, aromatic and fresh versions of the Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. When it comes to Sauvignon Blanc, the expression we are looking for is often found in the "new world" - which in the wine world is the USA, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Remember to avoid the most expensive wines that are often too heavy and complex for this type of food. Suitable wines for Riesling can be found almost everywhere where the grape is known to be grown. But choose affordable versions - the most expensive ones will be too rich for a light chicken dish.

See our selection of Riesling white wines

See our selection of Sauvignon Blanc white wines

Red wine for light chicken dishes

Red wine for this type of chicken dish should be light, simple and fresh. Avoid wines that have been aged for a long time in barrel or bottle and once again choose affordable varieties. Affordable wines from the Beaujolais region in France and Chianti from Tuscany or from the Pinot Noir grape have the simplicity, lightness and acidity needed in this context.

See our selection of Pinot Noir red wines

See our selection of red wines from Tuscany

See our selection of red wines from Beaujolais

Wine for rich chicken dishes

Rich dishes require fuller wines. Since alcohol and aging on the lees are the most important factors for fullness in wine, wines with relatively high alcohol (around 13.5%) and/or aging on the lees are most suitable. Since these dishes are often dishes with complex flavours, it is important that the wines also have the same complex character.

White wine for rich chicken dishes

For rich and creamy chicken dishes with a lot of fat, we are looking for wines with fullness, complexity and high acidity. This is typically found in lavish versions of the Chardonnay grape from cool areas. Most famous for this style are municipalities in Central Burgundy, such as Meursault and Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet, and coastal regions, where the cold ocean and fog cool the climate, in California such as Santa Barbara and Monterey.

See our selection of Chardonnay white wines

See our selection of white wines from Burgundy

Red wine for rich chicken dishes

Wines made from Pinot Noir or Barbera grapes and wines from the Beaujolais region offer the acidity needed, while rarely adding too much tannin or too much barrel flavour. Look for wines in the middle range for these dishes. The cheapest Pinot Noir or Beaujolais grapes can be too light, while the most expensive expressions of Barbera can be too heavy due to too high alcohol.

See our selection of Barbera red wines

See our selection of Pinot Noir red wines

See our selection of Beaujolais red wines

Sparkling wine for rich chicken dishes

Go for Champagne or sparkling wines like Franciacorta, Trento or Cava (with the designation Reserva or Gran Reserva) with full-bodied chicken dishes. These have high minimum requirements for aging on the lees and thus often have the fullness and complexity needed to match a heavier dish.

See our Champagne selection

See our sparkling wine selection

Wine for spicy and sweet chicken dishes

For spicy or sweet and sour dishes, it is easier to find white wine than it is to find red wine with the appropriate degree of sweetness.

White wine for spicy and sweet chicken dishes

Semi-dry, or semi-sweet wines generally have the sweetness they need to balance spicy or sweet flavours in food. Here, Riesling from Germany stands out immediately, as these often come in sweeter versions. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety, which means that it will generally taste good next to spicy food. Otherwise, it is worth mentioning Chenin Blanc from the French wine region of Loire. These wines can, with the right degree of sweetness, have the fullness needed to match extra creamy and spicy dishes with coconut milk or cream.

See our selection of Riesling white wines

For a more detailed explanation of food and wine pairing, read more here.