A Roast Chicken Wine Pairing Guide

What Wine Goes With Chicken?

Is chicken your favorite protein source? Then, roast chicken wine pairing should be at the top of your priorities. Chicken is famous for its adaptability. If you want to improve the food even more? Pair a great bottle of wine with your chicken.

It goes well with various flavors, sides, and accompaniments. It is a cheap and adaptable protein to serve with wine. Roasted chicken pairs well with a full-flavored red, rosé, or dry white wine.

roasted chicken and red wine

A List of Roast Chicken and Wine Pairings

You’ve just finished roasting a chicken and want to enjoy a glass of wine, but what wine goes with chicken? You’re not sure which one to order. The roasted chicken has a unique aroma, skin that crackles when you bite into it, a sweet flavor, and a salty succulence, and it is easy to serve in any dinner setting. In addition, the bird is succulent.

Roast chicken is an adaptable source of protein that works wonderfully in various dishes. In addition, you can use either red or white wine with chicken based on the individual’s preference, as well as the side dishes, sauce, and seasonings served alongside the main dish.

Which variety of wine is best suited to go with grilled chicken? A simple roast chicken goes very well with a red wine packed with flavor, a rosé with a medium body, or a dry white wine. When you serve roasted chicken with a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Vermentino, or Blanc de Blancs Champagne, the flavor of the chicken is generally enhanced. 

This is also true of the other wines mentioned. Select a red wine from the Côtes du Rhône region with a body that falls in the middle of light and full. When you order the chicken meal with the topping, you can choose to have it served with tasty gravy. Finding a bottle of wine that complements chicken doesn’t have to be challenging. 

This is because chicken has a flavor that is not overpowering, making it a versatile dish you can serve with various other ingredients. When attempting to match wine with chicken, you should be more concerned with how well the wine goes with the components used to create the chicken and the sauces rather than how well it goes with the chicken itself. 

The next part addresses some of the most common concerns regarding the several varieties of wines that pair remarkably well with roasted chicken and everything you need to consider. These concerns are among the most frequently asked questions.

Red wine with roast chicken

The perfect pairing is red wine roast with chicken if you want a meatier or more substantial taste. Red wine with a medium body will work well if the sauces are rich and gravy-like or have a dark roasted flavor. The following are some examples of red wines that pair very well with roasted chicken:

  • Pinot Noir is the most popular type of red wine. For a good reason: it’s not overly heavy and doesn’t have an exceptionally high tannin content. This wine has an acidic quality and earthy flavors, which are excellent complements to the taste of roasted chicken.
  • Burgundy: If you season the chicken with tarragon or serve with a creamy sauce, mushrooms, or truffles alongside the dish, a red burgundy is the recommended wine to pair with the meal.
  • Beaujolais-Villages is a light red wine that comes from Gamay Noir grapes. The sweetness or dryness of this wine might vary based on the type of grapes grown in the location where they produce it. This wine is excellent for matching food during the spring and summer, particularly when you serve the chicken at room temperature with a salad or wine pairing with lemon chicken.
  • Côtes du Rhône: These wines come in red, rosé, and white varieties, and they come from an area in France that has a naturally sweet terroir. Because of this, it is an excellent choice to combine with a typical sauce made from meat or to serve alongside vegetables with bold flavors.
  • Schiava is famous for its red fruit characteristics, such as strawberry sauce and cotton candy taste; as a result, it pairs very well with teriyaki and other sauces based on soy.

Merlot With Roast Chicken

Merlot is a good roast chicken wine pairing due to the popularity of this variety of wine’s supple and delicate fruity attributes. Because it has a slightly sweet and fruity aftertaste, it goes exceptionally well with roasted chicken. 

To get a more satisfyingly savory flavor, tomato- and serve pepper-based sauces alongside roasted chicken are advisable. Merlot is a versatile wine that goes well with various sauces, as well as a straightforward roasted chicken dish seasoned with a mix of different herbs and spices.

Why is White Wine Good With Chicken?

When it comes to wines with chicken, white wine is the beverage of choice due to its delicious and refreshing qualities. In addition, it has a wide acknowledgment as the wine that goes best with lean white meats instead of rich dark meats.

In addition, the taste of the white wine does not overshadow the flavor of the chicken. In addition, it contains lower acidity levels and is significantly sweeter than red wine. On the other hand, red wines have rather complex characteristics. You best enjoy them with meats that are full-flavored, fatty, and deeper in color.

It is vital to drink white wine with roast chicken that has a mild flavor and has no cover in a sauce made with red wine or roasted gravy. If, on the other hand, you serve the chicken with a lot of taste, you might want to explore pairing it with a red wine that has more color, more richness, and more tannin.

roasted chicken and white wine

The Ideal White Wine to Pair With Roast chicken

The choice of wine is crucial when accompanying roasted chicken because it combines well with the dish. Because chicken meat has a relatively subtle flavor, drinking a bottle of wine with a lot of body will make the flavor of the chicken meat quite muted and difficult to detect. The following are some of the best Italian wines to drink with roast chicken:

  • Chianti is a wine that is slightly acidic and tannic, and it has a rich flavor profile that includes flavors of wood, earth, and red fruit.
  • Vigneto Riveselle Tai Rosso is a strong and dry red wine with hints of cherry and red strawberry fruit. This wine comes from the Vigneto winery.
  • Cir Rosso classic is a style of red wine from southern Italy made from Gaglioppo grapes. It has robust flavors that combine the taste of red and black fruits with a hint of leathery notes. We know this wine style for its boldness.
  • Valdarno di Sopra is a wine from Tuscany, Italy, made from merlot grapes. It has a robust flavor, a tannic texture on the palate, and a dry finish. The flavor is predominantly earthy, with a hint of oaky and chocolatey undertones.
  • Carillo Pinot Nero: This wine comes from the Pinot Nero grapes grown in Northern Italy and is popular for their high acidity and dryness. Cherry and raspberry are the primary flavors, with a hint of wood and dark fruits rounding out the profile.
  • Rafaèl Valpolicella Classico Superiore: This wine, which comes from Corvino grapes, has a delicate smoothness and acidity, as well as a slight feeling of dryness. It offers an excellent harmony between the fruity and oaky aromas.
  • Chardonnay Vigna is a well-liked white wine produced in Southern Italy and is popular for its use of Chardonnay grapes. Vanilla, stone fruit, and a touch of citrus are some of the aromas that linger at the finish of this robust and dry wine.

Champagne With Roast Chicken

Because of its tasty and refreshing features, we generally consider white wine the beverage of choice when it comes to chicken. Additionally, we commonly acknowledge it as the wine that complements lean white meats the best, as opposed to the rich dark meats you often pair with wine.

The taste of the white wine does not overpower the taste of the chicken, which is another benefit of this dish. In addition to this, white wine is substantially sweeter than red wine, and it has lower amounts of acidity. 

On the other hand, red wines have more intricate qualities. The ideal way to appreciate them is with meats that have a robust flavor, are higher in fat content, and are darker in color. It is advisable to drink white wine with chicken that has a moderate flavor and is not submerged in a sauce that originates from red wine or roasted gravy. Read our article and find out An Italian Wine Cheat Sheet. 

You can find this type of chicken at many restaurants. If, on the other hand, you serve the chicken with a lot of flavors, you should consider trying to pair it with a red wine that has more color, more richness, and more tannin than the standard bottle of wine would have.

chicken and white wine

Final Thoughts

The tried-and-true method of roasting a chicken produces meat that is remarkably versatile and easy to combine with a wide range of sauces, vegetables, and side dishes. As a consequence of this, the combination will pair splendidly with a wide range of different kinds of wines.

In addition to having a glass of wine for cooking chicken, you can combine any component into the meal’s preparation to create something that is not only wholesome but also delectable. As a result, one gets access to a substantial quantity of wine, which you can utilize in preparing an intricate reduction sauce to complement the chicken.

Traditionally, the best wine with chicken is a full-flavored red, a rosé with a medium body, or a dry white wine. However, a dry white wine might also be an excellent choice. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Vermentino, Blanc de Blancs Champagne, and any other sparkling wine you can get your hands on should all try as experiments. 

Merlot’s flavor is light and fruity, making wine an ideal complement to roasted chicken. This is one of the many reasons why merlot is so popular. It is delicious when combined with substantial sauces, such as those made with tomato or peppers of a fiery variety.

If both the primary and accompanying dishes are hearty and flavorful, red wine is a suitable option to pair with the meal; otherwise, white wine with a lighter body is the better choice. Suppose the chicken and wine combination results in a harmonious balance. In that case, you will know that you have selected the appropriate wine. 

Suppose you use the formula for wine pairing. In that case, you can drink Vin de Table whenever you choose with roasted chicken, regardless of whether you coat the chicken with sauce or herbs. This is true even if you use the formula for wine pairing. We are sure you will enjoy your perfect meal, whichever pairing you decide to go for.