Pairing chicken with wine should not be such a complicated task. Unlike red meat or fish, chicken has a much less demanding flavour to combine with wine. As a general wine pairing rule, white wine pair well with white meat. However, this is not always the case. When choosing a bottle of wine, consider the ingredients used for its preparation rather than the chicken itself.
Red Wine and Chicken
Often, chicken combines better with white wines, but if the dish is accompanied with tomato based sauce for example, than the most appropriate choice would be a red wine like Merlot. If the chicken is served with mushroom sauce, it will combine very well with a Merlot, and If the recipe includes creamy sauces, the best match would be Pinot Grigio wines. Roasted chicken with potatoes, lemon and asparagus is ideal with wine with Bordeaux label. If you choose stuffed chicken, than the best option would be Viognier wine, especially if the filling is spicy.
White Wine and Chicken
Meals that feature soft and creamy chicken go better with Chardonnay wines while Sauvignon Blanc is ideal to be paired with chicken prepared with spices such as rosemary or thyme. White grape wines such as Riesling go well with darker meats. Italian wines like Pino Grigio go excellent with chicken with no sauce or just lemon.
