Fish And Chicken Recipes That Pair Perfectly With White Wine
It's no secret that a glass of wine is a perfect libation to serve with every meal. But choosing the right type of wine — or the right recipe to match your favorite bottle — may be a bit intimidating when you're entertaining. Do you go with a refreshing rosé, a crisp pinot gris, or a bold red blend? And on that note, would chicken or fish go well with that oaky chardonnay?
Well, you don't have to stress, because we're here to help you out, and this list of great poultry and fish recipes — and the white wines that complement them — assures you actually don't need to be an expert sommelier to select the best bottle to pair with the food for your next get-together.
But first, a great tip to keep in mind is this: Light meat like chicken is best enjoyed with white wine, while red meat like roast beef or steak is best served with red wine. When it comes to preparing fish and chicken recipes, you can't go wrong serving a chilled bottle of white, like pinot grigio, chardonnay, or sauvignon blanc. Any white would be a solid choice to have with your poultry or seafood menu, as the acids in white wine will really boost the flavor of the fish you are preparing (via Backbar).
White wines like chardonnay, Vermentino, and believe it or not, even a sparkling champagne, are also quite refreshing and complementary when served with chicken. Whatever you choose, just keep in mind that you want to enhance the taste of the poultry — especially if there's a unique dressing that goes along with the recipe. The basic principle is that you don't want to overshadow the taste of your dish. Now, let's get to cooking and picking out some wines!
Serve your chicken piccata with a chardonnay or pinot blanc
If you want a meal that's delicious and quick to prepare, this chicken piccata recipe will not disappoint. In fact, you can prepare and serve it in just 20 minutes! What's not to love about that? The ingredients you need in order to prepare this dish include boneless chicken breasts, flour, olive oil, unsalted butter, lemon juice, water or chicken stock, kosher salt, ground black pepper, brined capers, and fresh parsley.
For the wine, consider a light-bodied pinot blanc or an oaky California chardonnay if you want a richer taste, and the combination will surely become a new favorite in your house.
Pair your pistachio crusted salmon with sauvignon blanc
Our pistachio crusted salmon is one of those recipes that looks really fancy and impressive, but is actually pretty simple to pull together. As a matter of fact, it takes just 10 minutes to prep and 12 minutes to cook. All you'll need is salmon, pistachios, Dijon mustard, honey, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
Try serving a sauvignon blanc with this dish for a crisp and refreshing sip that'll compliment the herbs on the salmon. This is a truly enjoyable pairing to keep in mind for a backyard garden party in the summer with friends.
Complement your homemade poke bowl with riesling or Grüner Veltliner
If you're obsessed with poke, you'll love preparing our easy homemade poke bowl for a light and tasty spring or summertime meal. All you'll need in order to make this Hawaiian recipe is short-grain white rice, yellowfin tuna steak (sushi-grade), thinly sliced yellow onion, scallion tops, soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, garlic, Japanese cucumbers, garlic, and watermelon radishes — and it'll be ready to enjoy in just 30 minutes. Our recipe yields four servings, but you could easily double it if you're having friends over for a backyard garden lunch.
When considering what would be the most refreshing sip to pair with your poke, opt for a crisp riesling or a Grüner Veltliner, which is a citrus-tinged wine from Austria.
Serve your lemon chicken with pinot gris or chardonnay
Lemon chicken is a classic, delicious choice to prepare when you're having company. It's simple to make, and everyone enjoys its bright yet hearty flavors.
In addition to boneless breasts, you will need milk, egg, all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, vegetable oil, olive oil, butter, thyme sprigs, parsley, chicken stock, dry-white wine, and Parmesan cheese. This recipe will only take an hour from start to finish, and it will make a lovely presentation when served to your guests with some pasta or roasted potatoes.
When deciding which wine to buy, a lighter chardonnay or pinot gris, which has a little more body and earthiness than the Italian counterpart, are both great choices to pair with this meal and will really complement its lemony flavors.
This heart-healthy salmon with a honey garlic glaze would pair so well with riesling or pinot gris
This heart-healthy fish dish has a fun and tasty twist to it. The recipe requires orange juice, orange zest, and honey along with the salmon to create a honey garlic glaze. Do we have your attention yet? We thought so. You will also need soy sauce or coconut aminos, oil, garlic, parsley, salt pepper, and parsley to bring this recipe to life. (And of course, be sure the salmon you choose while food shopping is good-quality.)
A bright riesling or pinot gris, the more earthy French counterpart to the Italian fave, would pair nicely with this sweet, citrusy dish, in addition to adding a refreshing sip to your meal.
A white cassis wine was made to be sipped with bouillabaisse
If you love bouillabaisse, and if you've never tried making it at home, now is a great time to try doing so, thanks to this classic recipe.
The recipe includes white fish like tilapia or red snapper, mussels, prawns, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, fish stock, carrots, celery, onion, butter, potatoes, saffron, chili flakes, bay leaves, Thai fish sauce, and salt. Even though it may seem like it would be incredibly time-consuming, the entire time for this dish to make it to your table from start to finish is just 35 minutes. It is sure to be a family favorite.
A white cassis wine – which is a French blend with hints of citrus, herbs, and honey – would pair quite well with this tasty fish stew, so consider picking up a bottle and enjoy!
Serve your five-ingredient rotisserie chicken with some bubbly
If you can spend hours on end at Costco filling up your shopping cart with delicious treats, we totally get you. That's why we're serving up this five-ingredient copycat Costco rotisserie chicken recipe that's a tasty ode to the store (and it's delicious foods) we all can't seem to get enough of.
If you want to get creative with your chicken the next time you make it and attempt to recreate a taste that's pretty on point to Costco's rotisserie chicken, we have you covered. All you'll need is, of course, a chicken, in addition to kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika, and ground black pepper. And that's it! In three and a half hours, you'll have a juicy, tender, flavorful chicken to enjoy.
Be sure to have bubbly and dry champagne or other sparkling wine (like prosecco) on hand to pop open and pour for this meal. It'll surely be the cherry on top of your dinner.