Pairing with roast chicken

A very tasteful dish that can be found in many cuisines worldwide, where a chicken is roasted with its own fat and juices. That way all the juicy flavours remain intact. Different methods can be used, going from an open fire to a rotary spit, or just in the oven at home. Several flavour enhancers can be used such as chicken spices, garlic, Provence herbs or lemon.

The meat of chicken is low in saturated fat and high in protein. However, roast chicken is usually made in its whole and with the skin attached. The skin does contain more fat than the meat itself, but who does not love the crisp sensations of chicken skin of a roast chicken?

Apart from several additives, due to the cooking method and preservation of the chicken’s fat and juices, the dish will give you a rather rich mouthfeel. That is something to keep in mind when we are thinking about matching with wine. We need to find a wine that gives us the same level of richness in the mouthfeel but has crispiness to match with the lighter meat type of the chicken at the same time. Several rich white wines (with oak or without) spring to mind: Pays d’Oc Chardonnay, Chardonnay from Western Australia, South African Chenin Blanc, New-Zealand, or Alsace style Pinot Gris, white Rhône or Languedoc blend, white Rioja…
In term of terms of Burgundy Chardonnay, I would keep those for different dishes. Californian Chardonnay could be a match too, especially when the chicken is buttered before roasted on a rotary spit, leaving a richer flavour than chicken from the oven.

Fruity, acidic and low-tannic red wines will do the trick as well. Think of Beaujolais, Barbera, Grenache from Languedoc, Mecia, Bobal, fruity Pinot Noir, and single blend Merlot (no Bordeaux-style). These fruity, smooth wines will find perfect interaction with the white meat and method of cooking. More heavy, high- tannic wines will be too strong and overwhelm the dish.