Food and Wine Pairings: Pan Roasted Barbecue Chicken
Hey there friends! As promised, I am expanding the blog to include posts on more than just wine exclusively. Don't worry wine-nerds, I won't be skimping on the wine discussions!
Today, I will be sharing one of my other passions with you -- cooking -- via a discussion on food and wine pairings. Before I share my tips on food and wine pairings via this delicious recipe, it is important to share my cooking philosophy. As a foodie, I definitely focus on flavor and aspire to recreate those delicious restaurant dishes at home. But as a realist, I know this is frequently impossible. So when cooking at home, I have three main goals: great flavor, fast clean-up and budget friendly.
Food and Wine Matching Basics.
When it comes to food and wine pairings, I really live by only one rule - if it tastes good to you, then it is a spot on food and wine pairing! Seriously - I think too many wine writers over-complicate the process of pairing food with wine.
However, there are a few tips that can take a food and wine pairing from good to spectacular. First, when you choose a glass of wine to drink, consider what type of food you may be ordering. Whether the main meal is light or heavy, made with a certain sauce or prepared in a particular way will impact what type of wine will match best.
Pan Roasted Barbecue Chicken, Rice and Green Beans.
Ingredients:
- Chicken Breast
- 1 Yellow Onion
- Barbecue Sauce (I went with a sweet and tangy style)
- Siracha Red Chile Sauce
- Olive Oil
- 3-4 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt (Plain)
- Brown Rice & Side Vegetable of Your Choice (I went with Green Beans)
Pairing Key: Roasted chicken is a great place to start with food and wine pairings, the chicken acts as a "blank canvas" that pairs well with a variety of wines. However, the key element of this dish was the Siracha Yogurt Sauce (pictured above on top right side of plate). It is so simple - yet so delicious. Start with a few tablespoons of Greek Yogurt. Add Siracha to taste. I went with approximately 1 part Siracha to 2 parts Greek Yogurt (but I love spicy so beware). The sauce gives the dish some kick, so when looking for a wine to pairing with it - I wanted something with a touch of sweetness to balance the spice. I paired it with the 2012 Traminette from Penns Woods Winery.
Penns Woods Traminette 2012.
Yes - shameless plug for Penns Woods Winery (since I work in the tasting room there). Well, it would be shameless if the wines weren't so delicious. Traminette is a hybrid grape, part gewurtraminer, so it has a complex nose - smelling of honey and lemon. The taste has some sweetness but a clean, mineral finish. I chose it because I thought the crispness would pair will with the sweet spicy-ness of the Siracha and bbq sauces.
And with that, I will wrap this first recipe post with a warning that every wine-loving home cook should appreciate.
Cheers!
