Chicken with White Wine Reduction

[wannabgourmet]

I have a dish I like to make with sauteed chicken, capers, onions, and white wine tossed with pasta. What is the best way to cook with the white wine and any suggestions on which kind of wine to use?

 

[Andy M.]

Saute the onions and chicken and deglaze the pan with the wine. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

I'd go with a souvignon blanc.

 

[bullseye]

What Andy M. said, but I'd go with a Chard; as long as its not too oaky, it reduces with a better flavor (IMHO).

 

[wannabgourmet]

Revealing my ignorance...what exactly do you mean by "deglaze?"

 

[Andy M.]

When yo saute onions in some butter or oil or brown the chicken the same way, you end up with brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan. That brown stuff is packed with flavor and called fond. After you are finished browning, add the wine to the hot pan and stir. The fond will dissolve and mix in with the sauce to add a lot of flavor. It also makes the pan easier to clean.

 

[wannabgourmet]

Thanks! Can't wait to try it!

 

[college_cook]

Just another piece of advice on how to make your white wine reduction a little richer, is to add some butter to the pan right at the very end, almost immediately before serving. This process is called mounting. Often times, a sauce will be finished off by "mounting with butter" and it's just a way to give the sauce a bit of richness.

Additionally, I make a dish very similar to yours, the only difference was that I add tomato confit. I find that it balances well with the other flavors. I make that dish with chicken sometimes, but I really really like it with a nice whitefish, or also with some nice big scallops.


As far as wines to use, experiment a little. I generally like chardonnay with chicken, and pinot grigio or gewurtztraminer with fish. Prosecco is another fun wine to cook with.

 

[wannabgourmet]

I actually used a Vinho Verde from Trader Joe's last time and it gave it a really nice flavor. Will def try prosecco.

 

[TheBrainchildGroup]

Saute the onions and chicken and deglaze the pan with the wine. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

I'd go with a souvignon blanc.

+1.. Exactly what I do.