What Wine Goes with Italian Chicken?

Chicken Marsala is an Italian chicken dish made with sweet Marsala wine. Marsala is a sweet red wine, which may seem difficult to pair, however the secret is in European off-dry wines.

Off-dry wines are wines that are not sweet but sweeter than dry. Two examples are Lambrusco from Italy and Riesling from Germany. Lambrusco is a sparkling red wine, while Riesling is a white wine. Both are available in off-dry versions (ask your wine seller) and both make excellent options when deciding what wine goes with Italian chicken.

Chicken Parmesan is an Italian-American classic.

Unfortunately, it can also be a bit heavy: fried chicken cutlets smothered in Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and tomato sauce makes for a lot of action on your plate, and you need a robust wine to back up all the flavors.

Instead of thinking that you need a white wine to go with the chicken, match the strength of the dish with a red wine from the South of Italy, where the dish originates. Try a Neapolitan or Sicilian red with this hearty dish, the perfect answer to what wine goes with Italian chicken.

Chicken Francese is actually Italian for “French chicken,” and it is made by cooking chicken in a butter, white wine and lemon sauce. Pick the same white wine you use for the sauce to serve to your guests: the flavors will echo one another and match beautifully.

For this dish and the glass that goes along with it, your best bet is an unoaked white, like a European-style Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, although any dry white will work nicely.