I recently traveled to Portland and we ate a lot of delectable and interesting food, but one of my favorite dishes from the trip was a simple roasted chicken thigh served with roasted carrots, fingerling potatoes, and an amazing green sauce (which we thought was pesto but actually turned out to be salsa verde). The skin on that chicken was golden-brown and crispy, the meat was juicy, the carrots and potatoes were roasted perfectly, and that salsa verde was bright and tangy and good enough to eat with a spoon. It was a riot of colors, flavors, and textures on one plate.
Such a simple dish, but so amazingly executed. We devoured every last scrap of food on the plate, and washed it all down with many glasses of chilled white wine.
Not gonna lie – I’ve been dreaming about that chicken dish since we left Portland. Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water. So when I set out to come up with a recipe to pair with two wines (a Sauvignon Blanc and a Red Blend), I knew I was going to have to go with chicken.
Grilled instead of baked in honor of summer grilling season, and seasoned with a zesty Badia Complete spice blend (onion, cumin, garlic, and other herbs) for some punch, but otherwise true to the key elements of crispy skin, juicy meat, and complemented by fresh roasted veggies and a bright/herb-y/summer-y sauce. All of which, as it happens, go great with a nice fruity Sauvignon Blanc!
The skin took on a lovely char from the grill and crisped up beautifully (though maybe not quite as crisp as it would have gotten in the oven), while the meat underneath stayed juicy and tender. The Badia spices added a bit of Latin flair to the dish, and was the perfect complement to the earthy root veggies and sharp, tangy herbaceous sauce. Overall, it was hearty but not heavy, not over-rich, and simple yet satisfying.
The fruity, slightly acidic Sauvignon Blanc that we enjoyed with our meal also paired particularly well with the dish. The citrus-y notes of grapefruit, lime and lemon peel helped cut through the richness of the dark meat and fatty chicken skin, and were rounded out by a nice fruity (peachy) finish that lingered on the tongue. I’m generally not a fan of white wine, but I found myself enjoying this one a lot.