Chicken Peri Peri & Wine Pairings

Chicken Peri Peri is spicy and demands light red and fruity red wines such as Beaujolais, Pinot Noir and Valpolicella Classico, or low tannin reds from the Douro and Dão region of Portugal.  Crisp white wines with a hint of sweetness and lots of acidity, such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Prosecco, are also exceptional pairings with Chicken Peri Peri.

Best Wine with Chicken Peri Peri

Off-Dry Riesling and Chicken Peri Peri Pairing

Chicken Peri Peri is sweet, tangy, spicy and full of garlic.  With a wide range of flavours happening with this delicious sauce, you don’t want to overpower it, but rather, you want the Peri Peri sauce to sing.  An off-dry Riesling is the perfect wine for this, as it is a touch sweet itself and has lovely lemon and lime flavours that highlight each of the individual Peri-Peri notes.  The sweetness of Riesling complements the sauce, while acidity of Riesling draws out all the flavour.

Off-Dry Riesling also has a kiss of sugar in it, which helps tame the hot spices in the Peri Peri Sauce.  This ensures the earthier side of these spices shine, allowing the sauce to taste even more complicated and earthier on your tongue.

Portuguese Red Wines & Chicken Peri Peri Pairing

This is a tough recommendation as the world of Portuguese wine isn’t mainstream in North America.  Thus, if I list specific blends or varietals, you might not be able to find it at a nearby wine store.  Furthermore, Portugal has 250+ wine varietals, which makes recommendations even more difficult and confusing.  As Chicken Peri Peri is a Portuguese staple,  I strongly suggest if you want an ‘authentic experience’ to give the dish a go with a Portuguese red wine.

While I’m not going to recommend any varietals or bottles to try, I’d recommend going to your favourite wine store and asking the staff for a recommendation.  Explain you want a fruity and low alcohol red wine from Portugal, which has a touch of smoke to it, and I’m positive they’ll select a red wine for you that you’ll love.

Valpolicella Classico & Chicken Peri Peri Pairing

The spices used in Peri-Peri are chilli flakes, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin and bay leaf, and thus, low alcohol and low tannin red wines are my preference as they tame the spices rather than fueling their heat.  Low in alcohol, Valpolicella is an everyday drinking red that will swim in tandem with the heat of the Chicken Peri Peri, rather than clash with it and cause your mouth to burn.

Valpolicella is a light and fruity Italian wine that features notes of Red and Black Cherry, herbs, spice and smoke.  The fruity notes of Valpolicella complement the sweet and tangy flavours of Chicken Peri Peri, while the herbs, spice and smoke complement the Peri-Peri seasonings. If you see the words Amarone or Ripasso on your bottle of Valpolicella, keep these bottles with Chicken Peri Peri. Amarone and Ripasso are high in alcohol which will cause the spicy heat flavours in the Peri-Peri seasoning to burn.

Syrah & Chicken Peri Peri Pairing

A medium-bodied Syrah will go nice with Chicken Peri Peri, provided the dish isn’t too spicy hot. Syrah will feature loads of black pepper and other earthy spices that will complement the Peri Peri Seasonings. If the Chicken Peri Peri is grilled and has some caramelized flesh, the vanilla and chocolate Syrah notes will mesmerize your taste buds as those flavours mingle.

Often Peri Peri is served with flatbread, rice or chickpeas, and this also helps tame the heat and brings balance to the fold. Thus, if your Peri Peri sauce is hot and clashing with the wine, try eating it with a piece of flatbread or a spoonful of rice to assist your Syrah’s blackberry and cassis flavours to shine.

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape. Shiraz often refers to a popular Australian style where the wine is fruit-forward, chocolaty and spicy. Shiraz is the favoured style in North America and is often referred to as being jammy. Syrah, on the other hand, is less fruit-forward and more gamey or meaty. You’ll still get notes of cassis and blackberry, but expect a hint of bacon and smoked meat. Both styles feature black pepper, spice and smoke that will complement the Peri Peri sauce.