Turkish Chicken with Walnut Sauce
Sauce is made by blending chicken braising broth with onion, salt, paprika, garlic and walnuts. Sauce ends-up being somewhat pasty, from the looks of things.
I’ve never made this dish, so am unclear on exactly what to expect, and therefore don’t know what I should do as far as a wine pairing goes. I will be making tabouleh for the side.
I’d prefer a red over a white, but am open to all suggestions. Thank you!
My mind immediately jumped to Riesling. Not sure how spicy it is - so maybe Trocken or Kabinett. Since you mentioned red, I’d probably pair with a Beaujolais/gamay if I had to do go that route. Again, not sure how spicy it is.
I’m assuming not spicy at all.
Never had that dish myself, but the dish looks pretty wine friendly. I’d probably try aromatic white with low acidity. Gewurztraminer, Muscat and perhaps some Rhone white?
If red, I’d also think not-too-serious Bojo is a safe bet. Or perhaps Jura red.
I’d try one of @H_Wallace_Jr’s bright blends of red and white. Or split the difference with a rosé.
I’m sure it will taste better than it sounds. I would drink something I truly love. I am impressed that you would try something that sounds so bland. Bon Appetite.
Cru Bojo?
Nuts make pairing hard, though walnuts aren’t as tough as peanuts or cashews. I would guess lighter bodied refreshing red with decent acid but not a ton of tannin would be fine, but I am skeptical of any fireworks.
Agree with Jeremy. Beajolais, or indeed a Blaufrankisch, light fresh Grenache, a fresh Nebbiolo like Massolino or even a Chianti: I reckon all will work.
Walnuts definitely easier than peanuts, which I find a beast to match. I use cashews as the acid test for aperitifs. As for this dish: A Foillard Cote du Py perhaps? A Lapierre Morgon — although that might be a little too funky.
May I suggest a counter-programming effort with a Tercero Verbiage blanc?
Upon reflection, an Extradimensional Agradezco would be fantastic with this.
Sounds like Fesenjan sans pomegranate for me. Sangiovese or Nebbiolo works against the heavy walnut pretty well. I’d go for dry Riesling or low dosage bubbles because nut based sauce is quite heavy and really needs that fresh lift.
I’m going with a spicy red with acid and some body - Italian would fit the bill here - Sangiovese with a little age maybe? I don’t think the carbonic thing in Beaujolais works with the nuts personally. I also think a spatburgunder from the south like Baden could work, too. Walnuts have a lot of tannin so I think a lower tannin red makes sense here.
My mind also went to Riesling, but a rose sparkler would be baller. The flavor palate here is also similar to what you’d find in Southern Spain, so I might look to a lower-tannin Rioja or Garnacha…or even go crazy and toss an amontillado sherry at it.
This is what your Musar is for.
My vote is for an aged white Rully Clos La Bressande
Excellent observation re: Southern Spain. Amontillado would be a great pairing.
When in doubt, white, always white. Something crisper, good acidity, like Riesling, Albarino, etc. We had a nice Grenache Blanc last night at a chinese resto where the food was pretty spicy, and it served well.
I’d prefer white. An aged Tercero is an inspired choice.
You want red, though, so maybe a Nerello Mascalese.
