We’ve all got our favorite marinades and ways to add more flavor to main dishes like chicken, but sometimes the most flavorful option of all is the one that you’ll also plan to drink alongside dinner. That's right, wine—especially dry whites—make a great companion to poultry while it’s still in the oven. Here, we share our favorite recipes and which wines work best to bring out the best in chicken.

How to Select a Wine

Selecting a wine to add to your dish is important, but knowing which wines work—and when—can prove difficult. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you find the perfect pair.

• As a rule of thumb, sauvignon blanc or gruner are dry white wines—which essentially means that they aren’t sweet because most of the excess sugar has been removed through the fermenting process. When you’re cooking with wine, this is important because the extra sugar can throw off dishes.

• Have a go-to. Both sauvignon blanc and chardonnay are good bets when reaching for a cooking wine. Sauvignon blanc is crisper, while chardonnay more full-bodied, but when using them as ingredients, their subtleties aren’t as pronounced.

• Pour a glass for yourself. Make sure that you like the way the wine you’re cooking with tastes on its own—that way you’ll have no-fail flavor added to every bite.

• Don’t use your best wine in the oven. Even though, you should like what you’re cooking with, using an expensive wine doesn’t necessarily lend the same effect in a dish as it does to your palette. Go for something middle of the road, and save special bottle for special occasions.

Our Favorite Recipes: