I used to cook a lot, but I have gotten lazier and  I have unfortunately been relying on more sporkable food for dinner. So my Lean Cuisine collection is getting larger.

I decided to give Chicken in a Basil Cream Sauce with Spaghetti a try. Well they should have called it “Boiled Chicken in White Water with Green Bits and Rubber Bands”

I paired it with Fuqua (www.fuquawines.com) Chardonnay (a local Dallas winery) and Becker Vineyards (www.beckervineyards.com) Viognier (a winery near Fredericksburg, Texas).

If these 2 wines could not help this dinner; then nothing would.

The Chardonnay is very bold with lots of  green apple, vanilla and plumeria in the smell and taste, where as the Viognier is lighter with smells of  peach and honeysuckle. The taste is light peach, lemon and violets.

To my delight, the Chardonnay brought out a citrus and black pepper flavor to the chicken. As I looked carefully at the sauce, there where indeed speckles of black pepper along with the basil. The bland pasta made this bold wine smoother.

With the lovely and elegant Viognier, the herbs in the sauce came forward. I could actually tell that there was basil. The chicken became more earthy and herby. The wine gave the pasta a little zest.

These wines really made my dinner better and more enjoyable.

Just think of wine as a fantastic condiment!

* sorry about the Fuqua Wine photo. I drank the only bottle I had before taking the picture.

Hey, Mr. Lee Fuqua! May I have more Chardonnay please? 😉