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French · Alsace

Poulet au Riesling et Spätzle

While Coq au Riesling uses a whole jointed bird, the poulet au Riesling et spätzle (chicken with Riesling and spätzle) represents the weeknight incarnation of this pairing: chicken pieces (often supremes or thighs alone) sautéed and sauced in a simplified Riesling cream sauce, served over freshly made spätzle — the dish that fills more Alsatian family tables than any other. The technique centres on the spätzle, Alsace’s signature fresh egg noodle-dumplings, whose preparation is a study in efficient home cooking. The batter: 300g flour, 3 eggs, 100ml water or milk, a teaspoon of salt, and optionally a scraping of nutmeg, beaten vigorously until the batter is smooth, elastic, and falls from a spoon in thick ribbons (it should be thicker than pancake batter but thinner than pasta dough). The batter is rested 15 minutes to relax the gluten and allow air bubbles to dissipate. For forming, three traditional methods exist: the spätzle board (Spätzlebrett), a small wet board held over boiling water, the batter spread on top and small strips scraped directly into the water with a palette knife; the spätzle press (Spätzlepresse), a potato ricer-like device that extrudes the batter through holes; or the colander method, where the batter is pushed through the holes of a large-holed colander with a spatula. The spätzle are poached for 2-3 minutes until they float, then scooped out and either tossed in butter for immediate serving or spread on an oiled tray to cool for later pan-frying. The pan-fried version (spätzle sautées) is the Alsatian favourite: cooled spätzle are fried in butter in a single layer until golden and slightly crispy on the edges, then topped with the Riesling-sauced chicken. The marriage of crispy-edged dumplings, tender chicken, and creamy Riesling sauce is one of Alsatian cuisine’s most complete and satisfying compositions.

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ServesFour portions
Sourced0of 10 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the spätzle batter
300 g
plain flour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3
eggs
Your own market
100 ml
water or whole milk
Your own market
1 tsp
salt
Your own market
1 scraping
nutmeg
optional, freshly grated
Your own market
30 g
unsalted butter
for pan-frying
Your own market
For the chicken and sauce
4
chicken supremes or bone-in thighs
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 ml
Riesling
dry Alsatian
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
150 ml
crème fraîche
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
20 g
unsalted butter
for sautéing
Your own market
II

The Method

1
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and the water or milk. Beat vigorously until the batter is smooth and elastic — it should fall from a spoon in thick, slow ribbons, thicker than pancake batter but thinner than pasta dough. Fold in the optional nutmeg. Rest the batter uncovered for 15 minutes to relax the gluten and allow air bubbles to dissipate. The rested batter holds its ribbon without immediately spreading flat.
2
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Form the spätzle by one of three methods: spread the batter on a wet spätzle board and scrape thin strips directly into the water with a palette knife; extrude through a spätzle press; or push through a large-holed colander with a spatula. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the water. Poach for 2–3 minutes. The spätzle are done when they float to the surface.
3
Scoop the floating spätzle with a slotted spoon and spread in a single layer on a lightly oiled tray. Allow to cool and dry completely. This step is essential: wet spätzle will steam rather than fry. The surface should feel dry to the touch before they meet the pan.
4
Season the chicken pieces. Melt the sautéing butter in a wide sauté pan over medium-high heat and colour the chicken on all sides until the skin is golden. Pour in the Riesling, scraping up any residue. Reduce by roughly half, then stir in the crème fraîche. Simmer gently until the sauce coats a spoon and the chicken is cooked through. This is where the dish lives or dies: a sauce reduced too far turns sharp and broken; too little reduction and it remains thin and raw with alcohol. The correct sauce is pale ivory, glossy, and clings lightly to a lifted spoon without running.
From the canon — Reduction is the technique of simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate flavour, body, colour, and viscosity. Reduction — Concentrating Flavour Through Evaporation →
5
Melt the pan-frying butter in a separate wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the dried spätzle in a single layer — do not crowd them. Fry without disturbing until the undersides are golden and the edges are lightly crispy. Toss once. The finished spätzle are golden, slightly irregular, and emit a faint sizzle that quietens as the moisture drives off.
6
Serve the pan-fried spätzle as the base, lay the chicken pieces over them, and spoon the Riesling cream sauce across. The dish is ready when the sauce runs into the crevices of the crispy-edged dumplings and the aroma of reduced wine and cream is present without any raw-alcohol sharpness.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Dry Grand Cru Alsatian Riesling from a named vineyard; farm-reared poulet fermier Label Rouge; farm crème fraîche at full fat; flour stone-milled from a local soft wheat.
02
Estate — A dependable Alsatian Riesling AOC; free-range chicken supremes or thighs; good-quality crème fraîche; unbleached plain flour.
03
Market — Any dry, aromatic Riesling (Alsace or German Spätlese trocken); standard supermarket chicken pieces; crème fraîche from a reliable dairy brand; standard plain flour.
04
House — A neutral dry white wine used in place of Riesling; any chicken pieces to hand; soured cream substituted for crème fraîche; the spätzle made without resting — the batter will be adequate but less relaxed.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. Batter falls from a spoon in thick, slow ribbons — neither running freely nor dropping in lumps.
◇Sight. Spätzle float to the surface of the boiling water after 2–3 minutes, signalling they are cooked through.
◇Touch. Cooled spätzle feel dry on the surface before pan-frying; any tackiness means they will steam rather than brown.
◇Sight. Finished Riesling cream sauce is pale ivory and glossy, clinging lightly to a spoon without running.
◇Sound. The sizzle of the frying spätzle quietens gradually as surface moisture is driven off, signalling the crust is forming.
◇Where it lives or dies. The Riesling cream sauce must be reduced to a glossy, spoon-coating consistency — neither so far that it turns sharp and breaks, nor so little that it remains thin and alcoholic.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru
Domaine J.-F. Mugnier · Chambolle-Musigny
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic

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The whole pairing
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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