Top pairings

The best wine pairings with chicken Kyiv

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on March 11 2022 at 11:15

Judging by my instagram feed many of you are making or eating chicken kyiv, or chicken kiev as it used to be known, in solidarity with Ukraine so you might be wondering what wine to pair with it.

If you’re not familiar with the dish it's a deep fried chicken breast stuffed with garlic butter so it’s more about the garlic than the chicken. That pushes me towards a white wine or sparkling wine rather than a red. Here’s what I’d choose

A crisp dry white wine like a Chablis, aligoté, albarino or Picpoul de Pinet, even a pinot grigio (preferably one from the Trentino region of north-east Italy)
Sauvignon blanc, especially from the Loire e.g. Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé
A dry champagne or champagne-style sparkling wine, especially a blanc de blancs (100% chardonnay or other white grapes)
If you fancy a red wine with chicken kyiv I’d be inclined to go for a Beaujolais or other gamay or an inexpensive red burgundy
A light lager or pils
(Ukrainian) vodka and tonic

Top image by Alexander Prokopenko at shutterstock.com

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Tags: vodka pils lager Beaujolais champagne sauvignon blanc pinot grigio picpoul albarino aligoté Chablis chicken kiev chicken food:chicken & poultry

Comments: 2 (Add)

Russell Moxham on November 4 2022 at 20:36

The origins of the dish are complicated and unclear and no one theory stands out. The dish takes a lot from French cuisine, with a Russian or potentially Ukrainian twist, and probably predates any St Petersburg restaurant cropping up in explanations. I'm wondering whether to throw an Alsace Gewurztraminer at it, as I don't have any Chardonnay. I also feel as if I'm writing this in the '70s, but that's fine.

Roger Perry on July 4 2022 at 18:12

I’m told Chicken Kiev has nothing to do with Ukraine, but derives from the Kiev restaurant of St. Petersburg, early 20th century.

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