Dunnes Stores Chicken Kievs €4.99 for 566g €8.82 per kg Highs:This is a good value for money product.
The batter is nice and crispy and the meat is fine, if a little on the dry side. It is almost indistinguishable from the Moy Valley chicken and even the prices are broadly similar. There was a lot of herbs in the centre of this Kiev which looked quite pleasing.
Lows: All the herbs presumably started out their journey floating in lake of garlicky butter but by the time this had reached our plate the butter had leaked all over the baking tray leaving the herbs high, dry and a little on the tasteless side and the baking tray in need of a serious clean.
Verdict: Grand and cheap
Star rating: ***
Moy Valley Chicken Kievs
€4.68 for 566g €8.26 per kg
Highs: Fair play to Moy Valley for using the traffic light food labelling system for sugar, fat and salt on the packaging even if it is a little alarming to learn that a single portion makes up nearly half your daily fat allowance. The crumby coat is nice and crisp, the chicken is grand and the garlicky flavour is perfectly pleasant. It should also prove easier to get across all supermarkets than any of its rivals.
Lows: They were on special when PriceWatch bought them and the regular price of 14.09 per kg would make them a whole lot less palatable. While it tastes fine, it is on the greasy side and given that it is virtually indistinguishable from the Dunnes variety, it seems a little on the pricey side too.
Verdict: Grand and cheap too
Star rating: ***
Marks & Spencer Chicken Kiev
€4.49 for 285g €15.75 per kg
Highs: This has the nicest batter by some margin. It is thick and crunchy and filled with flavour. The chicken is clearly good quality too and there is more of it than most of the competition. The garlic and parsley butter is nice and has a decent kick without being too overpowering.
Lows: The ingredient list told us to expect a lot of buttery sauce yet we were sorely disappointed as it had all but disappeared into the baking tray. It is on the expensive side too.
Verdict: Nice but pricey
Star rating: ****
Superquinn Premium Chicken Kiev
€5.79 for 400g €14.48 per kg
Highs: At 72 per cent, this has a higher proportion of chicken than any of the competition and the meat that is there is much better too. It comes on the bone, which probably explains its improved taste and texture. The batter has a nice herby flavour and the garlic butter is filled with flavour. This can also be cooked in its own tray, which reduces the washing up and cooker cleaning considerably.
Lows: While the chicken is excellent, the batter was a little on the soggy side and there wasn't much of it either. The presence of the bone may not be to everyone's taste.
Verdict: The one to eat
Star rating: *****
Maitre Jean Pierre Chicken Kievs from Lidl
€2.25 for 283g €7.93 per kg
Highs: These frozen chicken Kievs are the cheapest of the brands tried (and it's not on special). It also has a surprisingly nice batter which was both crisp and tasty. The chicken looks nice too.
Lows: It tastes horrible, however. At least Lidl has been straight up in saying this has been made with chicken breast and added water. While there is no indication of how much water is added, we suspect the answer lies somewhere between loads and way too much. The texture of the meat is spongy and verges on the gooey. Lidl also needs to work on its serving suggestions - whoever thought that serving this with a hunk of brown bread and some raw garlic was a good suggestion really needs a talking to.
Verdict: Cheap but nasty
Star rating: **
