Chicken Kiev
I first had chicken Kiev maybe 15-20 years ago in a random restaurant. I thought it was an interesting combination and didn’t give it much more thought. Over the years I’d seen it on various menus, occasionally ordered it, and few times been blown away by it.
It’s simple, really. More zingy than cordon bleu and an upgrade to an everyday schnitzel, it’s oozy, gooey, melt in the mouth goodness.
The garlic butter will melt into the meat making this the most flavourful and moist chicken breast you have ever tasted.
My version adds cheese to the mix, as I find it’s a welcome surprise when you cut it open, and panic breadcrumbs for the coating (although regular will absolutely do just fine) as they are a bit crunchier in my opinion.
I use parsley here as I believe it to be the herb when it comes to garlic anything but feel free to substitute with another soft herb such as basil, tarragon, or dill. Make it your own and let me know how it turned out!
Ingredients (makes 4)
4 chicken breasts (roughly 800g total)
120g butter, softened
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finally chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
150g cheese (I used cheddar but gruyère or emmental would work beautifully here), grated
2 eggs
100g flour
70-100g panko breadcrumbs
oil for frying
Prepare the filling
Mix the softened butter, cheese, garlic, parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper. Form 4 small logs and chill in the fridge while you prepare the chicken.
Cut the chicken breast fillets horizontally, 75% of the way, open them like a book. Beat the fillet with the smooth side of the chop until less than a cm thick. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare a sheet of clingfilm. Place one chicken breast on it. Season with salt and pepper. Place a butter log on the chicken fillet. Encase the log in the chicken breast and wrap it tightly in clingfilm. Chill the filled chicken breasts for 30 minutes in the fridge in order to make sure the butter is hardened.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan. Heat a large skillet on the stove with 3-4 cm oil ready for frying.
Prepare 3 shallow recipients for the breading. One with seasoned flour, one with the 2 eggs, beaten, one with the panko breadcrumbs. Dredge each piece first in flour, then dip in the beaten eggs, and finally coat with breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere the breadcrumbs.
Carefully place the coated chicken breasts in the hot skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side until the coating is crisp and golden. Transfer to a baking dish and place in the oven for 15 minutes until cooked through.
Serve immediately with creamy mashed potato and a salad to cut through the richness.
While a little bit elaborate, this dish is sure to wow anyone presented with it. Decadent and delicious, let me know in the comments if you try it out and subscribe for more mouthwatering recipes!