Easy Homemade Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev is a beautiful Chicken cutlet style dish made by encasing garlic butter inside a chicken breast coating the whole thing in breadcrumbs and cooking.

The origin of this dish is widely disputed by both the Russians and the Ukrainian’s.

The Ukrainians claim the dish was invented there and named after the Capital of Ukraine, however a Russian food historian subsequently claimed the dish was invented in the Moscow Merchants Club in the early part of the twentieth century, and was renamed by a local restaurant using the name chicken Kiev to enhance their menu.

Wherever it was invented it is now a well known and much enjoyed dish all over the world.

This Chicken Kiev recipe is easy to make, with no real technical skills required.

The resulting dish will make even the most experienced cooks feel proud to serve it.

ingredients

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken fillets
• 225g dried or fresh breadcrumbs (fresh breadcrumbs can made by adding one or 2 slices of bread to a food processer or blender and whizzing up)
• 75g Parmesan or Italian hard cheese, grated
• 5 eggs, cracked in a bowl & beaten
• 100g plain flour
• pinch paprika (try smoked Paprika for a change)
• 4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, for shallow frying

For The Garlic Butter

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed using a garlic press or the back of a heavy knife.
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (dried can be used but fresh much better)
• 200g  salted butter, softened
• juice ½ lemon

Method

Make the garlic butter by putting all the ingredients in a bowl and season well with asalt and pepper.

Mash the butter with a fork until until all the ingredients are evenly combined, shape into two sausage shapes by rolling in cling film to help you shape them, then tightly wrap and chill in the fridge or freeze until the butter becomes very firm.

The Garlic Butter can, if you wish,be made up to 3 days in advance.

Just before you make this Chicken Kiev Recipe slice the butter sausages into even sized rounds.

To make the chicken kiev, lay a whole chicken breast on a suitable surface such as a chopping board and use the tip a sharp knife to make a deep pocket inside the chicken breast.

The easiest way we find is to push the pointed tip of a knife into the thickest end of the fillet, continue until around halfway into the breast. Whatever you do make sure you don’t cut all the way through the fillet, or the butter will leak out when cooking. Repeat the process with the the rest of the chicken breasts.

Insert 2 large slices of the garlic butter inside each chicken breast pocket.

Press the ends of the chicken Kiev pocket that you filled with butter closed and prepare for coating.

Mix the fresh or dried breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan in a dish.

Put the beaten egg mixture into a second shallow dish.

Mix the flour with paprika (Plain or smoked) and some salt and place into a clean bag, shake to mix.

Dip each breast into the bag and coat with the seasoned flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs.

Repeat this process for each chicken kiev so each has a double coating of breadcrumbs. Apart from keeping the butter inside the Kiev’s, it will make them much more crispy and enjoyable.

The finished Chicken Kiev’s should be chilled C for at least 1- 1/2 hours before cooking.

Cooking

Heat oil in a large heavy frying pan and fry the chicken kiev’s lightly on both sides in batches of no more than 3 at at a time.
Transfer the Chicken kiev’s to the oven on a baking tray and oven cook for approx 20-25 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
For a change, instead of garlic butter try filling these kiev’s with your favourite cheese and ham.