Chicken Kiev

Making Chicken Kiev Ahead

Uncooked breaded parcels freeze 2 months; cook from frozen at 170°C / 340°F for 10 minutes then 20 in the oven.

Chicken Kiev: The Method

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1. Beat the butter with the garlic, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Roll it into a log in cling film and freeze until rock hard, at least 2 hours.

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2. Cut a deep horizontal pocket into the thickest side of each chicken breast, without cutting through.

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3. Open the pocket and gently pound the flesh inside between cling film to enlarge it, keeping the walls intact.

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4. Cut the frozen butter into 4 batons and push one deep into each pocket.

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5. Fold the chicken firmly around the butter and press the opening closed. Chill 30 minutes.

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6. Season the flour, mix the breadcrumbs with the garlic powder and salt, and set out three dishes: flour, egg, breadcrumbs.

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7. Coat each breast in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Then repeat the egg and breadcrumb stages a second time, sealing every seam.

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8. Chill the finished parcels for at least 1 hour, or freeze for 30 minutes.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

9. Heat the oil to 170°C / 340°F. Fry two at a time for 7 to 8 minutes, turning, until deep golden.

   Mark done Start 7 min timer

10. Transfer to a rack in a 190°C / 375°F oven for 10 minutes until the centre reads 74°C / 165°F. Rest 3 minutes and serve at once with lemon.

    Mark done Start 10 min timer

Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Tips for Success

• Frozen butter, double breadcrumbs, and a proper chill. Skip any one and the butter escapes.
• Fry then finish in the oven. Frying alone either burns the crumb or leaves the chicken raw.
• Warn people to cut into it over the plate. The butter comes out with some enthusiasm.

Behind the Recipe

The butter is frozen solid before it goes in, which buys enough time for the chicken to cook through before the butter melts and finds a way out. Double breadcrumbing seals every seam, and chilling the finished parcels for an hour sets that coating so it does not split in the fryer.

What to Put Next to It

Buttered new potatoes and peas · A crisp green salad · A dry white such as Sauvignon Blanc

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Quick Answers

Chicken Kiev Nutrition Facts

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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