Chicken Kiev with Garlic-Herb Butter
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
Chicken breasts rolled around garlic-herb butter, coated in toasted panko and baked until golden, with a pool of melted butter waiting inside each one.
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Method
- 1
Make the garlic-herb butter. Mash the softened butter with the garlic, parsley, dill or chives, lemon zest and salt until evenly combined. Shape it into an 8cm log on cling film, roll it up tightly and chill until firm, about 1 hour - firm butter is far easier to seal inside the chicken without it squeezing out.
- 2
Toast the panko. Melt the 25g of butter in the frying pan over medium heat, add the panko and stir for 4-6 minutes until evenly golden brown, then tip onto a plate to cool. Browning the crumbs now means they only need to heat through in the oven later, rather than relying on hot fat to colour them.
- 3
Prepare the chicken. Remove the small inner fillet from each breast and set aside, then butterfly the main piece by cutting into the thick side and opening it out like a book. Sandwich between cling film and pound to an even 6mm thickness, roughly 15 x 20cm, then season with the salt and pepper.
- 4
Fill and roll. Cut the chilled butter into 4 pieces and lay one near the narrow end of each flattened breast, topping it with a reserved inner fillet. Fold in the sides and roll up tightly so the butter is completely enclosed with no gaps, then wrap each parcel tightly in cling film, twisting the ends, and chill for 1 hour so the seams set firmly - any unsealed gap is where the butter will leak out in the oven. About 20 minutes before the chilling time is up, heat the oven to 175°C (155°C fan).
- 5
Set up the coating. Arrange the flour, the egg beaten with mustard, and the cooled toasted crumbs in three shallow dishes.
- 6
Coat and bake. Unwrap the chicken parcels and coat each one in flour, then egg, then the toasted crumbs, pressing firmly so the crumb sticks all over. Set them seam-side down on the wire rack and bake for 40-45 minutes until the crumb is deep golden and the centre of the chicken itself (not the butter pocket) reads 74°C.
- 7
Rest and serve. Leave the Kievs to rest for 5 minutes so the butter inside thickens slightly before you cut in. Serve with the green beans.
Storage
Cooked Kievs keep in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat in a moderate oven until piping hot (74°C) rather than in a microwave, which can make the crumb soggy. Uncooked, crumbed parcels can be frozen for up to 2 months and baked from frozen, allowing extra time. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- large frying pan (28 cm)
- small bowl and fork
- cling film
- meat mallet or rolling pin
- rimmed baking tray with a wire rack
- 3 shallow dishes
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 558 kcal |
| Protein | 47.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 20.7 g |
| of which sugars | 1.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 30.7 g |
| of which saturates | 16.2 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g |
| Salt | 1.83 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
8.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
