Chicken Kiev
Chicken Kiev is a dish of exceptional technical refinement: a deboned chicken breast pounded thin around a cylinder of cold butter mixed with garlic and parsley, then triple-breaded — flour, beaten egg, breadcrumbs — and deep-fried. When cut, the melted butter explodes in a golden stream — the dramatic effect is intentional and desired. The origin is disputed: Ukraine claims it as national heritage, while some historians attribute it to nineteenth-century Russian haute cuisine influenced by French techniques. It was popularised internationally by Ukrainian diaspora restaurants and Western hotel menus in the first half of the twentieth century.
Garlic butter filling
Melts inside as it cooks
Crispy breaded crust
Golden breadcrumb coating
Rich in protein
From chicken breast
Ukrainian classic
Served hot, straight from the pan
Ingredients 4 servings
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 garlic cloves, very finely minced (or 1 tbsp garlic paste)
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large skinless chicken breasts (about 200 g each)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt for the breasts
- 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper for the breasts
- 80 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp cold water
- 150 g panko or fine dry breadcrumbs
- 750 ml neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed), for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for finishing the oil (optional, for a nuttier crust)
- Lemon wedges and a small bunch of parsley, to serve
How to make it
- 1Make the herb butter; beat the softened butter in a bowl with the minced garlic, chopped parsley, lemon juice, 0.5 tsp salt, and 0.25 tsp pepper until evenly combined; scrape onto cling film, shape into a 12 cm long, 2 cm thick log, wrap tightly, and freeze for at least 1 hour, until firm enough to slice.
- 2Slice the chilled butter log into 4 equal cylinders; return them to the freezer while you prepare the chicken — the butter must be very cold or it will leak out during frying.
- 3With a sharp knife, cut a deep horizontal pocket into the thick side of each chicken breast, stopping about 1 cm before the opposite edge — do not cut through; open the breast like a book, lay it between two sheets of cling film, and pound gently with a meat mallet to an even 5 mm thickness, working from the centre outwards; season the inside with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp pepper.
- 4Place one cold butter cylinder along the centre of each pounded breast; fold the two long sides over the butter, then roll the breast tightly into a sealed cylinder, pressing to expel air; tuck any loose flaps underneath; wrap each parcel in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 5Set up three shallow bowls: one with the flour, one with the beaten eggs and water, one with the breadcrumbs; take a parcel, dip in flour and pat off excess, then egg, draining well, then breadcrumbs — press firmly on all sides; dip the egg and breadcrumbs again for a second coat: this double coat is what stops the butter from blowing out during frying; repeat with the other three.
- 6Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170°C; test with a breadcrumb — it should sizzle and turn pale gold in 20 seconds; lower two Kievs in carefully and fry for 6–7 minutes, turning once, until the crust is deeply golden brown all over; lift onto a wire rack set over a tray; repeat with the other two.
- 7Finish in the oven if needed; place the fried Kievs on a rack over a baking tray and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 8–10 minutes, until a temperature probe pushed into the chicken (not the butter) reads 70°C; this ensures the chicken is cooked through without overcooking the crust.
- 8Rest for 2 minutes on the rack, then plate; pierce the top of each Kiev at the table — the molten herb butter will spill out in a golden stream; serve immediately with lemon wedges and parsley, alongside mashed potatoes or buttered rice.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
