Chicken Kiev

Thursday 1 October 2009



I think Chicken Kievs have to be one of the most popular foods with children over here in the UK. The freezer section of most grocery stores are well stocked with little cartons of the same, and you can buy fresh and ready to cook versions as well.

But how really tasty is a piece of ground up chicken that has been reformed around a dab of garlic flavoured fat (is it really butter?) and then rolled in some egg and bread crumbs and fried??? Most end up dry and tasting of nothing but garlic . . . any semblance to the real thing having been somehow lost in the translation from, what was once a delicious entree, into a pop culture fast food!



Making them from scratch is not really all that hard, and doesn't really take that long. Boned and skinned chicken breasts are wrapped around a delicious pat of frozen seasoned butter and then coated with egg and crumbs.



Fried just until golden brown, these bear no resemblance whatsoever to those pale imitations in the shops. By the time the chicken is done the butter is just melted and will gush out when you cut into it, bathing your noodles or rice, or whatever with a delicious buttery and herby sauce.

It's the real thing . . . Why settle for anything less . . .



*Chicken Kiev*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This delicious dish hails from Russia back in the time of the great Czars. Chicken breasts wrapped around a delicious garlic butter and then breaded and fried, it is a real family favourite.

Herb Butter:
4 ounces butter, softened
1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast portions
1/2 cup of seasoned flour
2 large eggs, beaten
8 ounces of seasoned dry bread crumbs
oil for frying



In a small bowl, with a rubber scraper, thoroughly mix the butter, parsleyk tarragon, garlic, salt and pepper together. Lay out a piece of foil. Shape the butter mixture into a 3 inch square. Wrap up and freeze until firm.

In the meantime, trim the chicken breasts of any fat and sinew. Place each piece,one at a time, smooth side down on a sheet of cling film. Cover with a second sheet. Very carefully pound the chicken out until it is 1/4 inch thick, being very careful not to break the meat. Cut the frozen butter into 6 equal pats. Place a pat of herb butter in the centre of each piece of chicken. Bring the long sides of the chicken over to cover the butt, folding the ends over and making sure that no butter is showing. Fasten with a toothpick to keep shut.

Roll each chicken piece in some seasoned flour, then dip into the beaten eggs. Roll into the dried bread crumbs, coating evenly. Place on a tray, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Heat some oil in a large heavy skillet. Once it is hot add the chicken pieces, 3 at a time and cook, turning with tongs, until browned all over. Drain and then place into a warm oven in a large pan that has been lined with some paper towels. Cook the remaining 3 kievs in the same way. Serve hot with some rice or noodles.

16 comments

  1. The recipe probably won't work properly this way. When I trained at the Savoy Hotel, London they were prepared as follows: Leave the chicken breast attached to the exterior bone, remove the inner breast, flatten out both pieces, place butter in the middle, flour and egg the edges and place the inner filet over the other, pressing the edges together to seal. Then flour, egg and bread everything and deep-fry for about 30 seconds; this seals the butter inside and stops it later leaking. Take out and place in a medium oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

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  2. It does work doing it this way! I haven't made this exact recipe yet (too early in the morning for me) but this is the way I have done them in the past. You have to make sure your wrapping is done nice and firmly and your coating and frying done carefully so that the coating is crisp and then it keeps everything in. If you're slap-dash about it you'll have a mess on your hands.

    I'm sure LB doesn't really think Marie would give us a recipe that doesn't work!

    love, Angie, xx

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  3. I've not made chicken kiev before...hubby would love it! :o) Happy Day, sweet Marie--LOVE YA ((BIG HUGS))

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  4. Yummy yum yum - that looks lovely Marie!

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  5. This is the only way to make it as far as I'm concerned - you just have to make sure that you "seal" the roll with the egg/flour/breadcrumb mix.

    Another terrific recipe, Marie.

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  6. Wow, you always make all of my favorite things!

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  7. Freezing the butter before you place it inside the chicken, means that by the time the chicken is cooked the butter is just melted and hasn't had a chance to leak out. I have been doing it this way for years. This is a recipe I adapted from the McCall's Cooking School (a North American Institution) back in the 1970's. It has been my experience in life that there is always more than one way to skin a cat. That doesn't mean that they are all wrong. Many thanks though LB for your input. I do have to say though that when I trained as a chef up in Chester, UK, we also did it the way that I have described here. I'll have to give your way a try sometime though. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. My Mum used to make a garlic butter log and just cut off pieces lol I love this and you made me remember her. Thank you. I am going to try this, I also found your bread pudding which I am going to compare to my Mums, she is one of these a bit of that a small bit of this and spice to taste. I'm like mummm lol It's hard when she is not here anymore. I bought your book too for my reader ty

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  8. Marie!!!! this look amazing!!! Im so hugry now!!! so tasty and nice recipe dear, send you huggssss! xox gloria

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  9. Oh Marie you always make something that makes me want to jump in the kitchen and start cooking! I've never made this before but I'm going to!! You have never let me down, I know this will be fantastic! Marie, would you use this same technique if you put cheese and ham in the middle??? Is that still a kiev???

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  10. I happened upon your blog yesterday and today via random recipe searches on google but will now be a regular visitor. Your recipes are wonderful and your posts continue to make me smile. The only problem is that I'm in the US and haven't retained much from my lessons on converting from metric. Thank goodness for google! :)
    -Ginger

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  11. Bunny, that would be Chicken Cordon Bleu and the method would be slightly different, although quite similar. I shall try to e-mail you!

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  12. Made another batch of these last week...exactly to your instructions and my family love them. Spot on every time! Thanks Marie, my kids love you....even tho its me that cooks for them lol

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  13. Thanks Marie! It was a great recipe and technique for someone who's never done it nor had it before! My brit gf was well happy with the outcome and impressed with my cooking skills! Said she'd love me forever now! Phew! ;p

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  14. I've only ever eaten this at a restaurant many yhears ago. I've never attempted to make it as any recipe I saw for it sounded incredibly complicated, so I felt it was better left to the professionals. But as I never go out these days, plus I doubt it is served here anyway, I decided to carefully follow your recipe in the hope of making a special dinner for the weekend.

    I was not disappointed! They cooked up beautifully and as I cut into it, the butter flowed out just as it should. Totally worth all the faff to have that glorious garlic butter ooze out. I did finish mine off in the oven just to be sure they were cooked. We had ours with rice, steamed broccoli and carrots.

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    Replies
    1. I am so pleased that you made and enjoyed this Marie. It is a bit of faffing but so worth the end result! Thank you so much for all that you are doing in trying out these older recipes. I really appreciate it! xoxo

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