Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev is a drool worthy dish straight from Eastern Europe. You wrap chicken around a scrumptious garlic butter interior before dredging it in breadcrumbs and flour, ensuring the perfect crispy exterior.

This dish is completely scrumptious but I mean how could it not be? It has everything you need, it’s got perfectly tender chicken, a crisp exterior, and a savory molten interior. This meal packs quite a hit in ways that are deeply satisfying and completely drool worthy.

What Is Chicken Kiev?

Hails from Eastern Europe, specifically places like Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. Chicken breast is pounded out, stuffed with a garlic herb compound butter, coated with eggs and breadcrumbs, and eventually fried and/or baked. The best part of this chicken truly is the filling.

You roll the flattened chicken around some garlic herb compound butter and it melts when heated up in the oven. My garlic butter is packed full of fresh herbs, lots of fresh minced garlic, and some bright lemon juice. With a sinfully rich interior, a crispy exterior, and perfectly tender chicken, this dish is hands down phenomenal.

Ingredients

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Garlic butter

• Butter – Unsalted and softened to room temperature.
• Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
• Herbs – Fresh parsley and dill chopped up fine.
• Lemon juice – From about 1 lemon squeezed fresh.
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper.

Chicken

• Chicken – Boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
• Flour – All purpose is all we need for this recipe.
• Breadcrumbs – I used panko because it’s my favorite breadcrumb for these types of recipes, it’s got the perfect crunch! Feel free to use whatever is your favorite.
• Eggs – 2 large eggs, beaten.
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
• Oil – A mild vegetable oil to fry up our chicken in with a neutral taste and a high smoking point.

How To Make Chicken Kiev

Prepare The Butter and Chicken

1. Prepare the garlic herb compound butter: Mix all the garlic butter ingredients together using a fork or a spatula. Place it onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Place it in the freezer for 30-40 minutes to freeze. It needs to be firm so that we can slice it.
2. Prepare the chicken: Lay each breast flat onto your work surface. Butterfly the chicken breast by slicing it horizontally. Place the chicken breast opened between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap and then flatten using a meat mallet. If you don’t have a meat mallet you can also use the back of a heavy frying pan such as a cast iron skillet. Season each breast fillet with salt and pepper on both sides.

Assemble And Cook The Chicken

1. Assemble the chicken kiev: Cut the frozen butter into 4 equal pieces. Place a frozen piece of garlic butter in the centre of a chicken fillet, fold the chicken over the garlic butter, gathering the sides to the center to form either a round ball or a log. Wrap each chicken piece in plastic wrap and twist the ends to make sure it’s wrapped tightly. Place the wrapped chicken pieces in the freezer for about 2 hours until the seams have frozen.
2. Form the breading: Add the flour onto a shallow plate, crack the eggs in another shallow plate and whisk, and in a third bowl the breadcrumbs. Roll the frozen chicken first into the flour and make sure it is coated evenly, then roll it into the eggs and finally roll it through the breadcrumbs. Repeat with all the chicken pieces.
3. Finish the dish: Heat the oil into a large saucepan or Dutch oven to 350 F degrees. Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Deep fry each piece of chicken for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Transfer the fried chicken into a baking dish such as a 9×13-inch casserole dish, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

What Is Compound Butter

Compound butter is basically flavored butter and then frozen or chilled until it sets and can be sliced. It can be sweet or it can be savory. In this case compound butter is regular butter mixed in with herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and a bit of lemon juice. This butter is great because it’s quite versatile and can be used on any meats, such as steak or pork chops.

What To Serve With Chicken Kiev

Now this dish is a doozy all on it’s own, super filling and packed full of a few food groups right in each tasty chicken breast. But if you’re looking for a big spread, here’s some perfect accompaniments to go along with it.

Starches

• Mashed Potatoes
• Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
• Harvest Rice
• Creamy Polenta

Veggies

• Garlic and Herb Roasted Carrots
• Balsamic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes
• Roasted Green Beans And Mushrooms
• Roasted Potatoes With Garlic Aioli
• The Ultimate Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Salads

• Mexican Chicken And Rice Salad
• Mediterranean Couscous Salad
• Kale And Quinoa Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
• Greek Salad
• Warm Kale Salad With Roasted Butternut Squash

Can I Use Chicken Thighs?

You can actually make this dish with boneless skinless chicken thighs. You still have to go through the process of pounding the thighs between two pieces of parchment paper so that they’re all the same thickness. This will ensure even cooking and it will cook pretty quick.

How To Brine Your Chicken

If you’ve got the time, brine your chicken for 2 to 4 hours in a solution made with water, salt and other things you may prefer like soy sauce or beer. Basic brine ratio is 1 tbsp salt to 1 cup of water. This will allow that seasoning to penetrate into the meat and result in juicier, more flavorful, and more tender meat.

Leftovers

Fridge

Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Keep in mind though that the breading will become more soggy the longer it’s kept in the fridge!

Freezer

Absolutely! Freeze this stored in airtight containers for up to 3 months! Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before heating back up in the oven, on the stove, or on the microwave.

More Chicken Recipes To Try:

• Roast Chicken
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
• One Pan Roasted Honey Orange Chicken And Potatoes
• Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
• Chicken Rice Pilaf
• Chicken Parmesan
• Firecracker Chicken Meatballs