Chicken kiev recipe

As seen on Rick Stein’s Food Stories on BBC Two, this is Rick’s chicken kiev recipe. On his visit to Ukranian restaurant, Mriya Neo in London, he learns that the team there are all refugees who have fled their home to escape the war. Paying tribute to Ukraine, he cooks this well-loved national dish, chicken Kiev.

Ingredients for Rick’s chicken kiev recipe

SERVES 4

• 4 chicken cutlets, (chicken breasts with the wing bone in), skinless
• 125g salted butter
• 10g dill, chopped
• 10g flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
• 1 tsp salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper
• 125g flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 200g dry white breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs
• 6-8 tbsp vegetable oil for frying

How to make Rick’s chicken kiev recipe

1. Soften the butter, add the chopped dill, parsley and the garlic, season well with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Wrap in clingfilm or baking parchment and roll into ‘a sausage’, chill in the freezer until completely solidified.
2. Starting at the fatter end of the chicken breast, cut a slit horizontally through the breast to form a pocket. Be careful not to cut all the way through, or the butter with escape.
3. Cut the roll of chilled butter into 8 slices and slip 2 of these butter slices into each slit. Close the pocket and press down a little to prevent the butter escaping. 
4. Carefully dip each piece of chicken in flour, shake off the excess, then in the egg and breadcrumbs, repeat with just the egg and breadcrumbs, so you have a double coating. Then preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chicken breasts two at a time and gently fry until golden on both sides. Transfer to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked through and the chicken is at least 70c when probed at the thickest part. Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil if required.
6. Serve with mashed potatoes or chips and salad or peas.

Happy cooking