Easy Chicken Kiev

Every time when I have a chance (meaning time), I’m watching culinary shows. Last Saturday, during breakfast, we watched 2 episodes of Jamie Oliver’s tv programme. In the first one, even his dad was there and they made Chicken Kiev together. It looked awfully appetising so I wanted to make this recipe as well. Me being me, I didn’t write anything down so when I was standing between the shelves in the supermarket I decided to improvise with the ingredients. Besides, I don’t think Jamie ever gives precise amounts! It is super fun to watch though, he just says a little bit of this, a little bit of that, a few pinches of something else, a fourth thing to taste, and a few drops of olive oil… that look more like 50 ml. So anyway, in the end it turned out to be a fantastic lunch that I genuinely recommend.

If you truly want to impress your loved ones and make even Jamie Oliver proud of you, it would be great to make the filling a few hours earlier or even on the previous day. And one more advise, definitely get the freshest chicken breasts you can find, preferably from the butcher’s.

Ingredients for 4 portions Chicken Kiev:

• 4 big chicken breast fillets (600-700 g)
• 2 slices of old bread
• 4 tbsp flour
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying

Ingredients for the filling:

• 125 g butter, softened
• 50 g bacon strips
• 50 g sun-dried tomatoes
• 2-3 garlic cloves

Chicken Kiev preparation:

1. Fry the bacon strips and transfer them onto kitchen paper towel to cool.
2. Peel and cut the garlic cloves. Cut the tomatoes and bacon strips into small cubes.
3. Place the butter into a bowl. Stir in the bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic until well combined. Transfer the mixture onto a piece of cling film and wrap as a roll. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. 
4. Preheat the oven to 175° С. Pour oil into a frying pan – it must be at least 1 cm deep.
5. Whisk the egg in a medium sized bowl.
6. Place the flour into a deep plate.
7. Remove the crust from the bread slices and crumble the rest into crumbs in a separate plate.
8. Take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into 4 equal parts. 
9. Place one of the chicken breasts onto a chopping board with the flat side down. Using a sharp knife, make a long cut to make a “pocket”. Put one of the butter pieces inside and close it.  Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. 
10. Roll the chicken into the flour, then the egg and finally, the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the chicken Kiev for about 2 minutes on each side. It should obtain a nice golden crust. Transfer the chicken breasts into a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Tip: Serve your Chicken Kiev onto a bed of fresh green leaves. You can also add radishes and spring onions, and sprinkle with salt and balsamic vinegar. Decorate with a few lemon slices.

In his tv programme, Jamie served his Chicken Kiev with potato mash and broccoli.

Bon appetit!