Chicken · The golden oldie, reborn
Chicken Kiev with Proper Garlic Butter
The kiev earned its bad name from decades of watery, mass-made versions. Made properly, with a plump free-range breast and a well-sealed pocket of garlic butter, it's one of the great chicken dishes. The double chill is what keeps the butter locked inside until your knife lets it out, so don't skip it.
Method
Beat the butter with the garlic, parsley, lemon juice and seasoning. Shape into two short logs and freeze for 20 minutes until firm.
Cut a deep horizontal pocket into the thickest side of each breast, keeping the opening as small as you can. Push a butter log deep into each pocket and pinch the opening closed.
Season the breasts, then coat: flour first, then egg, then breadcrumbs, followed by egg and breadcrumbs a second time. The double crumb is what seals the butter in. Chill for 1 hour.
Heat 1cm of oil in a deep pan to 170°C. Fry the kievs for 3–4 minutes a side until deep golden.
Transfer to a rack over a tray and finish at 180°C in the oven for 10–12 minutes until cooked through (74°C at the centre). Rest for 3 minutes, then serve whole; the first cut is the whole point.
Ben's Tip
Freeze the butter and double-crumb the coating. Soft butter leaks out through the smallest gap during frying; a firm log and two layers of crumb keep the eruption where it belongs: on the plate.
To Drink
All that garlic butter wants acidity. A taut Chablis or a dry Alsace Riesling slices straight through it.
Made with the best meat money can buy
Build a box of native-breed British meat, raised the right way, and have it delivered to your door.
Build Your Box →More to cook
