Recipes Dinner Poultry Dishes Chicken Main Course Quick Chicken Kiev 5.0 (5,695) 2 Reviews For this easy version of chicken Kiev, we tuck compound butter into chicken breast halves rather than pounding then rolling the meat around logs of butter. By Grace Parisi Grace Parisi Grace Parisi a former senior test kitchen editor for Food & Wine, where she wrote several successful monthly columns: Food & Wine Handbook, Tasting & Testing, Flavor of the Month, Power Pantry, and Chefs Recipes Made Easy. Parisi has also been published in McCall’s, Redbook, and The New York Times, has written five hit cookbooks, and has appeared numerous times on national television. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 23, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Diana Chistruga Total Time: 40 mins Yield: 4 servings Chicken Kiev is widely recognized as a quintessential dish in post-Soviet haute cuisine, but its exact origins aren't easy to pinpoint. It likely came about in the late 1840s as a result of Russian royalty sending their chefs to France to learn classic culinary techniques. The Russian adaptation of a French dish typically made with veal became a fixture in upscale dining rooms, but it was not popularized until after World War II when restaurants like the Russian Tea Room in New York began serving it to entice Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. As chicken Kiev became more known, tourists to the Ukrainian city started requesting it at local restaurants, in turn landing the dish on menus throughout the city. Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen To make a classic chicken Kiev, Ukrainian cooks pound cutlets flat, roll them around a log of herb butter, then bread and fry them. Here, former F&W senior test kitchen editor Grace Parisi simplifies the dish by cutting a pocket into the breast to hold the butter. Frequently asked questions What is chicken Kiev made of? Chicken Kiev is traditionally prepared by rolling flattened cutlets around logs of frozen butter, dredging them in flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, then frying or baking them until crisp and golden. Many recipes include garlic with the butter, but this is a Western convention. Here, we blend the butter with dill and chives and use panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch. How do you eat chicken Kiev? To offset the richness of the butter filling and breaded, fried exterior, we like to serve our chicken Kiev with a bright arugula salad simply dressed in olive oil with lemon juice. Roasted vegetables would also be a great option, and you could go with a potato or rice dish, or your salad of choice. What do you drink with chicken Kiev? We suggest pairing the dish with a green apple-scented, full-bodied Côtes-du-Rhône blanc. Ingredients 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each), lightly pounded to an even thickness Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives All-purpose flour, for dusting 3 large eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, crushed 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 large bunch of arugula, stemmed Directions Diana Chistruga Gather the ingredients. Diana Chistruga Carefully slice a pocket into the side of each chicken breast and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, blend the butter with the dill and chives and season with salt and pepper. Spoon half of the herb butter into the pockets and pinch closed. Diana Chistruga Dredge the chicken in flour, tapping off the excess. Diana Chistruga Put the eggs and breadcrumbs in two separate shallow bowls and season with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, sealing the pockets; dab any open spots with egg and sprinkle with breadcrumbs to seal. Diana Chistruga Place the chicken on a baking sheet and freeze for 5 minutes. Diana Chistruga In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch of olive oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and fry over moderate heat, turning once or twice, until golden and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Diana Chistruga In a large bowl, whisk the 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the arugula and toss. Transfer the chicken to plates and top with the remaining herb butter. Serve the arugula salad alongside. Originally appeared: May 2013 Rate It Print