Family traditions, his & mine: Chicken Kyiv
Family traditions, his mine: Chicken Kyiv
I write a lot about my Puerto Rican background and cooking experiences so I thought I’d switch it up a bit this week and talk about my husband’s side of the family. He’s Croatian on his father’s side and Ukrainian on his mother’s making. I’ve told you in prior posts about her making special boxes for all four of her kids filled with all of their favorite recipes. One of the recipes included in the “magic box” was one for her chicken Kyiv, a chicken breast stuffed with herbs and butter that oozes out with the first cut making for a very moist and flavorful chicken.
Chicken Kyiv
Ingredients
Kyiv butter
1 stick butter, softened at room temperature
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Chicken cutlets
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup panko or seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Vegetable or canola oil, as needed, for frying
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a medium bowl or mixer, beat together butter, parsley, garlic and lemon juice, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer while preparing everything else. You can also roll the butter into a log, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
While the butter is chilling, Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound them until they’re ¼-inch thick. Salt and pepper the chicken before placing a cube of the prepared butter in the center of each flattened chicken breast, then wrap the butter in the chicken leaving no open space so that the butter can’t escape. You can also roll the butter in the chicken sealing it with toothpicks.
After all of the chicken cutlets are rolled, heat 2-3 inches of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven before setting up your stations – flour, eggs, panko-parmesan mixture. Dredge each chicken pocket in flour (making sure to shake off the excess), then dip completely in egg wash (again, shaking off the excess) before finally pressing all side firmly into the panko-parmesan mixture. Transfer the coated chicken gently into the hot oil and cook on all sides until coating is golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts — one at a time. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and serve hot with mashed potatoes, rice or vegetables.
Helpful hints
Be careful with that first cut into the chicken, the butter should be hot and melted.
To share a helpful hint or comment, send an email to lakenews@jcpgroup.com or follow me on Twitter @Cooks_CornerLC.
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