Stranger Foods

Chicken kiev

Serves 4 | Prep 25 mins | Cook 40 mins

This version of the classic chicken dish is the work of the wonderful chef Silvena Rowe. Her restaurant Quince in London's Mayfair is a fortress of delicious Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. It's a dish that requires a little attention to detail as the chicken must have a perfect seal or you will end up with butter all over the kitchen. Try not to double coat the chicken in the egg as it can make the dish a little soggy.

Source: Who Put the Beef in Wellington

Ingredients

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Imperial

x0.5

4 large chicken breasts, preferably with the wing bone in
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
6 tbsp homemade breadcrumbs
vegetable oil, for frying

For the herb butter

200 g butter, at room temperature
1 tsp tarragon, freshly chopped
1 tsp parsley, freshly chopped
1 tsp chives, freshly chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

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First make your herb butter. Put the butter, herbs and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well. Shape the butter into four rolls about 5 cm long and put in the fridge to chill.
Remove the first thin joint of the wing from each chicken breast and slice the breast halfway down the middle with a very sharp knife so that it butterflies out. Lay each butterflied breast on a board and beat with a meat hammer (or rolling pin) between some clingfilm. Flatten the breasts out skin-side down. Season the chicken, put the butter inside each breast and roll up making sure to tuck the ends in. Secure with a toothpick.
Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls and roll the chicken first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Repeat for all four breasts.
Heat your oil to 180°C, either in a large saucepan or a deep-fat fryer, and fry the chicken breasts two at a time and for no more than about . The breadcrumbs should be golden brown and cooked through. Alternatively, sauté the chicken in a saucepan with a little oil and butter for , turning in the pan to cook the chicken on all sides and then finish in a medium oven (180°C) for .
Serve with a green salad or straw-cut fries. I like mine with a simple potato salad of blanched potato and homemade mayonnaise dusted with a little paprika.

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