RECIPE: Chicken Ala Kiev

I made this recipe a couple of days back for a very special family reunion on the joyous occasion of Eid. There’s something very gratifying about cooking for the people you love; it’s like a way for you to pamper them. I confess, I do get a bit cranky in the kitchen, but that’s only when I end up getting stuck over there for the whole day, as opposed to just for the cooking and preparation time. Thankfully, when my family enjoys a meal I cook and compliments my effort… all is well again :).

So here’s the recipe for the dish I made. I served it with A LOT of mashed potatoes and spicy rice. Personally, I would’ve preferred serving it with buttered rice with peas, but had I spent more time in that kitchen, I would have ended up spoiling more moods than my own.

I love (and hate!) the part where you cut the chicken. Love it because that’s when you see the beautiful, lemony butter ooze out. Hate it because, it’s the moment of truth. What if the chicken is undercooked – chef’s biggest nightmare! Another thing I love about this dish is how clever it is. Whenever I make Stuffed Chicken Breast (a family favourite), I have to make two gravies… a peppery, mushroom gravy, and a sweet, pineapple gravy.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love cooking gravies… but you know, I like saving time. Unlike a the traditional stuffed chicken with cheese and spinach stuffing, Chicken ala Kiev already has butter inside, which essentially means that you don’t need to cook a gravy to go along with it. You can eat a piece of perfectly fried chicken, without the fear of it being too dry… that’s the dream… well, at least one of many :P!

Chicken ala Kiev

Preparation time: 90 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 4 chicken breasts – slit horizontally to create a broad. flat fillet
• Peppercorns – coarsely crushed
• Lemon juice of 1 lemon

For the stuffing

• 2 cups salted butter – softened
• 3/4 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 clove garlic – crushed
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

For the coating

• 2 eggs – beaten
• 1 cup cornflour
• 2 cups breadcrumbs

Additional

• Oil for frying

Instructions

1. Prepare the stuffing by mixing together all the ingredients. Take a butter paper/aluminium foil and place a heaped tablespoon of the stuffing on it.  Roughly create 3-inch rectangular fingers with the stuffing, and put it in the freezer.
2. Rub the chicken breasts with the pepper and lemon juice, and flatten the fillets while being careful enough not to tear them.
3. Once the “butter fingers” are hard, place them inside the chicken fillet, and wrap carefully, ensuring that the butter is not visible from any side. Try to minimise touching the butter too much; it’ll start melting. Once the butter is properly tucked inside the chicken, put the chicken pieces into the freezer.
4. Once the chicken is properly frozen, coat the chicken parcels directly onto the cornflour. Then, dip it in egg, and coat it with breadcrumbs. Once the breadcrumbs soak the egg, dip the parcel in egg once again, and again in breadcrumbs. This ensures that the stuffing it properly sealed. Chill parcels until you decide to fry them.
5. Fry them on medium-low flame, until slightly dark golden brown, and serve with creamy mashed potatoes :)!

Bon Appétit !