Hairy Bikers Chicken Kiev Recipe

Hairy Bikers chicken kiev stuffs a butterflied breast with garlic butter, Cheddar, lemon zest, and herbs, then deep-fries it in breadcrumbs until golden. It comes from Chicken and Egg, serves 4 at around 850 kcal, and needs 25 minutes of prep before 15 minutes of deep-frying.

The headnote calls this ‘a stonker’ that improves on an earlier kiev first made with Dave’s wife Lil. The upgrade adds lemon zest and rosemary to the butter, and the mini fillet wraps around the filling to stop it leaking.

Shaping the butter into tight torpedos and freezing the rolled kievs for half an hour is what stops the filling from bursting during frying. The oil needs to stay at 160°C, because any hotter and the coating browns before the chicken cooks through.

Hairy Bikers Chicken Kiev Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:British Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:IntermediatePrep time: 25 minutesCook time: 15 minutesRest time: 30 minutesTotal time:1 hour 10 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:850 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Chicken breasts are opened out flat, filled with a seasoned garlic and herb butter mixed with Cheddar, then rolled tight and coated in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. After half an hour in the freezer to set, they deep-fry at 160°C for 15 minutes until the crust is crisp and the filling oozes.

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 150g butter, at room temperature
• 50g hard cheese such as Cheddar, grated
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• A few rosemary needles, finely chopped
• Small bunch of parsley, very finely chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Chicken

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, with mini fillets
• 50g plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100g fine breadcrumbs
• Groundnut or rapeseed oil, for deep-frying
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Prepare the breasts: Remove the mini fillet from the back of each breast and set aside. Slice horizontally through the thickest side of each breast without cutting all the way through, then open it like a book. Place between two sheets of cling film and gently flatten with a rolling pin. Do the same with the mini fillets, then sprinkle the chicken with salt.
2. Make the filling: Put the butter in a bowl with the cheese, lemon zest, garlic, rosemary, and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper, then mix until everything is combined. Divide into 4 and shape each portion into a long torpedo.
3. Roll the kievs: Place a torpedo of butter in the middle of one butterflied breast, cover it with a mini fillet, then roll the breast up tightly and tuck in any loose ends so the filling is completely enclosed. Wrap tightly in cling film and repeat with the rest. Put them all in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
4. Bread the kievs: Pour oil into a deep-fryer or large saucepan, filling no more than halfway. Heat to 160°C. Put the flour, egg, and a quarter of the breadcrumbs on separate plates and season the flour with salt and pepper. Unwrap each kiev, dip in flour, pat off the excess, coat thoroughly in egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Use fresh breadcrumbs for each breast so they stay clean.
5. Deep-fry: Lower the kievs into the hot oil and fry for about 15 minutes until the crust is a deep golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

FAQs

Do Hairy Bikers have more than one chicken kiev recipe?

Yes, and the Chicken and Egg version on this page is the second attempt. The first is Lil’s Chicken Kiev from Mums Still Know Best, which puts spring onions in the garlic butter instead of the lemon and rosemary.

Lil’s version comes with its own side dish too, a cucumber and spring onion salad in soured cream, mayo, and paprika with sliced boiled eggs. That salad is worth making alongside either version of the kiev.

Can I bake chicken kiev in the oven instead of deep-frying?

The book only gives deep-frying, so there are no oven timings from the cookbook itself. Baking at 200°C for 20 to 25 minutes works, though the crust will not brown as evenly and the butter may leak out.

If deep-frying puts you off entirely, their chicken kiev pasta bake captures the same garlic, herb, and breadcrumb flavours without any frying at all.

How do I know when chicken kiev is cooked through?

At 160°C, fifteen minutes should give you a deep golden crust with the chicken fully cooked inside. The book says the filling should ooze out as soon as you cut into the breast, which is your best visual check. If you want extra certainty, a probe thermometer pushed into the thickest part should read at least 75°C.

Can I prepare chicken kievs ahead of time?

Most of the prep can be done in advance, which makes this a good dish for entertaining. Roll, bread, and freeze the kievs up to a day ahead, then fry straight from the fridge with two or three extra minutes.

For another chicken dish that works well prepared ahead, their coronation chicken is served cold in a curried mayo with mango and toasted almonds.

What should I serve with chicken kiev?

The book suggests lemon wedges and nothing else, since the garlic butter that flows out when you cut in becomes its own sauce. A starchy side soaks that butter up well, so their potato salad with its lemony mayo, capers, and gherkins makes a sharp contrast.

For another cosy chicken dinner, their chicken cobbler is a one-pot casserole with a potato cobble topping.