Chicken Kiev (Classic Eastern European Recipe) (2024)

ByEdytaMay 17, 2020October 11, 2020

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What is Chicken Kiev?

Chicken Kiev is a super delicious dish made from the tenderized chicken breast; stuffed with compound butter, made with garlic and parsley; and then rolled and breaded (with a flour egg mixture and seasoned breadcrumbs). Once ready, it’s either fried (it can be deep-fried), baked, or seared on a pan and finished in the oven.

Why is Chicken Kiev Named ‘Chicken Kiev’?

In all honesty, this is a mystery, still disputed by many. It literally means Chicken Kiev-style. Kiev is a capital of Ukraine, and some credit this dish’s origins to one of the Kiev’s hotels back at the beginning of the 20^th century. However, others claim that this dish had been made by Russian chefs back in the 19^th century.

Further shrouding it in mystery, in Russia and Eastern Europe as côtelette de volaille, which in French literally means chicken cutlet and not stuffed chicken. So, it’s unknown how Eastern Europe adopted this name, but in Poland (where I grew up), it was widely known by this name. Some choose to apply a Polinization and call it “Dewolaj” (same meaning though).

Regardless of the name disputes/origins, I can tell you one thing. It is super delicious!

What do you Serve with Chicken Kiev?

While the background of Chicken Kiev is obscure, what isn’t are some of the classic pairings to serve it with. In traditional Eastern European fashion, you’d serve the meat with potatoes and a side of veggies.

As a disciple of this school of thought, for me, Chicken Kiev must be accompanied by some kind of potato dish. I always joke that I came from Potato country (we love our potatoes in Poland); but in actuality, this is entirely accurate. So, here is a couple of my suggestions:

• Brown Butter Dill Mashed Potatoes – brown butter adds a wonderful nuttiness to these potatoes, and dill adds lots of freshness.
• Parsley Potatoes – these are made with sautéed onions and tons of parsley and are very popular in Hungary.
• Potatoes Boulangere – this is a French dish that’s full of flavor, but not full of calories. The potatoes are baked with onions in chicken stock. Super yum!
• Fondant Potatoes – a fancy looking and super flavorful French potato dish, cut into cylinders.
• New Dill Potatoes with Cream Sauce – this is a real treat at the beginning of the summer when the new potatoes show up at the farmer’s markets. They’re super creamy and soft; they just melt in your mouth. Making them with a very flavorful cream sauce makes them irresistible.

As for your Veggie side, I’d Suggest:

• Polish Cucumber Salad with Dill
• Simple Green Salad
• Polish Carrot and Apple Salad
• German Braised Red Cabbage
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Green Bean Casserole

How do you Make Chicken Kiev from Scratch?

To make this flavorful chicken, first, gather your ingredients:

• Chicken breasts
• Flour
• Egg
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt & Pepper
• Unsalted butter
• Flat-leaf parsley
• Garlic
• Oil, for frying

Now, you have to start by preparing the compound butter:

• Make sure to take the butter out from the fridge approximately a ½ hour before you will be making compound butter so that it can warm to room temperature and be easier to work with.

• Next, you’ll need to either squeeze your garlic through a garlic press; or use a thin shredder to shred it; or thinly minced it with a knife, if you can’t press or shred it.
• Wash and finely chop your parsley.
• Add everything to a bowl. Then add salt and pepper. Using a fork, mix the butter well with garlic and parsley until all is fully folded in. Move the butter mixture onto a plastic wrap sheet and wrap it into a cylindrical log shape. Place it into the freezer for a half-hour.

To prepare your chicken:

• To prepare your chicken you’ll need to butterfly it with a sharp knife, making sure to not cut it fully through. Then you’ll need to use the meat pounder to tenderize it and make it thin on both sides.

• Then you will need to season both sides with salt and pepper. At this point, your chicken is ready for the butter.
• Remove the butter from the freezer and cut it into 1/3” pieces. Place one or two butter pieces into the center of the chicken cutlet and wrap it up, like a burrito. Be sure to fold both sides in first, and then roll from front to the back.
• Personally, I leave them like this, as this is exactly how my mom used to make them; but if you feel like yours may not maintain their shape, then use a toothpick to secure the cutlets. You could also use twine, but be sure to remove whatever you use before serving.

• Once all of your cutlets are nicely wrapped, you can start breading them.
• First, add them to the flour; then to beaten egg mixture; and finally into the seasoned breadcrumbs (I like to use a combination of panko and Italian season breadcrumbs). Continue with the remaining cutlets.

• Heat up your cooking oil in an ovenproof skillet. Preheat your oven to 400F. First fry the cutlets on each side in a skillet until golden brown, for 4-5 minutes, and then cover with foil and move the hot oven. Baked them for 20 minutes (covered), then remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

• Remove from the oven and let cool off slightly before serving.
• Sprinkle with some extra parsley on top and serve with your favorite side dishes or one above suggested.

Enjoy!

Other Chicken Recipes to try:

• Oven Roasted Chicken Legs (Drumsticks and Thighs)
• Slow Roasted Whole Chicken Quarters
• Chicken Chasseur
• Chicken Normandy
• Hungarian Chicken Paprikash