Finger-lickin’ chicken.

Chicken Kiev is one of my all-time favorites chicken dishes. What’s not to like about a crispy coating outside with a river of seasoned butter inside? I found an easy recipe version in Cooking the Russian Way (1986) by Gregory & Rita Plotkin, another one of the easy menu ethnic cookbooks from Lerner Publications. Apparently a Russian chef invented Chicken Kiev in the early 1800s. Kiev is the capital of Ukraine but Chicken Kiev did not get its name from there. It got its name when it was marketed for Russian restaurants in Europe and America!

Chicken Kiev

4 boneless chicken breasts (I used 2 pound)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup butter

1 garlic clove, crushed

½ cup chopped fresh parsley (or 3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes)

6 eggs

2 cups  bread crumbs

Vegetable oil

Place each piece of meat between 2 pieces of wax paper and beat with a meat hammer to flatten. Remove paper and sprinkle both sides of meat with salt and pepper. In  a small bowl, mash butter with a fork and stir in garlic and parsley. Divide into 4 equal portions. Place a piece of meat on a flat surface. Place one portion of the butter mixture on the chicken breasts’ wider end. Fold each side over the butter and roll up the breast tightly. Do the same with the other 3 breads. In a  shallow dish, beat eggs well.  Pour bread crumb into another shallow dish. Dip a piece of chicken into eggs, coating thoroughly, then roll in bread crumbs until completely covered. Repeat 4 times with the same piece of meat and set aside. Do the same with the other 3 breasts. In a large frying pan, heat 1 inch oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Carefully place chicken in pan with tongs and fry, turning frequently, unto meat turns golden brown. Remove from pan with tongs and drain on paper towel.

Cook’s note: The bigger the chicken breasts, the longer it will take to cook through. I ended up using my air fryer to finish cooking all four breasts – and next time, would probably use the air fryer for the entire preparation.