Watercress chicken Kyiv
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 1 hour 20 minutes
PT1H20M
Chicken Kyiv is a deliciously retro dish which sees flattened chicken breasts breadcrumbed and fried, with an oozing core of garlic butter in the centre. In this recipe, watercress is added to the butter to give it colour, texture and flavour – a stunning little twist on a beloved classic.
Ingredients
Chicken Kyivs
- 4 large skinless chicken breasts
- 3 large eggs
- 250g of Doves Farm Plain White Flour
- 2 tbsp of milk
- 200g of Panko breadcrumbs
- fine salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
Watercress butter
- 85g of watercress
- 100g of unsalted butter , softened
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 2 garlic cloves
Chips
- 4 large potatoes
- flaky sea salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
Watercress salad
- 85g of watercress
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 3 tbsp of light olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove , crushed
- salt , to taste
- black pepper , to taste
Method
Butterfly the chicken breasts by placing them flat-side down on a chopping board covered with cling film, then slice horizontally into one side. Don’t cut all the way through – you want to keep the chicken in one piece, but cut through most of the way so you can open the chicken breast in half like a book
Place another sheet of cling film on top of the open butterflied chicken breasts and gently flatten them out with a meat mallet or a rolling pin – you want the meat to be about half a centimetre thick in a nice round shape. Remove the top sheet of cling film when the breast is flattened, but keep the breast on the sheet of cling film underneath – it makes it easier to roll up the Kyivs later on
Beat the eggs in a bowl and let down with a splash of milk – you want the egg wash to be quite loose rather than gelatinous
Take the butter out of the freezer and cut into four equal cylinders. Place one piece of butter inside each flattened chicken breast, pressing it into place. Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you may need to cut the butter into smaller cubes to make this step easier. Brush the edges of the chicken with beaten egg – this will help the proteins seal, keeping the butter inside
Roll up the chicken using the cling film – fold over the edges of the chicken to make a neat parcel, and roll it tightly using the cling film. Twist and tie the edges to create a cylinder shape, ensuring no butter is exposed, and keep in the fridge for at least an hour to set – this will help seal the Kyiv and keep its shape when you come to cook it
When the Kyivs have firmed up, pour some flour into a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper (this is important as the meat itself isn’t seasoned). Set up your bowl of beaten egg from earlier, and finally a bowl of Panko breadcrumbs. One by one, working left to right, coat each Kyiv in flour (dusting off any excess), then the egg mix and finally in the breadcrumbs, before reserving on a plate. Once you’ve done this for all the Kyivs, add a second coating of breadcrumbs by coating again in egg and breadcrumbs
Cut the potatoes into chips, toss with some oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally
Meanwhile, put an ovenproof frying pan over a high heat and pour in a generous splash of oil. Fry the Kyivs in the pan until they’re golden all over
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the Kyiv for 15–20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through
Wash and dry the watercress, then make a simple French dressing by whisking the oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard and garlic together. Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss the watercress in the dressing
Serve the Kyiv straight out of the oven alongside the chips and the watercress salad
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Watercress chicken Kyiv
