Chicken Kyiv with Garlic Herb Butter and Minted Veg

Chicken kyiv may be a retro classic but I’d forgotten just how delicious and comforting they are. This was a birthday request meal from a few weeks ago and I discovered when coming up with the recipe that the secret to a great chicken kyiv is the butter - it really is a case of the more butter the better. I added lots of herbs, lemon and garlic to mine and even made a bit extra to drizzle over the top in case there was any leakage in the oven (cause we all know there is nothing worse than a dry chicken kiev). You can save the butter and make amazing garlic bread, stir it through pasta, dot it over pizza as a pizza topping, bake it with a piece of salmon or add it to the pan when frying steak. It’s the type of meal I never make but it’s the perfect weeknight comforting dinner on these dark, wintry nights.

Serves 3
1. First make the butter. Add a selection of finely chopped herbs (I used chives, tarragon, parsley, mint and basil) to 100g softened butter with the zest of a lemon, three crushed cloves of garlic and lots of seasoning. Mix well, roll into a sausage shape wrapped in cling film and chill until solid.
2. Flatten some chicken breasts with the back of a ladle and cut a slit in the middle of each breast, being careful not to cut all the way through. Add some slices of the butter.
3. Dip each breast in some seasoned flour which has a pinch of paprika mixed in, then dip into a beaten egg and finally into some panko breadcrumbs mixed with grated parmesan. Fry in a little oil until golden on each side and then place on a lined baking tray in an oven at 180C for 20 mins. I sometimes skewer each breast with a couple of cocktail sticks to stop the butter from leaking out.
4. Serve with some minted new potatoes and greens with more of the butter to drizzle over the top cause why not and enjoy.