Name: Chicken Kyiv (Chicken Kiev)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 190 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Ingredients: 80 g butter (softened); 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped); 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped); 1 tbsp lemon juice; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper (freshly ground); 4 chicken breast fillets (skinless, about 170 to 180 g each); 0.5 tsp salt (to season the fillets); 0.25 tsp black pepper; 60 g plain flour; 1 pinch paprika; 1 pinch salt; 3 eggs (beaten); 130 g breadcrumbs or panko; 4 tbsp sunflower oil (for frying); 1 lemon (cut into wedges, to serve); parsley (to garnish)

Preparation

Mix the butter, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper well with a fork, shape into a log in cling film and chill until firm, at least 1 hour in the fridge. Then divide into four equal pieces.
With a sharp knife, cut a deep pocket into the thick side of each fillet without cutting all the way through, otherwise the butter will leak out later. Put a piece of herb butter inside, press the opening firmly shut, reshape the fillet and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Mix the flour with the paprika and a pinch of salt on a plate, beat the eggs on a second plate and put the breadcrumbs on a third.
Turn each fillet in the flour, dip it in the egg and roll it in the crumbs. Pass it through egg and crumbs a second time; this makes the coating especially crisp and keeps the butter in.
Chill the breaded fillets in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional). Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Place the fillets on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat is cooked through (core temperature about 74 °C).
Serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley. The hot butter squirts out when you first cut into it, so be careful.

Drink with it

Vodka · excellent match
Vodka or horilka, neat and ice-cold from small glasses
This is how it is drunk with the dish in Ukraine: the ice-cold, clear spirit clears butterfat and breadcrumbs from the palate.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
White wine · excellent match
Lightly oaked Chardonnay, such as Mâcon or Burgundy
Creamy richness meets the molten garlic butter, and the acidity picks up the lemon juice in it.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Sparkling wine · good match
Crémant or Sekt brut
Bubbles and acidity cut through the butter and the crisp coating.
Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference?
Pale lager · good match
Pils or Helles
Carbonation and fine hop bitterness loosen the fat and stand up to the garlic.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?

Why it pairs well

Ice-cold vodka with the dish is the Eastern European tradition, because it clears the butterfat and the breadcrumbs from the palate.

Preparation

Mix the butter, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper well with a fork, shape into a log in cling film and chill until firm, at least 1 hour in the fridge. Then divide into four equal pieces.
With a sharp knife, cut a deep pocket into the thick side of each fillet without cutting all the way through, otherwise the butter will leak out later. Put a piece of herb butter inside, press the opening firmly shut, reshape the fillet and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Mix the flour with the paprika and a pinch of salt on a plate, beat the eggs on a second plate and put the breadcrumbs on a third.
Turn each fillet in the flour, dip it in the egg and roll it in the crumbs. Pass it through egg and crumbs a second time; this makes the coating especially crisp and keeps the butter in.
Chill the breaded fillets in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional). Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Place the fillets on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat is cooked through (core temperature about 74 °C).
Serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley. The hot butter squirts out when you first cut into it, so be careful.

Drink with it

Vodka · excellent match
Vodka or horilka, neat and ice-cold from small glasses
This is how it is drunk with the dish in Ukraine: the ice-cold, clear spirit clears butterfat and breadcrumbs from the palate.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
White wine · excellent match
Lightly oaked Chardonnay, such as Mâcon or Burgundy
Creamy richness meets the molten garlic butter, and the acidity picks up the lemon juice in it.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Sparkling wine · good match
Crémant or Sekt brut
Bubbles and acidity cut through the butter and the crisp coating.
Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference?
Pale lager · good match
Pils or Helles
Carbonation and fine hop bitterness loosen the fat and stand up to the garlic.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?

Why it pairs well

Ice-cold vodka with the dish is the Eastern European tradition, because it clears the butterfat and the breadcrumbs from the palate.

Chicken Kyiv (Chicken Kiev)

Preparation

Drink with it

Vodka or horilka, neat and ice-cold from small glasses

Lightly oaked Chardonnay, such as Mâcon or Burgundy

Crémant or Sekt brut

Pils or Helles

This pairs well too.

Alsatian Flammkuchen (tarte flambée)

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Fillet with Mushroom Sauce and Spätzle

Baked Ham with Honey Glaze

Beetroot salad with horseradish

Chicken Kyiv (Chicken Kiev)

Preparation

Drink with it

Vodka or horilka, neat and ice-cold from small glasses

Lightly oaked Chardonnay, such as Mâcon or Burgundy

Crémant or Sekt brut

Pils or Helles

This pairs well too.

Alsatian Flammkuchen (tarte flambée)

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Fillet with Mushroom Sauce and Spätzle

Baked Ham with Honey Glaze

Beetroot salad with horseradish