Watch a step-by-step guide to making Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev is a speciality in Russian cuisine. It is a stuffed poultry fillet dish also called côtelette de volaille. A name derived from the French language that simply means chicken cutlet.  

Watch as Chef Yugal Kishore, Head Chef at Reform Social and Grill shows you how to make Chicken Kiev and the sides that accompany it.  

Preparation time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 pc or 170 gms chicken fillet

30 gms applewood smoked cheddar cheese

30 gms soft butter

7 gms parsley, roughly 1 tsp  

1 egg, room temperature

2.5 tbsp plain flour

6.5 tbsp panko breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp fresh thyme or half a sprig

4 garlic cloves, chopped 

3 shallots, chopped

10 gms butter, room temperature  

Salt and pepper to taste

Microgreens to garnish

Olive oil to marinate 

For mashed potato 

2 potatoes, peeled and cut and sliced

30 gms kale, blanched

8 gms spring onion, chopped

50 gms butter

30 ml cooking cream

Salt to taste

For mushroom sauce 

½ tsp olive oil

1 tbsp shallot, chopped

1 tsp garlic, chopped

½ tsp thyme

50 gms mixed mushroom, chopped (a mix of portobello, oyster and button mushrooms)

80 ml brown chicken sauce, store bought

1 ½ tsp of English mustard sauce, store bought

25 ml cooking cream

Salt and pepper to taste

For the side vegetables 

4 broccoli florets, blanched 

1/2 a carrot, blanched 

A knob of butter 

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

To prepare the filling - mix chopped shallots, parsley, garlic, cheese and butter, a pinch of salt and whip it to a thick cream-like consistency.

Once done, transfer the mix to a piping bag, seal it, and refrigerate. 

Marinate the chicken: Slit the chicken, starting from the centre, to create space for the filling. Place the chicken in a bowl, and add garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Rub them together so that the oil and marinade are absorbed well. Now let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If it is too hot, consider putting the chicken in the refrigerator. 

After 20 minutes, remove the piping bag from the fridge, use a large nozzle and fill the chicken fillet with the butter mix. Once filled, place the fillet in the freezer for 30 minutes to hold the filling together. Note: If you don't have a piping bag handy, you can use a ziplock bag to create a make-do one. 

Meanwhile, prepare the mashed potatoes: Blanch peeled potatoes in water with a tablespoon of salt for 15 to 20 minutes over medium-high heat. Once done, strain the water and put the potatoes in a bowl. Add salt, and then using a potato masher or spatula, mash the potatoes.

Then, add cream and soft butter and mix it well until a smooth paste-like consistency is achieved. Make sure no lumps remain. Cook it in a pan for 6 to 7 minutes, and remember to keep stirring it continuously to break the lumps. You can add cream and butter if you think the mashed potato is turning dry.

Then, add blanched kale and chopped spring onions (the green part) and mix them well. Keep it aside.

Coat the chicken: In a bowl, crack an egg. Then add salt and pepper to it and whisk.

On a plate, add flour, salt and pepper and mix. Get another plate, add breadcrumbs, season it with salt and pepper, and mix well.

After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the freezer and make sure it is relatively firm but not hard. First, roll the chicken in flour, dip in whisked eggs (egg wash), and finish it by rolling it in breadcrumbs. Cover it well, dab a layer of breadcrumbs if desired. Once done, place the chicken in the freezer for another 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the mushroom sauce:  Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add chopped shallots and garlic and sauté it for a minute.

Then, add mushroom and thyme and cook further for 3 minutes.

Add the brown chicken sauce followed by mustard and cream, cook for the next 10 minutes, and stir occasionally. Make sure the sauce does not stick to the bottom of the pan as it gets thicker.

Season it with salt and pepper, and keep the sauce aside.

Deep-frying chicken: Heat a pan with cooking oil. Once the oil has reached the desired frying temperature, gently slide the chicken fillet inside. Deep fry each side for about 2 to 3 minutes until the crust turns crisp. To cook the Chicken Kiev further and get a golden crust – place it in the oven at 180 C for 20 minutes to cook it further.   

To sauté the vegetables: Blanch broccoli and carrot for 1 minute on medium-high heat and keep it aside. Add butter to a pan, let it melt, then quickly sauté the blanched broccoli and carrot for less than 15 seconds on medium-high heat. Turn off the flame and keep the vegetables aside.  

To assemble: On a plate, place the mashed potato, then put the Chicken Kiev to its side, followed by sautéed broccoli and carrot and garnish with microgreens. In a creamer or a bowl, pour the mushroom sauce and serve it together.

Note: Make sure to warm up the mushroom sauce before serving.