Chicken Kiev

Valentine’s day is a special holiday for me and my husband. It’s not only a worldwide day to celebrate love, but February 14th happens to also be Chris and my wedding anniversary. This year marks 10 years that Chris and I have been together, so I wanted to do something really special and cook some of his all time favorite dishes to celebrate.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ teaspoon teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 large whole eggs, beaten with
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 2 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
  • Canola Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Start by putting your room temperature butter into a bowl with the dried tarragon, parsley, chopped garlic, pinch of salt and pepper, and mix well. Take a piece of plastic wrap and place the mixed butter in the middle of the plastic wrap. Begin rolling the butter so that a log shape forms, and then seal the butter on all ends. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes to harden.

While the butter hardens, butterfly your chicken breasts so you have 8 thin slices total. Place a piece of chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound out the chicken, leaving a thin, even space with which to work.

Once all the chicken is pounded, season each piece with a bit of salt and pepper. Remove the butter from the freezer. Slice a piece of butter off the log and place it in the middle of the pounded out chicken breast along with a sprinkle of the panko breadcrumbs. Roll the chicken up tightly around the butter slice and secure it with toothpicks. Crack both eggs with a splash over water and beat the eggs. Place the panko in a separate bowl.

Dredge each piece of chicken in the egg mixture followed by the panko and place in a skillet with warm vegetable oil to brown. Do this until you have breaded each piece of chicken.

Once the outside of the chicken is browned, place in a baking sheet and finish the cooking in the oven. Let it cook for 20 minutes at 375 degrees or until the juices run clear.