This Wild Garlic Chicken Kiev is easy and fun to put together and a seriously impressive & tasty dish you’ll enjoy sharing with friends.
Deeeeeelish. It has been far too many years since I’ve had a Chicken Kiev, and I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever eaten the frozen, mass produced variety. This homemade one has all the tasty characteristics you’d expect, with a seriously crunchy coating, and an oozy garlicky centre, but happily you get a bit more say over the quality of the chicken and other ingredients used.
Wild Garlic Chicken Kiev
Initially I just used wild garlic in the butter mixture but honestly, even before cooking, the flavour just wasn’t strong enough for my liking, hence why I added the regular garlic too. If it’s out of season, or you just can’t source any wild garlic, feel free to omit it, although you’ll be missing out on that lovely fresh jade like colour in the heart of the Wild Garlic Chicken Kiev.
As an added bonus, Jonny & I shared one Wild Garlic Chicken Kiev between us as they were huge. This left one whole Wild Garlic Chicken Kiev chilled in the fridge for lunch the next day. Sliced up over salad greens, garlicky butter all hardened and still nestled in the centre of that rolled chicken, it was a real treat and to be highly recommended making extra purely for the leftovers!
- 1/4 of a stick of salted butter about 60g
- 3 tablespoons fresh wild garlic greens finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- Flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- Panko or regular breadcrumbs
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Bring the butter up to room temperature, then blend with the wild and regular garlic until you have a gloriously green butter mixture. Dollop it out onto a sheet of cling film and roll up into a sausage shape and pop in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for 10 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 180/350/Gas 4.
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Butterfly a chicken breast by slicing through the thinnest part of the breast and opening it up like a book. Don't cut right through.
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Pop it between two large pieces of cling film. Using a rolling pin or mallet (meat tenderiser) bash it evenly all over until it is a thin, even sheet. Be careful not to overdo it and create holes in the meat as you'll lose the garlic butter as it cooks.
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The thinner it is, the better, but my first one was pretty chunky (about half an inch in places) and amazingly the butter stayed in situ perfectly even though it didn't roll up particularly neatly.
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Season both sides of the meat sheet with salt and pepper, and take a little sausage of the chilled garlic butter and roll it up in the chicken aiming to tuck the sides in if possible. Any leftover butter can be kept tightly wrapped up in cling film in the freezer.
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Line up three bowls, one with flour, one with the eggs, and the final one with plenty of breadcrumbs.
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Dust the Kievs in the flour first, then dunk in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, coating them well. Go back and dunk once more in the eggs and breadcrumbs again to create a seriously heavy duty crunchy coating.
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Heat a good heavy splash of oil in a frying pan and fry each Kiev until golden brown, then pop in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Billyboy says
Looks delicious. Was going to be picking some this weekend anyway so will make sure I get extra!
Jane Sarchet says
You won’t be disappointed Billy!
Janie x
Billyboy says
Do you do anything with the seeds Jane? I’m looking for more ways to use them…
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
This looks yummy! We love making our own chicken kievs, it was on of my favourite things to eat when I was a kid.
Jane Sarchet says
They are good fun to make, I’m deffo hooked!
Janie x
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says
Oh wow that looks seriously delicious! Chicken Kievs are one of my favourite forms of comfort food :-) wild garlic gives it that extra special touch! Thanks for sharing.
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, thanks Emma!
Janie x
Glamorous Glutton says
Oddly enough I hadn’t had a Kiev for ages either until last night. It’s on the menu at Tom Kerridge’s The Coach and I was reminded how wonderful the flavour is in a good quality home made chicken Kiev. Fresh garlic flavour, not garlic powder and that wonderful green from the wild garlic would be amazing. Great recipe and great timing for me. GG
Jane Sarchet says
How funny GG! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a homemade Kiev on a restaurant menu, nice to see them coming back!
Janie x
Choclette says
I used to love chicken kiev. I somehow think yours would top any I ever tried. Gorgeous photo too Janie. And getting two meals out of one batch of cooking is soooooooo the way to go.
Jane Sarchet says
Absolutely Choclette! And it made great leftovers to boot #WinWIn!
Janie x
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
Love, love, love chicken kiev. Your dish looks great. Also, great photography work on your site.
Jane Sarchet says
Thank you so much Peter! Really kind of you to take the time to leave such a sweet message :)
Janie x
Jen says
Delicious! Have never made my own kievs before but now you’ve told me how good they are as cold leftovers I want to make some just for that reason :)
Jane Sarchet says
Hahaha, I find that I’m making bigger meals just for the leftovers it offers Jen, kind of a kitchen BOGOF :D
Janie x
Karen says
One of my favourite “retro classic” recipes Janie and yours looks LUSH! Would love it if you added it to Cooking with Herbs as the theme is WILD GARLIC! Karen xxx
Jane Sarchet says
Oh is it, I shall pop right over and join the party :)
Janie x
jayne says
Thanks for sharing this really helpful