Chicken Kiev

Who doesn’t love a chicken Kiev? Meaty, buttery and crispy, these freezer goodies have always been a treat but they are often a treat which come with a crazily high SP value. My hubby has always been a fan of a Chicken Kiev so a few years ago I thought I should set about creating a more healthy version for us to enjoy without the over indulgence and this recipe was born. We had it so many times and then promptly forgot about it and so when, a couple of weeks ago, the hubbie asked for it again I dug the recipe out and made some tweaks and improvements. The result was even better than I remembered and the dish ended up on our menu plan three weeks in a row!

If you are going to make the Kiev try and make sure you use nice big chicken breasts. This way when you make the pocket to add the butter, it won’t cut all the way through to the other side. Try and make the garlic butter in advance as the dish really benefits from it being firm (it will ooze out less during cooking). You can make a big batch of the butter and freeze ahead if you like, that way you’ve always got some ready in the freezer (it can also be used to make easy garlic bread)!

You can serve your Kiev with whatever you fancy. I find them quite filling, so I usually serve with a nice green salad, peas and corn on the cob.

Chicken Kiev

Ingredients

Makes 4 portions = 5sp per portion on BLUE and PURPLE and 8sp on GREEN

4 large chicken breasts, raw

60g light butter (I use lighter lurpack spreadable, slightly salted)

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Pinch of sea salt

Small handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped (if you don’t have this you could use 1 tbsp dried oregano)

1 lemon

40g plain white flour

2 eggs, raw

10g parmesan cheese, finely grated

40g panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180c.

Begin by making the garlic butter. Add the garlic, sea salt and parsley to a pestle and mortar and grind until combined. Add the butter and juice of ½ a lemon and mash everything together. Take a small piece of cling film, add the butter to the centre in a sausage shape and use the cling film to continue to roll into shape into a sausage. Wrap and place in the fridge until firm (you can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you are in a rush you can also whack it straight in the freezer.

Next take a chicken breast and, using a sharp knife, make a deep ‘pocket’ in the thickest part of the breast being careful not to cut all the way through the breast. Repeat with the other 3 breasts.

Next set up your ingredients ready to bread the chicken.

Take three large bowls. In one add the flour, season with salt and pepper and add half the paprika.

In the second crack and whisk the eggs.

In the third add the breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper, the other half of the paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Next remove the butter from the fridge/freezer and slice into ½ cm rounds (you should end up with 3 discs per breast – around 15g per person or 3 x 5g discs). Add the discs into the pocket of the chicken and close the chicken tightly round the butter.

Then taking each breast in turn, dredge in the flour, then the egg, and then the breadcrumbs, coating well. Add to a foil covered baking tray. Pop the chicken back in the fridge for half an hour if you have time (this is to allow everything to firm up – I’ve made this without rechilling and popped straight in the oven and its been totally fine)! Spray each Kiev with 1kal and then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with accompaniments of your choice. I usually serve with a nice green salad and corn on the cob.

Enjoy!