chicken Kiev: a family meal

Well, the whirlwind that was our little family reunion is (sadly) over and so from this point, it’s back to life as usual. There were so many things we did over the past few days that I should have gotten pictures of and didn’t. Suffice it to say that we had a grand time (and ate like kings)!

Monday night we had an incredible family dinner. Cory (my sister-in-law) and I made chicken Kiev with roasted potatoes and asparagus in garlic butter. It turned out really well and was a huge hit! I will definitely make it again!

The potatoes are almost a tradition on Drew’s side of the family. Generally it is simply potatoes, herbs, and onions roasted in a small amount of oil. This time we used red and purple potatoes as well as Jerusalem artichokes from In Season Local Market. Our onion came from the indoor farmers market and we used the leftover herbs from the chicken Kiev. Even though these are the leftovers, I had to take a picture to show the beautiful colors of this dish!

Here is how we made the chicken Kiev:

Ingredients:

6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (ours were from Rocky Plains Meats)

1 stick butter, softened (room temperature)

½ tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (ours was grown by Osage Gardens and purchased at In Season)

½ tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped (also Osage)

1 tsp fresh parsley (this organic bunch came from Vitamin Cottage)

¼ tsp garlic salt

2 eggs, beaten

apprx. 1 c flour (for coating chicken)

apprx. 2 c seasoned panko bread crumbs

½ tsp dried tarragon

sea salt and black pepper

olive oil to coat baking dish

wooden toothpicks & wax paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly rub the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil and set aside. One at a time, place each piece of chicken between two pieces of wax paper and hit with the flat side of a meat tenderizing mallet until the breasts are approximately ¾ inch thick and evenly flattened. In a bowl, mix the softened butter, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and garlic salt until well combined. Put butter mixture onto a piece of wax paper. Fold the paper over the mixture and mold into a block approximately 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. Put herbed butter block into refrigerator to harden, approximately 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the breadcrumbs, tarragon, and several grinds of the salt and pepper in a bowl. In two separate bowls, set out the flour and eggs. Once the butter is no longer soft, remove from the refrigerator and unwrap. Cut into 6 even slices. Working one piece at a time, place a chicken breast smooth side down and put a slice of the herbed butter in the center of the breast. Secure all sides of the chicken breast with toothpicks so that butter is completely encased. Lightly coat each stuffed breast in the flour, then submerge into egg mixture. Finally dip breast into bread crumbs until evenly coated. Set breaded chicken into greased baking dish seam side down. Repeat with each remaining breast. Bake approximately 35-40 minutes or until breadcrumbs start to brown and juices in chicken run clear.

Though I didn't remember to take any pictures of the process or the final product, I did manage to get a picture of what I believe to be quite a happy family!