Everyday Kiev: a healthier take on the Russian classic

Chicken Kiev is one of those dishes that is so delicious, I have specific memories of occasions when I've enjoyed a really good one. Top of the list is the giant kiev I had at the Lion Inn on the highest point of the North York Moors when I took the Bearded Argentinian on a tour of my favourite places a few years ago. At the opposite end of the spectrum, in so many ways, are the mini kievs we had growing up: a frozen pack of ping pong-sized balls of reformed chicken and mildly garlicky butter and a very high proportion of disappointingly hollow ones.

Chicken Kiev is undoubtedly a classic of the 1970s - for a properly researched history of the Kiev, I strongly recommend Felicity Cloake's Perfect Chicken Kiev article - but recipes for it are scarce in my current collection of cookbooks (must need more books!). The only reference I could find is in the Russian chapter in Woman's Own Cook Book from 1964. Their recipe for "Chicken Kieff" (clever disguise) uses butter with mushrooms instead of garlic, which seems to defeat the object altogether.

These days we are lucky enough to live within sniffing distance of 70s-themed diner Coin Laundry on Exmouth Market, who do a very fine version complete with mini paper chef's hat and branded chewing gum, so I can get my fix as often as I please. But classic kievs are not known for their health stats, so with a little help from Jamie, I've made this version more suitable for everyday, using cream cheese instead of butter and oven baking instead of deep fat frying. The added advantage of the cream cheese is that it doesn't melt as much as butter so there is less leakage during cooking.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

50g cream cheese

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

30g parmesan
Handful fresh parsley
1 lemon (zest and a small squeeze of juice)

2 large chicken breasts
50g plain flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 slice bread (about 50g), blitzed to breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil

NB No need to home bake an entire sourdough loaf just for one slice of breadcrumbs...

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, garlic, 5g of the parmesan, parsley and the lemon zest and juice to make the filling. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket in the fattest part of the chicken breast; move the knife around to get as deep as possible. 

3. Add half the filling to each chicken breast and seal the join by pressing the edges firmly together.

4. Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls, and add the olive oil and remaining parmesan to the breadcrumbs. Coat each breast in flour, followed by egg and then breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess between coats and making sure they are completely and evenly covered.

4. Place on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven at 200C for 30 minutes until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy piping hot from the oven with chips or wedges and green vegetables. I'll admit they don't have the squirting garlic butter fear factor, but they are generously filled and the lighter stuffing should be garlicky enough to ward off any vampires.