Turn To Your Oven For A Lighter Chicken Kiev

Growing up in an Eastern European family meant that chicken Kiev was on our weekly menu rotation. The crispy exterior, tender chicken, and gooey interior were always, always a hit. But considering the authentic recipe calls for you to coat your chicken breast in bread crumbs followed by pan-frying to get that signature crunch, it's not a very weeknight-friendly dish. Luckily, Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone has cracked the code to an oven-baked chicken Kiev that doesn't compromise on flavor or texture but makes cooking and clean-up a breeze.

Traditional chicken Kiev is made with egg-battered and breaded chicken breast, stuffed with compound butter mixed with lemon juice and herbs. This recipe is no different. The only change is you can skip the frying process, which eliminates the cooking oil needed (as well as the countertop splatters) making for a lighter dish. Once your meal is out of the oven, the crisp-baked bread coating mixed with the buttery filling will make you forget it was ever supposed to be fried to begin with. 

Fried chicken is a seductive staple in many cultures. In fact, chicken Kiev comes with a multicultural origin story beginning in France, not Ukraine as many assume due to its name. But done right, baked chicken can be just as flavorful and texture-rich as its sexier, fried counterparts.

When butterfly-cutting your chicken breast, use as few cuts as possible. This will help the chicken Kiev maintain its shape after it's stuffed to the gills with creamy, herby butter. Speaking of the filling, once it's all mixed, you'll want to keep the butter in the fridge for at least two hours to make sure it thoroughly firms up. After wrapping your chicken breasts around the butter and securing it all with toothpicks, some chefs like to toss the unbaked chicken Kiev in the freezer for 15 minutes to ensure the butter doesn't come oozing out once you heat the chicken up.

When it comes time to devour this tasty dish, pair it with perfectly fluffy, mashed potatoes so any extra butter doesn't go to waste. My family liked to serve chicken Kiev with a Russian dacha salad featuring tomatoes, cucumber, pickled onion, and radish in a dill and lemon-sour cream dressing. The freshness of the veggies and the acid of the lemon offered a nice tangy counterbalance, to the fatty filling. When all is said and done, you'll be chanting, "nazdarovje!"