A cheesy, garlicky and herby filling stuffed in to a chicken breast and breaded, and then baked to crispy perfection. If you grew up eating this classic chicken dinner, why not try making it yourself. Simple, but impressive enough for a dinner party, this Chicken Kiev can be adapted to include different fillings too.
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Ingredients needed
- Chicken breast
- Brown bread
- Cream cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Parsley
- Egg
- Garlic
- Flour
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step by step
One: Mix together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic and parsley.
Two: Take the chicken breast and at one of the sides in the middle, cut a 2-3 inch long hole and create a pocket in the middle of the chicken. Fill this chicken with as much of the cream cheese mix as you can fit in.
Three: Whisk the egg and pour into a bowl. Put the bread into a food processor and turn it into breadcrumbs. Put these on another plate. Put the flour in a bowl.
Four: Gently, pick up the chicken breasts and dip them in the flour and then the egg.
Five: Then dip them in the bread crumbs and make sure they are covered.
Six: Bake in the oven at 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 for 30 minutes.
Why should you try it?
- Healthier than buying it ready made
- Can stuff it with your favourite fillings
- Only 336 calories per serving
- Can be frozen
Where does it originate from?
A chicken Kiev is a stuffed pounded chicken breast that is then coated in breadcrumbs and baked or fried. It is a traditional Ukrainian/Russian dish (although thought to have been invented in New York to please Russian customers) that became popular in the UK in the late 80s and early 90s and it's now making a comeback.
People want more from their chicken Kievs now though, which is why we have some great stuffing combinations for you.
What to stuff a Kiev with
This is the great thing about a chicken Kiev. It can be stuffed with anything! Usually you will get it filled with garlic butter, or maybe cream cheese (like in our recipe), but there is so much you can do with it.
You are limited with space, as it's only a small space to stuff, but you could finely chop some olives or sun-dried tomatoes to mix with the sauce for some extra texture. You could also shred a few spinach leaves to mix with the cream cheese for a bit of a green boost. If you want to make these more indulgent, then some chopped cooked bacon is a good addition.
Are they healthy?
Chicken breast is a lean protein option, and the main part of this dish - so it's a good start when it comes to healthy eating. We have baked ours, rather than frying them so that limits the oil being used.
It really comes down to the filling, so these can be as healthy or as unhealthy as you like. We skipped the butter and used a mix of half reduced fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt to keep it lower in fat. We also used lots of garlic and herbs, as they add plenty of flavour without adding a lot of calories. These Kievs are just 336 calories per portion.
Apparently they used to come with a health and safety warning in restaurants, as people were splattering themselves with hot butter when cutting in to them. So, best to leave the butter out and go with a creamy cheese filling instead.
What to serve with them
Chicken Kiev is a fairly heavy and filling dish, so you don't want to go overboard with the sides. If you just want a light meal, then a simple green salad would be enough. But for a bigger meal, we recommend some Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes with a Carrot and Coriander Salad and some Grilled Corn with Herb Butter. Or our Garlic Potato Wedges like we have in the photo.
FAQs
Yes, you can and if you want a really golden and crispy coating then frying is the way to go. But that will add extra calories from the oil. So, if you want to save some calories and still have a crispy Kiev, we suggest following our cooking instructions and baking them in the oven.
As long as the chicken hasn't previously been frozen, it's fine to freeze these Kievs. I would freeze them before they have been cooked though. So, stuff them and roll them in breadcrumbs and then put them on a baking tray and in the freezer. Then defrost it fully and cook in the oven following the instructions.
Extra tips
- Feel free at adapt the fillings. Spinach and bacon are always great additions.
- If you want to get a really crispy coating, you can cook it in a frying pan.
- If you want to freeze these, I would recommend freezing them before they have been cooked.
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Recipe
Chicken Kiev
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken breast
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon extra light cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon 0% Greek yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 1 slice brown bread
- 2 tablespoon flour
Instructions
- Mix together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic and parsley.
- Take the chicken breast and at one of the sides in the middle, cut a 2-3 inch long hole and create a pocket in the middle of the chicken. Fill this chicken with as much of the cream cheese mix as you can fit in.
- Beat the egg and pour onto a plate. Put the bread in a food processor and turn in to bread crumbs and put on another plate. Put the flour on a third plate.
- Gently, pick up the chicken breasts and dip them in the flour and then the egg.
- Then dip them in the bread crumbs and make sure they covered.
- Bake in the oven at 220C/425F/Gas 7 for 30 minutes and serve with a salad and homemade fries.
Notes
- Feel free at adapt the fillings. Spinach and bacon are always great additions.
- If you want to get a really crispy coating, you can cook it in a frying pan.
- If you want to freeze these, I would recommend freezing them before they have been cooked.
Irina
You perfected the recipe of chicken kiev! Bravo! Sound amazingly delicious.
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life
This looks like such a yummy chicken dish for weeknight dinners! Would love to try the stuffing with bacon and spinach as you suggested. Delicious!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
I've heard of chicken kiev, but don't think I've ever tried it. This looks simple enough to do on a weeknight -- so I need to make it this week.
Safira
Loved this recipe. Kids devoured it too. A keeper for sure.
Sandhya Hariharan
Cheesy Herby Filling sounds like a great idea.