Receta Quick Chicken Kiev
Grace Parisi in her Brooklyn NY kitchenThe
word “Quick” is a dog whistle when you write a blog like this. Knowing how time-pressured most people are, when
I see it attached to any recipe, at the
very least it requires a look. And when
I saw this recipe was from one of my favorite recipe developers, Grace Parisi,
I took a closer one. I am very glad I
did and I think you will be too. For
years, Grace was the life force in the Food and Wine Magazine kitchen and she
really knows how to make home cooks heroes—often in very little time. In this Quick Chicken Kiev, a chicken breast
is stuffed with herbal butter. The
breast is rolled in flour and egg and breadcrumbs and fried. Pulled from the skillet, glorious, crispy,
deep golden chicken appears. Cut into it
and a river of butter-y goodness emerges along with the scent of dill and
chives. A lemon-y arugula salad is
served alongside. It takes all of 40 minutes to get chicken and salad on the
table. And it is worth every
minute. Grace’s recipe lacked for
nothing. So I had to ask myself what had
she done differently from “ordinary” Chicken Kiev to make this one “Quick”? As it turns out, Grace trimmed an hour off the
original recipe and as far as I can see, made a superior Chicken Kiev. Chicken Kiev as served in KievChicken
Kiev, despite its name, was not invented in the Ukrainian capital. Modern Ukrainian chefs claim theirs is the
only authentic recipe for the dish. But
even they will admit to its French roots.
Russian royalty paid homage to French cooking by sending their chefs to
Paris to learn French techniques and recipes.
In the late 1840s, they returned to Russia with a recipe called a
Mikhailoska cutlet. In Paris, the dish
had been made with veal. At the time,
chicken was more expensive and considered a great delicacy so the Russian chefs
shifted over from veal to poultry. It
was very popular and often served at Soviet Union diplomatic dinners. But
Chicken Kiev didn’t get its name until it crossed the Atlantic. New York's Russian Tea Room renamed Chicken Kiev
After
World War II, the Russian émigré community in New York was a growing
presence. To lure diners to restaurants
like “The Russian Tea Room”, the dish was renamed “Chicken Kiev”. In Kiev itself where Chicken Kiev wasn’t on
many menus, it was the arrival of tourists requesting the dish in the 1960s
that it became popular. One prominent
Ukrainian chef went so far as to day that “Chicken Kiev made Kiev famous.” It also made Kiev’s chefs guardians of a very
specific recipe. Over the years
variations on the ‘stuffing’ have come to include cheese, garlic and
parsley. The “authentic” Kiev recipe
calls for only butter inside and a little of that butter remains un-melted when
it is served. The chicken comes with a small bone sticking out of it. It does look like a golden torpedo but its
taste is of fried chicken, crunchy on the outside, meltingly tender on the
inside and, in Grace’s recipe, adds a stream of dill and chive butter that is
irresistible. Make this once and you will make it often. Here is the recipe:
Grace Parisi’s Recipe for Quick Chicken Kiev
Total Time 40 minutes. Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless
chicken breast halves (6 ounces each), lightly pounded to an even thickness Salt Freshly ground pepper
1 stick unsalted
butter, softened 2 tablespoons finely
chopped dill 2 tablespoons finely
chopped chives All-purpose flour,
for dusting 3 large eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups panko
bread crumbs, crushed 2 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying 1 tablespoon fresh
lemon juice 1 large bunch of
arugula, stemmed 1. Carefully slice a
pocket into the side of each chicken breast and season with salt and pepper. In
a small bowl, blend the butter with the dill and chives and season with salt
and pepper. Spoon half of the herb butter into the pockets and pinch closed. Dredge the chicken in
flour, tapping off the excess. Put the eggs and bread crumbs in 2 separate
shallow bowls and season with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in the eggs and
then in the bread crumbs, sealing the pockets; dab any open spots with egg and
sprinkle with bread crumbs to seal. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and
freeze for 5 minutes. 2. In a large skillet,
heat 1/2 inch of olive oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and fry over
moderate heat, turning once or twice, until golden and cooked through, about 8
minutes. 3. In a large bowl,
whisk the 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the lemon juice and season with salt
and pepper. Add the arugula and toss. Transfer the chicken to plates and top
with the remaining herb butter. Serve the arugula salad alongside.