Kotleta de-voliay (Russian Chicken Kiev) is a traditional Russian recipe for a classic dish of flattened chicken breasts with a herb and garlic butter stuffing with a maize flour and breadcrumb coating that's first fried and then finished by baking. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Russian version of: Russian Chicken Kiev (Kotleta de-voliay).
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The name of côtelette de volaille would suggest that this dish is ultimately of French origin, though there is no equivalent dish in French cuisine and côtelette de volaille simply refers to any dish of chicken breasts. However, the French chefs French chefs, such as Marie-Antoine Carême and Urbain Dubois and Russian haute cuisine did adopt many French dishes and techniques, so the dish may have arisen as a fusion of French and native Russian techniques.
Though it has disputed origins, the dish is particularly popular in the post-Soviet states (particularly Ukraine), as well as in several other countries of the former Eastern Bloc (particularly Poland), and in the English-speaking world.
For the Garlic and Herbs Butter:
150g Slightly-salted Butter
6 Garlic cloves, minced
15g Fresh Dill / Parsley, chopped
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp freshly-ground Black pepper
Method:
Begin with the garlic butter: Combine the butter, garlic, herbs and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a chopper attachment. Pulse to chop then process until the ingredients attain a smooth paste-like consistency.
Scrape the butter onto a sheet of clingfilm then shape into a log about 4cm thick. Wrap tightly in the clingfilm then set in your freezer for at least an hour (you want the butter almost frozen as that’s the secret of keeping the filling inside the chicken breasts.
If you’re using a whole chicken fillet then there are two muscles there, the main breast muscle and the supreme (fillet) on the underside. Trim the breasts to remove any excess fat then remove the supremes from the underside (use these in another dish).
Sit the first chicken breast on a cutting board lined with plastic or greaseproof paper, cover with a second sheet of plastic or greaseproof paper. Carefully pound the chicken breast with a meat mallet. You are aiming to get the meat to 5mm even thickness. Don’t be tempted to pound the chicken too hard as this will tear the meat and form holes where the butter mixture will ooze out during frying. not to tear chicken. Otherwise, later, sealed butter will ooze when you will fry Chicken Kiev.
Repeat the preparing and pounding process with the remaining chicken breasts. Coat the pounded chicken breast with your favourite chicken spice mix and set aside to marinate for 10–15 minutes.
At this point take the now solid garlic-herb butter and cut into four equal pieces. Sit one piece of the butter in the centre of each flattened chicken breast. Fold over the sides of the chicken then roll into a log, seal from the edges then cover very tightly with clingfilm. Wrap the edges of the clingfilm to make a tight roll. Put Chicken Kievs in your freezer for an hour.
Heat oil in a wok, deep pan or deep fat fryer. You need a sufficient depth of oil to fully submerge the chicken kievs. Heat the oil to 180C.
As the oil is heating, prepare 3 bowls: a maize flour bowl, an egg bowl and a breadcrumb bowl.
After an hour remove the rolled chicken breasts from the freezer and carefully take off the clingfilm. Now coat first in the maize flour, shaking off any excess then dip in the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. For a thicker coating dip back in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs again.
Using tongs dip the kievs in the hot oil and fry for about 3–4 minutes per side until the breadcrumb coating is golden and cooked (if your pan is small, do this in batches and make sure the oil is back up to temperature before cooking the next batch).
Transfer the deep-fried kievs to a baking tray then set in the centre of your pre-heated oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 5 minutes (this will ensure the butter is not scalding and will give it time to cool slightly and thicken).
Serve accompanied by mashed potatoes and/or a green salad.
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