Chicken Kyiv

Method

1. Strip the dill and parsley from their thick stalks and chop them very finely; grate the garlic. Mix them into the soft butter with a little of the salt. On cling film, shape the butter into finger-thick logs about 6 cm long, one per serving, wrap them and freeze for 30 min until rock hard. Frozen butter is what stops it leaking during frying.

   Add in this stepUnsalted butter, softened 50 gFresh dill 5 gFresh flat-leaf parsley 4 gGarlic clove 1Salt ⅛ tsp

2. Pull off the small inner fillet from the back of each breast and set it aside. Slide your knife sideways into the thick side of the breast and open it out like a book, then put it between two sheets of cling film and pound it with a rolling pin or the base of a pan to an even 5 mm, working from the centre outwards so you don't tear holes. Pound the small fillets thin too. Season both sides with the rest of the salt and the pepper.

   Add in this stepSkinless chicken breasts (about 180 g each) 2Salt 0.4 tspGround black pepper ¼ tsp

3. Lay a frozen butter log in the middle of each breast. Fold in the long sides first, then roll it up tightly from the bottom so the butter is completely enclosed. Patch any gaps with a flattened small fillet. Wrap each one tightly in cling film like a sweet and twist the ends; this sets a firm, sealed shape.

4. Put the flour, the egg beaten with the milk, and the breadcrumbs in three shallow dishes. Unwrap the chicken and coat it in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, and repeat the egg and breadcrumb layer once more. The double coating is your seal against leaks. Chill for 15 min to set the coating, and meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 °C.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 30 gEggs 1Milk 1 tbspFine dried breadcrumbs 70 g

5. Pour oil about 3 cm deep into a 20 cm pot and heat it on medium-high heat to 170 °C; without a thermometer, a few breadcrumbs dropped in should sizzle and float straight away. Lower in no more than two at a time with tongs, sliding them in at the edge so the oil doesn't splash, and fry for 5 min, turning once, until deep golden all over.

   Add in this stepSunflower or vegetable oil, for frying 1,000 ml

   medium-high heat

6. Move the fried Kyivs to a rack set on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 180 °C for 10 min. They are done when the centre of the thickest part reads 74 °C; without a thermometer, the ends should feel firm and springy.

   oven

7. Let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Cut carefully: very hot butter will rush out. Serve with mashed potatoes or buckwheat and a fresh cucumber and tomato salad.