Chicken Kyiv — Crisp Chicken with Garlic and Herb Butter

Very finely chop the dried-off parsley and dill, and finely grate the peeled garlic. Mix all the softened butter with the garlic, herbs, 2 g salt and 0.5 g pepper, working it with a spoon until evenly combined. The butter should be moldable, but must not be liquid.

Divide all the seasoned butter into 4 equal portions of approximately 30 g. On separate pieces of parchment paper, shape short logs approximately 6 cm long and approximately 2.5 cm thick, then wrap them in the paper. Freeze for approximately 20 minutes, until firm enough to hold their shape when wrapped in the chicken; prepare the fillets in the meantime.

Pat the fillets dry and cut horizontally into each from its thicker side, leaving a hinge on the opposite side without cutting through it, then open like a book. Between sheets of plastic wrap, use the smooth side of a meat mallet to pound the chicken into pieces approximately 5–6 mm thick and approximately 18 × 20 cm, working gently from the center toward the edges. Do not trim off the thin edges and do not pound them until holes form; if a small flap of meat comes loose, place it over a thinner area and gently pound it in place, using all the chicken. Divide the remaining 6 g salt and 0.5 g pepper among all the flattened fillets.

Unwrap the chilled butter logs and place 1 across each flattened fillet near a short edge, leaving enough chicken at the sides to fold over. First fold the side edges inward over the ends of the butter, then roll tightly from the short edge without pushing the filling out. Press the seam closed and check that the butter is completely enclosed in chicken, including at the ends; the 4 finished rolls should be approximately 12 cm long and approximately 5 cm thick. Place them seam side down.

Wrap each chicken roll tightly in its own piece of plastic wrap, twisting the ends to hold its compact shape. Place on a flat plate and freeze for approximately 30 minutes; the surface should firm up, but the center should not freeze solid. Meanwhile, prepare 3 wide dishes with all the flour, the beaten eggs and all the breadcrumbs.

Remove and discard all the plastic wrap. Coat each chicken roll in flour, shake off the loose excess, dip in egg, let it drain briefly and coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs. Repeat only the egg and breadcrumbs, without adding another layer of flour, gently pressing the coating over the entire surface, especially at the ends and the chicken seam. Arrange the rolls in a single layer on a plate; the coating should be continuous, with no exposed chicken. Discard any unused flour, egg and breadcrumbs after breading.

Refrigerate the chicken rolls, loosely covered, for approximately 30 minutes so the coating adheres and the filling stays cold. During approximately the last 15 minutes of chilling, preheat a conventional oven (no fan) to 180°C and line a metal baking sheet approximately 30 × 40 cm with parchment paper. During approximately the last 10 minutes, pour all the oil into a dry, heavy-bottomed pot approximately 22 cm in diameter and at least 4 l in capacity; the oil will be approximately 4 cm deep. Heat over medium heat to approximately 175°C, without letting it smoke, and set out a wide slotted spoon.

Carefully lower 2 chilled chicken rolls into the oil, leaving space between them; keep the rest refrigerated. Fry for approximately 3–4 minutes in total at approximately 175°C, turning gently halfway through, until the coating is evenly pale golden; it should sizzle immediately without darkening rapidly. Do not pierce the chicken and do not squeeze the rolls firmly. Lift them with the slotted spoon, drain over the pot and place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet without a cover; the chicken is not yet ready to serve.

Remove loose crumbs from the oil and let it return to approximately 175°C. Fry the remaining 2 chicken rolls in the same way for approximately 3–4 minutes, turning halfway through, then drain and place beside the first pair on the baking sheet, leaving several centimeters between them. Both batches, including bringing the oil back to temperature, take approximately 10 minutes; the first pair waits on the baking sheet only until the second pair has finished frying. Immediately move on to baking all the rolls together, and remove the pot of oil from the heat to cool.

Place all the chicken rolls on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake at 180°C on the conventional (no-fan) setting for approximately 20–25 minutes. The coating should be golden and crisp, and the chicken should feel distinctly springy; the color of the coating alone does not tell you whether the center is cooked. Cut the thickest roll crosswise with a clean knife over the baking sheet and check the meat right next to the butter as well: it must be hot and visibly steaming inside, completely opaque and cooked through its full thickness, with no pink or glassy-looking raw patches, and the chicken juices should run clear. If any part does not meet these conditions, return the cut roll and all the others to the oven for approximately 5 minutes, then check again before serving.

Once fully cooked, leave the chicken rolls on the baking sheet for approximately 5 minutes, without a cover so steam does not soften the coating. Serve 1 roll per portion; both halves of the roll cut open to check doneness make up 1 portion. If some butter has escaped during baking or checking, collect it from the baking sheet and divide it among the plates alongside the chicken; do not add oil from the frying pot. Serve hot, while the filling is liquid.