Chicken Kiev with butter bean mash and greens
This retro family favourite is definitely making a comeback! After all, what could be better than John's fried chicken stuffed with garlicky butter?
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, skinned, bone attached
Big handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Big handful chives, chopped
Big handful tarragon leaves, chopped
115g unsalted butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper
50g plain flour
4 eggs, beaten
175g natural breadcrumbs
25g parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 tin of butter beans, drained
1 large stick of rosemary
1 large clove of garlic
60mls of olive oil
400g mixed greens, cooked for 5 minutes until soft
Method
Grate 2 cloves of garlic into a bowl with the softened butter and add your chopped herbs. Mix well with a grind of black pepper.
Spoon onto a sheet of baking paper, roll into a sausage and leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place the chicken breasts, with the bone attached, smooth side down onto a cutting board. Remove the excess fillets and set aside.
Make a vertical cut down the length of the chicken breast to create a small pocket.
Cut a knob from your chilled garlic butter and insert into the pocket of each breast. Place the smaller fillets on top of the butter, pushing down to seal. Leave to firm up in the fridge for around 10 minutes.
Place the breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. Grate the parmesan cheese directly into the breadcrumbs and mix together. Place the flour and beaten eggs into two separate shallow dishes.
Dip each chicken breast into the flour, making sure each is coated. Repeat the process with the egg, and then the parmesan breadcrumbs, making sure at each stage each breast is well coated.
Chill for 20-30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large pan to around 150-160c. Add the chicken breasts and fry for a few minutes until golden.
Finish off in the oven for 8-10 mins at 160c. They may need to cook for a little longer depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
For the butterbean mash, heat the oil over a low heat with 1 smashed clove of garlic and a few sprigs of rosemary. Cook for around 5 minutes until infused.
Add the tin of butter beans and a good pinch of salt and a grind of pepper, turn the heat up slightly and cook until the beans are warmed through.
Discard the rosemary and spoon the mixture into a food processor. Blitz until smooth. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of water to loosen if needed.
Add a knob of butter back into the hot pan. Add the cooked greens with a splash of their cooking water and reheat. Season well.