Hazelnut Free Herb Butter Chicken Kiev
Few dishes deliver a more satisfying moment than slicing into a golden, crispy chicken roll and watching a pool of herbed butter spill out onto the plate. This classic preparation layers fresh parsley, chives, and thyme into softened butter, which gets tucked inside a pounded chicken breast and sealed with a careful roll and breadcrumb crust. The technique sounds impressive, but the steps are straightforward ā butterfly, pound, stuff, roll, bread, and cook ā and the result looks and tastes like serious restaurant cooking. Tree nut allergies can make ordering dishes like this nerve-wracking, since many restaurant kitchens use nut-based finishing butters or oils without flagging them on the menu. Here, every ingredient is clearly listed and completely nut-free, from the sunflower or avocado oil used for searing to the simple flour-egg-breadcrumb coating. Chilling the butter log before assembly and refrigerating the rolled chicken before breading are the two small steps that make the biggest difference ā they keep everything tight so the butter stays inside where it belongs. Serve it the moment it comes out of the oven and that first cut will be genuinely dramatic.
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Learn more āIngredients
4 servings
For the herb butter
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt
For the chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 7ā8 oz each)
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt
For the breading
- Ā½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt
For cooking
- 3 tbsp neutral oil (such as sunflower or avocado oil)
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Make the herb butter: In a small bowl, mash together the softened butter, parsley, chives, thyme, and 1/2 tsp salt with a fork until the herbs are evenly distributed throughout the butter. Scrape the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap, roll it into a log about 1 inch in diameter, and twist the ends to seal. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
- 2
Butterfly each chicken breast: Place one breast flat on a cutting board and, holding your knife parallel to the board, slice horizontally through the thickest part, stopping about 1/2 inch from the opposite edge so the breast opens like a book. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the opened breast and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining breasts.
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