So many people talk trash about Chicken breasts, like how they are boring and dry. So I decided to prepare this chicken Kiev recipe to make things a bit more interesting. I love couscous, not just because I enjoy eating it, but also because it is probably one of the easiest ingredients to prepare. Just soak it in boiling stock, cover for 10 minutes and boom!! Fluffy, flavourful couscous that you can mix with anything. If you ever want to make a quick salad, consider using couscous. But as you can see, I used it a bit differently here.
This dish is a little bit fiddly but it really doesn’t take that long to prepare. And a whole stuffed chicken breast will fill someone up quite easily. So you only need a light salad or perhaps some steamed veggies on the side. When I was doing my research for chicken Kiev, many people were going on about how to make sure the butter doesn’t spill out of the chicken when cooking it. But we aren’t just making chicken Kiev, are we? No, we are making couscous chicken Kiev. And the couscous stops this from happening because it sucks up some of the butter and makes for a more stable filling. So when the chicken is cooked, and you cut into that bad boy, you get this gorgeous, buttery couscous filling.
In fact, if you are making this for anyone else such as family, housemates or guests. My advice is not to let them know that anything is inside the chicken. Rather, let them experience the surprise when they cut into it themselves. By the way, you don’t have to limit your couscous filling to just parsley and butter. If you want to be experimental go ahead, don’t be scared. Raisins and sultanas go wonderfully with couscous. So you could chop some up and add them for a salty and sweet filling. Or you could add some spices to give an added aroma.
I also noticed that traditionally, chicken Kiev is filled with parsley butter. Meaning that the parsley and butter are combined together in such a way that the oils from the parsley end up flavouring the butter. It is then rolled up, wrapped in cling film, then left in the fridge to firm up. Now, you can do this if you want to but I personally didn’t feel the need for it in this recipe. So, I just mixed the parsley with the couscous and then added the butter separately. Either way, you will get a great result.
As always, thank you all for reading this post, I hope you like the recipe. Next up, get ready for spaghetti bolognese, but not like you have ever seen it before have a great day!!
- 1/4 of a cup of couscous
- A handful of parsley chopped fine
- 1/3 of a cup of chicken stock
- 4 chicken breasts trimmed
- 80g of butter
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 eggs cracked in a bowl, whisked with 1/4 cup of milk , then seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- Pre-heat an oven to 210 degrees Celsius.
- Put the chicken stock a pot on high heat. As soon as the stock comes to a boil turn the heat off. Transfer the stock to a bowl with your couscous and parsley. Mix together then cover with cling film and set aside for about 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed all of the stock.
- Use a sharp knife to carefully cut a pocket (a fairly deep incision) in the fattest part of the chicken breasts. If you are confused with this step, then watch the video in the post.
- Fill that pocket that you cut in the chicken with a good wodge of butter, then some of your couscous.
- Prepare your flour, beaten egg and milk mixture and breadcrumbs in/on separate bowls and/or pates.
- Coat the chicken in the flour, dust off the excess (being very careful that the filling doesn't fall out of the chicken), then transfer to your beaten eggs, then transfer to your breadcrumbs. Making sure that the chicken is well coated in all 3 components.
- Pre-heat a large, preferably non-stick frying pan on high heat. Add your olive oil, then add your chicken breasts. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, making sure you get some nice colour on both sides of the chicken.
- Transfer the chicken to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Then cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Serve your chicken Kiev with a simple dressed salad on the side and enjoy.
If you like this couscous filled chicken Kiev recipe, you may also want to try these Chicken Tikka Skewers.
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