The Great Gates of Kiev

 This blog is rarely, if ever, a political forum. However in light of the dire situation in the Ukraine, today's dish is one that is a tribute to the brave individuals who are putting up stern resistance to the unlawful and unprovoked invasion that is taking place. 

There are many different types of Ukrainian Dishes but, perhaps, the most famous is the Chicken Kiev. Those of a certain age will no doubt remember their parents purchasing frozen bags of Mini Kievs as a treat in the nineties as well as Alan Partridge having a hypothetical argument with Chris Rea about the virtues or otherwise of this dish. 

Spring and the longer days had ignited some fresh inspiration into my choice of dishes and, on the last weekend prior to the clocks jumping forward, I had a pop at making Chicken Kiev. It was a Sunday and after a very early walk, courtesy of the Dogg waking me up at 6am, I set to work. 

On the playlist was the Smiths Third, and by a hair's breadth, best album "The Queen is Dead". The post punk guitar firepower of Johnny Marr and sardonic wit of Morrissey combine to best effect on the title track, "Cemetery Gates", "Bigmouth Strikes Again" while "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" manages to be poignant and uplifting with its keyboard and synth-bass textures. 

So to the ingredients of this dish:

125 grams of Gluten Free Breadcrumbs. 

100 grams of Gluten Free Plain Flour.

5 beaten Eggs.

1 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika. 

2 Chicken Breasts, mine were obtained from the dependable Stretton Hall Farm | Facebook 

2 Diced Cloves of Garlic. 

5 shredded Chive Sprigs.

2 knobs of Butter. 

The method goes like this:

1. Stir the Eggs and Breadcrumbs together in a mixing bowl. 

2. Add the Plain Flour and Smoked Paprika and stir into the mixture.

3. Make an incision into the middle of the Chicken Breasts and insert the Garlic, Butter and Chives into the incision. Fold the Chicken Flesh back over the incision so as it covers the filling. This gives the best chance of avoiding the filling bursting out during cooking. 

4. Coat the Chicken Breasts in the Breadcrumb, Egg, Smoked Paprika and Flour Mixture. Then place on an oiled baking tray, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a couple of hours. 

5. Cook for 40 minutes on Gas Mark 6 before serving.

The mixture of melted butter and herbs that had diffused inside the Chicken while it cooked, coupled with the thick, flavoursome breadcrumb batter made this a recipe to return to time and again.