Gordon Ramsay’s chicken Kiev is a chicken breast stuffed with garlic butter flavoured with parsley, tarragon, and a touch of paprika for heat, then coated in flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, and shallow-fried until golden. The butter melts inside as it cooks, flooding the chicken with garlic when you cut into it. About 30 minutes plus chilling.
The technique comes from The F Word where he uses a piping bag to get the butter right into the centre of each breast. Measurements are adapted from his Turkey Kiev recipe in Quick and Delicious, where he says “it’s back to the 1970s with this retro dish” and calls it a classic worth doing properly.
His tip for the garlic butter is to be generous. He says “don’t forget 30% of it will leak out anyway, so the more the merrier.” That’s why the butter is chilled hard before stuffing, so it stays solid long enough for the breadcrumb coating to seal around it.
Gordon Ramsay Chicken Kiev
Course: DinnerCuisine: EuropeanDifficulty: Medium2
servings15
minutes8
minutes490
kcal23
minutesRetro chicken Kiev from Ramsay’s F Word and Quick and Delicious cookbook. Garlic herb butter with parsley, tarragon, and paprika piped into chicken breast, triple-coated in flour, egg, and panko breadcrumbs, then shallow-fried. Be generous with the butter because a third of it leaks out during cooking. About 490 kcal per serving.
Ingredients
- For the garlic butter:
100g (3½ oz) butter, softened
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
½ tsp smoked paprika
Zest of ½ lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the chicken:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
50g (2 oz) plain flour, seasoned
1 large egg, beaten
75g (2½ oz) panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2cm depth)
Directions
- Make the garlic butter: Beat the softened butter with the garlic, parsley, tarragon, paprika, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into a piping bag or roll into a log in cling film. Chill in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until firm.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut a deep pocket into the thickest part of each breast using a sharp knife, being careful not to cut all the way through. Pipe or push the chilled garlic butter firmly into each pocket. Press the opening closed and secure with a cocktail stick if needed.
- Coat the chicken: Set up three shallow bowls. Bowl one: seasoned flour. Bowl two: beaten egg. Bowl three: panko mixed with the parsley. Roll each breast in flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, then press firmly into the breadcrumbs. Make sure every part is covered with no gaps.
- Chill: Place the coated Kievs on a plate and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. This sets the coating and helps it stay on during frying.
- Fry: Heat about 2cm of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, carefully lower the Kievs in and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Serve: Rest for 2 minutes before serving. Cut into the Kiev at the table so the garlic butter floods out. Serve with green beans and mashed potato.
FAQs
Why use a piping bag for the butter?
On The F Word, Ramsay pipes the garlic butter directly into a pocket in the chicken breast. The piping bag lets you fill the centre evenly without tearing the meat or leaving gaps where the butter can escape.
If you don’t have a piping bag, roll the butter into a firm log in cling film, freeze it, then cut a disc and push it into the pocket. The key is that the butter must be cold and solid when it goes in, otherwise it melts before the breadcrumbs have time to seal.
Why does Ramsay add paprika to the garlic butter?
Traditional chicken Kiev uses just garlic, parsley, and butter. Ramsay adds “a little touch of paprika, just to give it that little bit of heat.” It’s a small addition but it changes the flavour of the melted butter from plain garlic to something warmer and more interesting.
The tarragon is the other difference. Most Kievs skip it, but Ramsay uses it in both the F Word version and the cookbook recipe. Tarragon has an aniseed note that pairs well with chicken and garlic. If you enjoy that flavour, his béarnaise sauce is built around the same herb.
How do you stop the butter leaking out?
Three things help. First, chill the butter until it’s solid before stuffing. Second, seal the pocket well and coat every surface in breadcrumbs with no gaps. Third, don’t move the Kievs too much while frying. Flipping them once is better than turning them constantly.
Ramsay is honest about this: “Don’t forget 30% of it will leak out anyway, so the more the merrier.” Some leaking is normal. That’s why you make more butter than you think you need. The leaking butter in the pan also toasts the breadcrumbs, which is a bonus.
Can you bake chicken Kiev instead of frying?
You can, but you’ll miss the crispy coating. If you prefer to bake, fry the Kievs for 2 minutes on each side first to colour the breadcrumbs, then finish in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 15 minutes. This gives you the golden crust without deep frying.
Ramsay describes his method as “lightly seared, lightly coloured” which suggests he doesn’t deep fry them either. A 2cm depth of oil is plenty. His chicken parmesan uses a similar shallow-fry approach for the same reason.
What to serve with chicken Kiev?
On The F Word he serves it with mashed potato and sweetcorn, which is the classic British combination. Steamed green beans are the other traditional side, and that’s what his cookbook version suggests.
For something different, a coleslaw adds crunch alongside the soft melting butter, and chips are always welcome. Keep the sides simple because the garlic butter is rich enough on its own.
Does chicken Kiev store well?
Uncooked Kievs freeze brilliantly. Assemble and bread them, then freeze on a tray before transferring to a bag. Cook from frozen, adding an extra 3-4 minutes to the frying time and checking the centre is cooked through.
Cooked Kievs don’t store well. The butter leaks out as it cools and the breadcrumbs go soft. This is a cook-and-eat-immediately dish. If you have leftovers, reheat in a hot oven, never the microwave.
