Kotleta Po-Kievski

Kotleta po-kievski, the Kiev cutlet, is a Soviet restaurant classic: a chicken breast pounded thin, wrapped around a core of chilled garlic-herb butter, breaded, and deep-fried until golden. When cut open, the molten butter pours out, basting the meat from within. The origin is contested: some say it was invented in a Kiev restaurant in the early 20th century; others trace it to a French dish, cotelette de volaille, served at Russian aristocratic tables in the 19th century. Under the Soviet system it was standardised and served in every restaurant across the USSR, becoming one of the most recognisable Soviet dishes. The technical challenge is sealing the butter inside the chicken so it does not leak during frying, achieved through careful pounding, tight rolling, and a triple breading.

A golden, crisp-crusted chicken breast, perfectly juicy, that when cut releases a flood of melted garlic-herb butter. The contrast of the shatteringly crisp crust and the molten, aromatic butter within is the whole pleasure.

The technique is pounding, rolling and triple-breading to seal butter inside. A chicken breast fillet is pounded thin between plastic wrap. A stick of cold butter mixed with garlic, herbs (dill, parsley) and salt is placed at one end, and the breast rolled tightly around it, sealed shut. The roll is floured, dipped in egg, coated in breadcrumbs, and this breading repeated two or three times to create a seal strong enough to withstand deep-frying at 170 degrees C for 5 to 6 minutes. The butter must be very cold (frozen is better) so it does not melt before the crust sets. The frying must be precise: too short and the chicken is raw; too long and the butter bursts through the crust. Rested 2 minutes before serving, the cutlet is presented whole and cut at the table.