Chicken à la Kiev

The test of perfectly cooked chicken à la Kiev is that its butter sauce spurts out when you cut it. The two essential steps in achieving this: careful rolling up of the chicken pieces and cooking the rolls carefully and quickly over medium-high heat.

Chicken

• 4 whole boned chicken breasts (to make 8 pieces) from 2-to 2½-pound chickens

• ¾ stick butter

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup whole-wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten with a tablespoon of water

• Grated fresh parsley

1. Have your butcher skin, bone, and flatten the chicken breasts to no more than ⅛” thickness. If your butcher has not flattened them sufficiently, place the breasts on a board between 2 sheets of waxed paper. With a mallet or cleaver, hit the pieces with a sharp bang-and-slide motion.

Filling

• 1 stick butter

• 1 teaspoon parsley, finely cut

• 1 teaspoon tarragon, finely cut (if fresh is not available, substitute parsley)

• ½ teaspoon lemon juice

1. Prepare the filling by kneading the butter with the back of a spoon. Add the herbs and lemon juice and blend well.

2. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling near the top of the wide side of each breast. Fold the top over the butter, then fold over the 2 sides so that they meet.

3. Carefully roll up each breast as tightly as you can. Place on a flat dish with the seam side up. If the seam side is down, the chicken pieces may stick to the plate and then unroll when you remove them.

4. When all the pieces have been carefully rolled up, place them in the refrigerator to chill and firm for at least a half hour.

5. Meanwhile season the flour with salt and pepper and spread it out on a sheet of foil or waxed paper.

6. Lightly beat the egg yolks with a tablespoon of water. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and carefully paint each chicken roll with the egg. Brush first along the seam to seal, and then paint the rest of the roll with a thin but thorough coating. This is another important step; if the cutlet isn’t properly sealed, it will open up when it is placed in the pan for cooking.

7. As each roll is painted, place it on the seasoned flour. Maneuver the paper so that the cutlet is completely coated. As each piece is finished, place it on a flat dish.

8. Return the chicken to the refrigerator to set further until cooking.

9. To cook the chicken, first heat a 9” or 10” aluminum skillet over medium heat and add a coarsely sliced stick of butter (the melted butter should be 3/8” deep) and let it foam up. The moment it begins to brown, add the chicken. Cook over medium-high heat. After 2 or 3 minutes, turn the pieces over with a spoon and cook another 2 minutes. By this time, they should be golden brown all over.

10. Transfer them to a shallow oven-proof serving dish and insert in a preheated 450°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes (no longer, or they will become too dry).

11. Remove dish from the oven, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve with the following mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter

• ¼ pound finely chopped mushrooms

• ¼ cup dry white wine

• ½ cup chicken stock

• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

• 1 tablespoon dry sherry

1. Heat an 8” skillet over medium heat and bring 3 tablespoons of butter to just past the peak of the foaming stage. Raise the heat to high and quickly add the mushrooms; the high heat will prevent the mushrooms from stewing and will allow them to brown so that you will have a rich brown sauce. After 2 or 3 minutes, lower the heat and let the mushrooms cook another 5 minutes.

2. Add the white wine and chicken stock and bring to a near boil. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat, and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.

3. Season with the salt, freshly ground pepper, and the dry sherry.

4. Strain through a Foley mill or a medium sieve. Reheat without boiling just before serving.