from foodnetwork.com, Rachel Ray's 30-minute meals
Vegetable oil, for frying
4 (6 to 8-ounce) pieces boneless, skinless chicken
10 blades fresh chives, chopped to about 2 tablespoons
A palmful fresh parsley, finely chopped to about 2 tablespoons
A palmful fresh dill, finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup plain bread crumbs
A wedge lemon
Salt and pepper
Plain, round toothpicks
A few hours ahead of time if possible:
Combine chopped herbs, chopped garlic and softened butter.
Mix well. Form into a log/rectangular shape and wrap in plastic wrap.
Freeze it.
When ready to use just cut log into 4 pieces.
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 1/2 inches vegetable oil over medium high heat. The oil needs to be 360 degrees F for frying. If you do not have a frying thermometer, add a cube of white bread to hot oil. If the bread browns in a 40 count, the oil is ready.
Cover work surface with waxed paper. Arrange breasts on paper.
Butterfly chicken breasts, cut into flesh and across, but not through the breast, and open up.
Cover breast meat with a second sheet of waxed paper.
Pound out cutlets to 1/4-inch thick with a small heavy skillet or a rubber mallet.
Be careful not to tear meat. Don't go crazy with the mallet. If you butterfly the breasts, you don't have to pound much.
Set chicken aside.
Set out flour, eggs beaten with a splash of cold water and bread crumbs, in shallow bowls, plates, or disposable pie tins.
Uncover chicken and squeeze a wedge of lemon over opened breasts.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Place a piece of the herb butter on each piece of chicken.
Wrap and roll cutlets tightly up and over the butter cubes.
Secure stuffed chicken with toothpicks.
Roll stuffed breasts in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
Fry the Kiev bundles 7 to 8 minutes on each side until deep golden brown all over.
Serving suggestion: Potatoes and Onions and Sweet Peas Au Gratin.
Note: some recipes call for doing the chicken up ahead of time, complete with bread crumbs and then putting in fridge for at least an hour to let the breading dry out which might be helpful.
If you don't have time to do the herb butter ahead, in the original recipe, Rachel Ray says to just use chilled butter and roll the butter in your mix of herbs and garlic and then place on the chicken breasts.
I do recommend using her method to butterfly the chicken breasts. I didn't do that but instead pounded them out with a mallet - and tore up the breasts a bit. I think using the butterfly method would be better. And be sure to use either a rubber mallet or a flat skillet - not a meat tenderizing mallet.
Very nice dish. The fresh dill really adds something great to the subtle flavor combo in this.