Air fryer chicken kyiv
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Nut-freePregnancy-friendly
A crispy chicken classic that works perfectly in the air fryer! Freeze the garlic butter in advance for an easy midweek meal.
By Jules Mercer
Ingredients
For the garlic butter
- butter: 80²µ/2¾´Ç³ú butter, softened
- garlic: 1 garlic clove, crushed
- parsley: 10gâ…“oz fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- nutmeg: freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- black pepper: salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chicken kyivs
- chicken breasts: 4 chicken breasts, the chunkier the better
- eggs: 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- plain flour: 80²µ/2¾´Ç³ú plain flour
- panko breadcrumbs: 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú panko breadcrumbs
- olive oil: olive oil spray
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Method
To make the garlic butter, mix the softened butter in a bowl with the garlic, parsley and nutmeg. Season well with salt and pepper. Wrap the butter in cling film to form a log shape, then place in the freezer until hard, about 20 minutes.
To make the chicken kyivs, use a sharp knife to cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast to make a pocket, starting from the thicker end of the breast and cutting down as far as you can go without making any holes.
Slice the garlic butter into 1cm/½in-thick pieces, then divide between the chicken breasts and stuff into the pockets. Secure well with a few toothpicks or butcher’s twine.
Preheat the air fryer to 200C.
Place the flour on a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Place the breadcrumbs on another plate. Place the beaten eggs in a shallow bowl.
Dip the chicken breasts in the flour, egg and finally the panko breadcrumbs. Spray the crumbed breasts all over with the olive oil spray, then place in the air fryer to bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with a green salad and a big wedge of lemon.
Recipe tips
You can freeze the cooked chicken breasts. Allow to defrost completely before reheating to piping hot.
During the season, wild garlic makes an excellent chicken kiev butter. Omit the garlic and use 15g/½oz wild garlic leaves, finely chopped.
If you cut through any of the chicken breasts when making the pockets, you can patch it up with a toothpick. Remember to remove the toothpicks before serving.
For a twist, add a pinch of dried red chilli flakes to your butter for an extra kick.
This recipe was developed using a 5.5 litre/9½ pint air fryer.
