How To Make Chicken Kiev For Kids
- 2 Chicken Breasts (see "Adapt" section for how to use thighs)
- 2 tbsp Butter (you'll need 1 tbsp per chicken piece)
- Minced Garlic (or garlic powder)
- Parsley Flakes
- Lemon
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 large Egg
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- Take butter out of fridge and allow to come to room temperature, roughly 20 minutes. In a small bowl, cover butter with minced garlic, parsley flakes, and a few pinches of salt; zest some lemon over the top of it. Mix and mash the butter until seasonings are embedded in it, then form a number of small balls or chunks of the butter spread equal to the number of chicken pieces you’re cooking. Freeze the butter pieces for 10-15 minutes.
- While butter freezes, pound chicken until flat; season with salt and pepper.
- Place a butter piece in the center of the chicken breast and fold the sides of the chicken breast around the butter until fully covered; pinch the sides together as needed until the chicken piece is egg-shaped. Cover the chicken piece in plastic wrap, tying a string or band around the chicken to hold in place (if needed). Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Blend the egg in a shallow bowl or flat container; cover the bottom of two other bowls/containers with flour and breadcrumbs, respectively.
- Dredge each chicken piece in the flour, followed by a coating of the egg; roll in the breadcrumbs until completely covered.
- Place chicken pieces in your air fryer; coat with cooking spray.
To cook, you’ve got two options:
- For a tempura-like golden hue: heat at 350 for 12 minutes, turning over at the midway point.
- For a fried-chicken-like brown hue: heat Heat at 400 for 10 minutes.
- Allow three minutes for the chicken pieces to rest before cutting.
Cut in half immediately to allow butter inside to spew out–kids always love that–but give the inside a few minutes to cool before letting our child eat it; the piece will require additional cutting to be handled by a child, which we like to do along the long side of the piece. Though it doesn’t need additional sauces or condiments, serving the dish the same way you would nuggies–i.e., with things in which to dunk the chicken–may make it more familiar or accessible to your kiddo.
Chicken Kiev is typically made with breast meat, but thighs are a more sensible portion size for a child. If you go with the latter, be sure to get boneless and skinless thighs with little or no fat on the pieces; remove any lingering bits of skin and/or fat before you prepare the chicken. Preparation is the same, but check the pieces at the eight minute mark of cooking, as they will likely need 2-3 less minutes to cook than breasts.