Mad Men & Chicken Kiev


Antioch Farms Chicken Kiev

Sunday was the premiere of the fourth season of Mad Men and as our Twitter feed indicates, there’s a significant crossover between Foobooz readers and Mad Men fans. One scene focuses on a date at Jimmy’s La Grange and Chicken Kiev. Growing up, chicken Kiev was an almost common dish in Mamma Foobooz’s kitchen. A search of MenuPages finds Chicken Kiev isn’t as popular as it once was. It only appears on the menu of  four Eastern European restaurants in Northeast Philadelphia:

  • Bordeaux
  • Golden Gates
  • Palace Royal
  • Stolovaya

We’re not familiar with any of these places, are you? Know of anywhere else that serves up the dish, let us know in the comments.

Check out Mamma Foobooz’s involved Chicken Kiev recipe after the jump.

Chicken Kiev

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 2 whole chicken breasts
  • 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups fine dry bread crumbs
  • Diced portobello mushroom

Saute diced portobello mushrooms until soft.

In a small bowl stir together butter, garlic paste, parsley, minced chives, lemon juice, zest and mushrooms. Spread into 3-inch squares on a sheet of wax paper. Chill for one hour until hard. Cut into 4 fingers and reserve, chilled.

Halve chicken breasts and detach fillet strip, or “tender,” from each half. Score thick areas of breast pieces with a knife for easier flattening. Arrange breast pieces and fillet strips several inches apart on sheet of plastic wrap and cover with another sheet of plastic. With a meat pounder, flatten chicken to about 1/4 inch thick, pounding fillet strips and the outer edges (about 1 inch around) of breast pieces slightly thinner. Breast pieces should be about 8 by 7 inches.

Sprinkle breast pieces with salt and pepper and put a reserved butter finger in the center of each. Cover butter with flattened fillet strips and, working with 1 chicken piece at a time, fold a long side over butter. Fold over ends and remaining side to enclose butter and press seam to seal chicken. Chill chicken, seam sides down in a shallow baking pan, covered for at least 4 hours.

In a shallow dish whisk together eggs and 1 tablespoon of oil. Have ready in 2 separate dishes flour and the bread crumbs. Dust chicken with flour and coat with egg, letting excess drip off. Roll chicken in bread crumbs, coating thoroughly. Chill chicken in shallow baking pan, uncovered, 1 hour.

In a deep fryer heat 4 inches of oil to 360ºF. Fry chicken 4 minutes and drain on several layers of paper towels.

Serves 4.