Air fryer chicken kyiv

A crispy chicken classic that works perfectly in the air fryer! Freeze the garlic butter in advance for an easy midweek meal.

Ingredients

For the garlic butter

• 80g/2¾oz butter, softened
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 10g⅓oz fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken kyivs

• 4 chicken breasts, the chunkier the better
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 80g/2¾oz plain flour
• 100g/3½oz panko breadcrumbs
• olive oil spray
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• green salad
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Preheat the air fryer to 200C.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

Air fryer chicken kyiv