This Chicken Kiev recipe serves up tender chicken breasts stuffed with a luscious garlic herb butter, all coated in crispy breadcrumbs – oven baked to perfection!

Baked Chicken Kiev with Panko
These juicy chicken breasts are literally packed with flavor! Crispy, juicy, and loaded with a herbal butter, perfect for the holidays or as a showstopper weeknight meal!
Looking for more chicken breast recipes? Why not also try my Instant Pot Chicken Breasts or my Chimichurri Chicken!
Why You’ll Love this Chicken Kiev Recipe:
- Crispy: The chicken breasts are pounded thin and coated in light and crispy panko breadcrumbs, for the ultimate crunch!
- Garlic Butter: The Chicken breasts are packed with melted butter, mixed with garlic and herbs – luscious!
- A Crowd Pleaser: Not only are these beauties delicious but the are also gorgeous – perfect for dinner parties!
With it’s wonderfully buttery flavor, this chicken recipe will become a firm favorite!

How to Make Chicken Kiev
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- In a small bowl, mix your herb butter, form into a log and freeze.
- Butterfly, pound and season your chicken breasts.
- Place a piece of butter onto the center of each chicken breast and roll up the breast.
- Dip the chicken into the buttermilk, then coat in breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 35-40 mins.
- Serve and enjoy!


Chicken Kiev, or Chicken Kyiv, consists of chicken breasts pounded thin, stuffed with herbed butter, and coated with breadcrumbs. It can be baked or fried. For this recipe, we’ve chosen to bake it.
Chicken Kiev is stuffed with herbed butter. Herbed butter is butter mixed with garlic and tender herbs, such as parsley or dill. In some American recipes, the butter is replaced with blue cheese.
To fry chicken Kiev, prepare the chicken as directed and heat 1 ½-inches of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 360°F. Fry the chicken breast bundles for 7-8 minutes on both sides, until golden brown and 165°F internally.
The main difference between chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kiev is the filling. Chicken Kiev is stuffed with chilled butter, while Chicken Cordon Bleu is stuffed with ham and cheese. Both are rolled and prepared the same way.
I chose to serve mine with steamed broccoli, but use any roasted or steamed vegetable you like. This dish would be great with a side salad, mashed potatoes, or rice as well.
Whether you decided to oven bake or fry, these chicken breasts come out so crispy!


Make Ahead Instructions
To prepare this dish ahead of time:
- Make the garlic and herb butter log up to 4 days in advance. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Assemble the chicken rolls (without breading them) up to 1 day in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. Bread just before baking.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover chicken Kiev in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat chicken Kiev, place it in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350°F until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Freezing Instructions
Chicken Kiev can be frozen raw or cooked.
- Raw: To freeze chicken Kiev raw, assemble the chicken rolls (without breading them) and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow rolls to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before breading and baking.
- Cooked: To freeze chicken Kiev fully cooked, place the chicken rolls in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow rolls to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Substitutions
- Chicken: For a shortcut, look for thin-sliced chicken breasts at the grocery store. This will save you the time and mess of pounding your chicken flat.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs will make for the most flavorful butter, but you can substitute with a smaller quantity of dried herbs.
- For the green onion, substitute 1 teaspoon of dried chives.
- For the parsley, substitute 3 teaspoons dried parsley.
- Butter: Substitute with an equal amount of blue cheese, omitting the garlic and herbs, if desired.
Tips for Perfect Chicken Kiev
- Baking Vessel: Be sure to use a baking dish to contain any butter that may leak out of your chicken breasts. You can also line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Wire Rack: Place your chicken on top of a wire rack set on a baking sheet or dish to help the meat get crispy on all sides and prevent soggy bottoms.
- Browning: If your chicken is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil about halfway through baking.

Chicken Kiev never goes out of style because it is just so delicious! With a bit of prep you can serve up the most flavor packed chicken breasts. Everyone will adore this much loved chicken dinner!
If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!

Chicken Kiev Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened (½ stick)
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley divided
- 1 tablespoon minced green onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 cloves
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 6-8 ounces each
- Kosher salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
Equipment
- Instant-Read Thermometer Optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the butter and 1 tablespoon each of parsley, green onion, and garlic. Spoon onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a small log. Twist closed and freeze for 40 minutes, until firm.¼ cup unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons minced parsley, 1 tablespoon minced green onion, 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Butterfly each chicken breast horizontally, then pound each half to ¼-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Kosher salt, Ground black pepper
- Cut the butter log lengthwise into 4 equal pieces, then place 1 piece in the center of each chicken breast.
- Tightly roll up each piece of chicken from the long side, tucking the ends under and securing them with toothpicks. Chill for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken chills, preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Create a breading station. In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, paprika, cayenne, and remaining parsley. Place the buttermilk in another shallow bowl.1 cup Panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon ground paprika, ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, ⅓ cup buttermilk
- Dip the chicken into the buttermilk, then coat evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish, seam side down. Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove and discard the toothpicks before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover chicken Kiev in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat chicken Kiev, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then place it in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350°F until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Baking Vessel: Be sure to use a baking dish to contain any butter that may leak out of your chicken breasts. You can also line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Wire Rack: Place your chicken on top of a wire rack set on a baking sheet or dish to help the meat get crispy on all sides and prevent soggy bottoms.
- Browning: If your chicken is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil about halfway through baking.
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