Meat mains
Wild garlic chicken kiev with baked beetroot bubble and squeak
Chicken Kiev is a retro classic. Originally made with dried garlic, it works equally as well with the fresh wild garlic we pick each year on the farm. You may get a little butter leak from your chicken; this is normal, just pour it over at the end.
Cook's notes
This version of bubble and squeak, a potato dish, is baked rather than fried. It also uses beetroot, turning the dish a vibrant purple-pink. We kept the cabbage on the side rather than mixing it in, to provide a pop of green colour in the photo. But do stir it in with the potato and beetroot if you prefer, it is more traditional. If you particularly like wild garlic, you could add a few more shredded leaves to the cabbage too.
Ingredients
- 50g butter
- 1 lemon
- 50g wild garlic
- 1 large baking size potato
- 1 large beetroot
- 1 medium-large or 2 small onions
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 cocktail sticks
- 25g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 100g dried breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp horseradish relish
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- ½ spring cabbage
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Take the butter out of the fridge. Preheat your oven to 210°C/Gas Mark 5. Over a bowl, finely zest quarter of the lemon. Juice 1 teaspoon worth. Wash, pat dry and very finely chop or shred half of the bag of wild garlic leaves.
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Step 2
Add the garlic to the lemon zest and juice. Season with a little salt and pepper. Squidge the butter together in your hands to soften it. Mix it together with the garlic and lemon zest and juice. Shape into 2 even-sized logs. Put them back in the fridge.
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Step 3
Peel and dice the potato. Pop the pieces in a pan. Cover with water. Add a good couple of pinches of salt. Put the pan on the hob to heat up. Once boiling, cook the potatoes until tender, about 10-12 minutes.
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Step 4
Meanwhile, peel and coarsely grate the beetroot. Peel and finely slice the onion(s). Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and beetroot. Fry on a low heat, stirring now and then, for 10 minutes. Add a splash of water if it looks like catching at any point.
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Step 5
Carefully slit the chicken breasts in half, horizontally. Not all the way through, just enough so you can open each breast to place the garlic butter in later. Lay the chicken under clingfilm and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to bash them thinner still, about 1cm (max).
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Step 6
Open the chicken breast up and place a log of garlic butter onto each slit. Roll them tightly up and secure with cocktail sticks. Take 3 shallow dishes. Add the flour to one. Season it. Beat the egg in another, put the breadcrumbs in another.
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Step 7
Toss the chicken in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Coat each one completely to avoid the butter leaking too much, we've given you more crumbs than you need. Drain the potatoes once cooked. Leave in the colander for 2 minutes, then mash, seasoning to taste.
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Step 8
Mix in the beetroot, onion, horseradish relish and a good dollop of crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly grease a baking dish with a little oil. Spoon in the mash, keeping it rough on top. Transfer to the oven.
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Step 9
Bake for the time it takes to cook the chicken. Heat a good layer of oil in a frying pan. Fry the chicken, spooning a little hot oil over the top. Transfer to a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
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Step 10
Meanwhile, wash and thinly shred the cabbage, cutting out any tough central rib stalks. Once the chicken is almost ready, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the cabbage and gently cook to wilt it down. Season and serve with the chicken (with any buttery juices in the dish) and beetroot bubble and squeak.