A Taste of Europe - Chicken Kiev

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So for today's July Blogging Challenge hosted by Lynn at This Day Has Great Potential and Jennifer at A Glimpse of Our Life, we are invited to share a Special Recipe. I suppose I could have shared a secret family recipe or something like that, but I was having a brain blank. However, I had a post started about the latest dish we made in our "A Taste of Europe" project, and I thought would do nicely. It's something I've made a few times previously, it's easy, and everyone liked it.


Background for anyone not familiar with "A Taste of Europe" - this past school year, Kennady studied Cultural Geography, specifically of Europe. So one of the things we've been trying to do (even though we are way behind schedule) is sample a food associated with each of the countries or regions of Europe. The previous year we did something similar when we studied the Americas (Eating the Americas series), and I'm pretty sure we'll come up with another plan to try foods from around the world when Kennady continues her Cultural Geography study next year. For each country or region, I share a little bit about the featured country, and then our recipe.

Ukraine is kind of special to me because some of my ancestors lived there before emigrating to Canada; and also because my brother spent a few years there as a missionary. Ukraine has been in the news quite a bit recently, with Russian forces annexing the Crimea, a plane crashing in the disputed territory, and ongoing conflicts.

Ukraine is an important industrial and agricultural center, and is the largest nation completely on the continent of Europe. It has been independent since 1991, when it began transitioning to a democratic government. Some of the elections were marred by charges of fraud, protests, and other problems along the way. The entire country lies in the eastern plain of Europe, except for two small strips of mountains. The capital, Kyiv (sometimes spelled "Kiev"), is the most populous city in Eastern Europe. Other major cities are Odessa and Donetsk. Ukraine is a major world producer of coal, iron ore, and manganese. Unfortunately, the pollution caused by the build-up of many of these industries during Communist rule is still causing problems and may take many more years to clean up entirely. The most valuable region is the Crimean Peninsula, a narrow 2.5-mile-wide isthmus in the Black Sea. The Crimean Mountains block cold northern air and create a mild mediterranean climate on the southern shore. For this reason, it has been a popular tourist destination for wealthy Russians, including the czars, and was known as the Russian Riviera. This is the area that has been disputed recently, as most of the natives are Russians, and both Russia and Ukraine harbor their fleets at the strategic port of Sevastopol.

Our featured dish is Chicken Kiev, named for the capital city of Ukraine.
 

Chicken Kiev

3 tbsp softened butter

2 tsp lemon juice (fresh, if available)

1/4 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp salt

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 3 ounces each) 

    OR 10-12 chicken tenderloin pieces

1 large egg

1/3 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs

If you are using chicken breast halves, pound them thin with a meat mallet. This step is optional if you're using tenderloins, like I did this last time, but I kind of wish I'd done it! 

In a small bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, dill, and salt. Spread each chicken piece with some of the butter mixture, then roll it up and secure with a toothpick. If using chicken breasts, you'll also want to try and turn in the long edges towards the center as you roll it up.

Lightly beat the egg in one bowl, and put the bread crumbs in another bowl. Dip rolled chicken pieces in egg, then roll in the bread crumbs to cover completely. Place in a baking pan and cook at 425 for 30 minutes, until chicken is golden and tender.  (Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before eating!)

This post is linked at Try a New Recipe Tuesday, hosted by Lisa at Home to 4 Kiddos.

Visit This Day Has Great Potential and A Glimpse of Our Life to see some other special recipes!

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