How to Make Wild Turkey Kiev
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This wild turkey Kiev recipe is based on a chicken dish called Chicken Kiev or kotłeta de-voljaj po-kyjivśky. Chicken Kiev has been popular throughout much of Eastern Europe for some time. One of the most common renditions of this dish’s origin story traces its roots back to the cafe in the Continental Hotel in Kiev, Ukraine at the beginning of the 20th century. The cafe was located in the Continental Hotel’s basement and was a trendy eatery frequented by artists, writers, and musicians. The cuisine of the restaurant was very famous.
The origin story goes. “Once, a very important dignitary arrived in Kyiv from St. Petersburg. Stopping at the Continental, he went to a restaurant for a bite to eat. The maitre d’ said to him so politely: “Your Excellency, I recommend the cutlets invented by our cook. They are very tasty.” His Excellency muttered condescendingly: “Go ahead.” Having received the order, the quick-witted cook immediately called the dish he invented: “rolled cutlets in Kiev”. Chicken breast, rolled up in the form of a pie, inside a piece of frozen butter, rolled in breadcrumbs, deep-fried. They ate this cutlet with their hands.” So born was the dish Chicken Kiev.
I will admit that this recipe is over the top, but you will not regret it. I am not much of a turkey fan, and this recipe swayed me. Take your time, read through the steps, and prep everything and you will surely have a successful meal. Смачного! (smachnoho)
Serving Size: 3-4
Prep Time: 6 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Also works with: large game bird breasts
Special Equipment: Wax Paper, Plastic Wrap, Meat Mallet, Freezer, Baking Sheet, Oven, Stovetop, Pan for Deep Frying
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Wild Turkey Kiev
4
servings6
hours30
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
8 tbsp salted butter (1 stick), softened
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced fresh chives
2 turkey breasts, tenders removed
1 tsp black pepper, divided
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
½ cup all purpose flour
2 cups panko crumbs
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 tsp spicy mustard
Oil for frying
Preparation
- In a medium bowl, combine the salted butter, parsley, garlic, and chives. Mix well.
- Lay out approximately 16 inches of waxed paper and dab the butter lengthways in the middle of the wax paper. Roll the paper to form the butter into a quarter sized roll, about 12 inches in length. Twist the ends of the wax paper and place in the freezer for 6-8 hours, until frozen hard. I froze overnight and into the next afternoon.
- Once the butter is frozen, remove the butter from the freezer and divide into quarters. Return to the freezer.
- Place the turkey breasts on the cutting board and cut in half along the tendon as evenly as possible. One half on each breast will be slightly larger than the other. That’s okay
- Lay one sheet of plastic wrap down on the counter. Place one half of a turkey breast on the plastic wrap. Cover with an additional piece of plastic wrap.
- Pound the breast with the meat mallet, working from the center outward. You want the meat to be approximately ¼-½ of an inch thick. Try not to pound any holes in the meat.
- Place another piece of plastic wrap on the counter and lay the pounded turkey breast piece in the center. Season with ¼ tsp of black pepper and ½ tsp of salt.
- Place a butter roll quarter in the center and fold the meat tightly over the butter, overlapping slightly. Fold the plastic wrap over the meat roll. Twist the ends of the meat roll until it forms a tight cylinder of meat wrapped around butter. (see photo)
- Place the meat roll in the freezer and complete steps 5-8 on all the other pieces of meat.
- Allow the meat rolls to freeze for 30-40 minutes until the meat is firm yet squishy.
- While waiting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add a medium pot to the stove, add oil, and begin heating to 375 degrees.
- Using three bowls, add the flour to one, eggs to one, and panko to one. They need to be large enough to accommodate the meat rolls.
- Add the water and mustard to the eggs and whisk well.
- Once the oil is at 375 degrees, remove a meat rolls from the freezer once they are slightly frozen. I recommend working with just one at a time.
- Remove the plastic wrap from one meat roll and dredge in the flour, coating all sides and both ends. Next, roll it in the egg wash then firmly roll it in panko.
- Gently add the coated meat roll to the oil, rolling carefully, and allowing to brown for 1-2 minutes. Once the meat roll is browned, then carefully remove from the oil and place on a baking sheet. Try to place it seam side up to prevent later butter leakage.
- Complete steps 15-17 with the other three meat rolls.
- Once browned, place all four meat rolls into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. Cook to 165 degrees, but be careful inserting the probe. You do not want to puncture into the butter or it will leak.
- Once cooked to temperature, remove from the oven and serve immediately.
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