Delicious Garlic Chicken Breasts

This is Chicken Kiev’s American cousin, dressed in cornflakes. A puck of garlic herb butter gets frozen solid, tucked inside each pounded chicken breast, then wrapped, breaded, and baked until the crust shatters and the butter erupts in a hot, savory pool.

Freezing the butter is the key technical move. If you skip it, the butter melts before the cornflake crust can set, and you end up with greasy chicken and an empty pocket. A firm pat gives the breading time to crisp around the meat before the butter inside releases.

Buttermilk tenderizes the surface of the chicken breast and acts as glue for the cornflakes. Crush them coarse, not powdery, for the best shrapnel-style crunch. Bake seam side down so the toothpicks pin everything closed against the heat.

Pro Tips

• Pound chicken evenly to a quarter inch, thin and uniform helps the meat cook through before the crust burns
• Make the butter pat the night before, fully frozen butter holds shape best
• Crush cornflakes in a zip bag with a rolling pin for control over texture
• Use wooden toothpicks, plastic ones melt at high oven heat
• Let the chicken rest five minutes before cutting so the molten butter settles inside

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the butter pat for brightness
• Swap cornflakes for panko mixed with grated parmesan for an Italian lean
• Fold a sliver of prosciutto around the butter before stuffing for a salty richness