Mr. Food's Chicken Kiev Roll-Ups

This is a weeknight version of chicken Kiev, the classic Russian dish where seasoned butter hides inside a breaded, fried chicken roll. Mr. Food’s shortcut skips the traditional egg-and-breadcrumb breading and the deep fry; instead, the rolls bake in a muffin tin, which is the smart trick that makes this whole recipe work for a regular Tuesday.

The muffin tin keeps each roll standing upright with its seam tucked underneath. No toothpicks, no kitchen twine, no awkward sprawled rolls leaking butter across a sheet pan. The cups also catch any escaping butter and basically self-baste each roll as it cooks.

Pound the chicken breast to ¼ inch thickness, no thicker. Even-thin meat rolls tightly around the butter and bakes evenly. Thicker pieces leave the butter sealed in raw chicken when the outsides are done.

The butter melt-out is the whole point. As the chicken bakes, the herbed butter inside liquefies and infuses the meat from the inside. Cut into a finished roll and a slick of garlicky herb butter spills onto the plate. That is the dish.

Pro Tips

• Roll the chicken tightly, seam down. Loose rolls unfurl during baking and the butter escapes into the muffin tin instead of staying inside.
• Use cold butter slices, not room-temperature. Cold butter holds shape during rolling and melts gradually as the chicken cooks; soft butter squishes out during the rolling process.
• Pat the chicken bone-dry before pounding. Wet meat slips around the wax paper and tears.
• Let rolls rest 5 minutes after pulling from the oven so the butter redistributes back into the meat instead of running out as soon as you cut.

Variations

• Stir grated Parmesan or finely crumbled blue cheese into the herbed butter for a richer center.
• Add a pinch of cayenne or a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the butter for a piquant version.
• Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each roll before placing in the muffin tin for an Italian-inspired twist.