Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev is a classic Ukrainian dish of boneless chicken breast pounded and rolled around cold unsalted butter, then breaded and fried. As its popularity spread internationally, various seasonings have been added to the butter. Fresh peas and fried julienned potatoes are the traditional accompaniments to the dish in the Ukraine.

Chicken Kiev in mass-produced frozen form has become a mainstay of American restaurants that depend on large menus rather than in-house cooking to attract customers.

Chicken Kiev is also the label used by the media for a speech made in Kiev in 1991 by then US president George Bush. It was drafted by Condoleezza Rice, and cautioned Ukrainians against "suicidal nationalism". A few months later, Ukrainians voted to withdraw from the Soviet Union.

Sources

• Washington Times - "Bush Sr. clarifies Chicken Kiev speech".