Chicken Kiev Foldit

When I was a little girl, my dad would bring home a bag of chicken Kiev from the butcher in our town, as a very special treat. They arrived frozen solid, and had to be baked a whopping 45 minutes in the oven before they were ready, which, for a hungry little kid, was agonizing.

For those of you who may not have any clue what chicken Kiev is, let me explain: it’s a chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese, or herbs and butter, then rolled around in breadcrumbs and baked until piping hot like an inferno inside. It is the popular wedding entrée in my neck of the woods, probably because it stays so hot on the plate and therefore works for large groups.

Not only did we have to wait 45 whole minutes for these tasty perfect things to bake, but we had to wait at least another ten minutes to let them cool off enough to eat, or else we burned our mouths and we wouldn’t be able to taste anything. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way, many times.

The other agony involved with the chicken Kiev is deciding which filling to choose. It was, as a child, a difficult decision. Herbs and garlic butter? Ham and cheese? Ham and cheese? Herbs and garlic butter? A mere child could go crazy trying to decide.

Fortunately, as an adult, I have solved the problem and added flatbread to the game. With this flatbread recipe, you just don’t have to make a choice, you can have both. I have turned the glorious chicken Kiev into a flatbread sandwich inspired by the agony of waiting, and the agony of choosing, and I must admit it’s pretty delightful to eat, too.

Rotisserie chicken works well in this sandwich, just slice it thin so you can get all the ingredients layered in just right. Boursin cheese is easy to find, and has all of the herby goodness that we need for this flatbread sammie. A layer of Swiss cheese and bacon, just because. That’s good enough for me!

Fire up the panini press and you’ll soon see how wonderful this flatbread sandwich is. You won’t have to wait 45 minutes or get invited to a wedding to eat it, either! It’s nice to be an adult, sometimes, right?

Amy at Flatout