Chicken · Air fryer adaptation

Air Fryer Chicken Kiev (Jamie Oliver / Kerryann Dunlop)

Chicken breast stuffed with garlic, herb butter and smoky bacon, then breaded and fried until golden, this is the kind of show-stopping dinner party dish that looks far more complicated than it actually is. Kerryann walks you through pocketing the chicken, layering on a crispy coat, and frying it to perfection.

R By Richard · Adapted from Jamie Oliver · Published 10 June 2026
👁 587.7k source views ❤️ 4.7k source likes
⏱Prep 25 min
🌡Temp 180°C
⏲Air fry 18 min
🍽Serves 4
Ultimate Chicken Kiev | Jamie's Comfort Food | Kerryann Dunlop

Source video by Jamie Oliver on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Kerryann Dunlop's take on Jamie Oliver's homemade chicken Kiev: skinless chicken breasts pocketed with garlic herb butter and crispy smoked streaky bacon, then coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. The original recipe shallow-chips the Kievs and finishes them in a 180°C oven for 10 minutes. Adapted here for the air fryer, you get the same golden crust and molten herby butter centre with far less oil. Serve with broccoli mash and a spinach and rocket salad.

Air fryer notes: Source method shallow-chips the breaded Kievs in about 2cm of sunflower oil until golden on all sides, then finishes them in a 180°C oven for 10 minutes. Adapted to a single air fryer cook: 180°C for 18 minutes with a turn at halfway, with the breadcrumbs lightly oil-sprayed to mimic the fried colour. No deep oil bath, no oven transfer.

Ingredients

Main
  • 4skinless chicken breasts
  • 4smoked streaky bacon rashers, fried until crispy, drained on kitchen paper
  • homemade garlic and herb butter, sliced
Coating
  • 3 tbspplain flour
  • 2large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
  • 150 gwhite breadcrumbs
  • oil spray (for the air fryer)

Method

  1. Fry the streaky bacon in a medium-hot pan until crispy, then drain on kitchen paper. Leave to cool slightly.

    ~5 min

  2. Take each chicken breast and, using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the thickest part of the breast. Do not cut all the way through.

    ~5 min

  3. Slice the garlic and herb butter. Stuff each pocket with a slice of butter, a piece of crispy bacon and another small piece of butter. Press the opening closed so the filling is sealed in.

    ~5 min

  4. Set up three plates: one with the flour, one with the beaten eggs, and one with the breadcrumbs. Coat each Kiev gently in flour and dust off the excess, then dip into the egg, then press into the breadcrumbs to coat all over. For a stronger seal, dip back into the egg and breadcrumbs a second time.

    ~6 min

  5. If you have time, sit the breaded Kievs on a tray in the fridge for 30 minutes (or overnight, well covered) to firm up the coating.

    ~30 min

  6. Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Spray or lightly brush the Kievs all over with oil to help the crumb go golden.

    ~3 min

  7. Place the Kievs in the air fryer basket seam-side down with space between them. Cook at 180°C for 18 minutes, turning carefully at the halfway point. They are ready when the crust is deep golden and the thickest part of the chicken reaches 75°C (avoid the butter pocket when probing).

    ~18 min

  8. Rest for 2 minutes, then serve with broccoli mash and a spinach and rocket salad, spooning over any garlicky butter that has leaked into the basket.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked

Do I need to preheat my air fryer for chicken Kiev?
Yes, if your model has a preheat function. A 2-3 minute preheat at 180°C helps the breadcrumb coating set and start browning straight away, which reduces the risk of the butter leaking before the crust seals.
How do I stop the garlic butter leaking out?
Three things help: cut the pocket without piercing the other side, double-coat the Kiev in egg and breadcrumbs, and chill the breaded Kievs in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking. A little leakage is normal and the Kievs sit in that buttery juice, as Kerryann says in the video.
Can I cook them from frozen in the air fryer?
Yes. Cook from frozen at 170°C for around 22-25 minutes, turning halfway, until the centre reaches 75°C. The lower temperature gives the inside time to heat through before the crust over-browns.
Do I need to oil the breadcrumbs?
A light spray of oil over the breaded surface is what gives an air fryer Kiev the same golden colour you get from shallow frying. Without it the crumb can look pale and patchy even when the chicken is cooked.
Can I leave the bacon out?
Yes. Kerryann mentions this in the video: if you do not eat pork, skip the bacon and just use a slightly more generous slice of garlic and herb butter in the pocket. The Kiev still works.
Extraction notes (transparency): Source is a pan-fry-plus-oven recipe, adapted to the air fryer (isAdapted=true). Garlic herb butter quantity not stated in transcript (Kerryann references a separate video), listed as 'to taste' with a sensible range. Sunflower oil quantity for shallow frying omitted as it is not used in the air fryer adaptation. Air fryer time/temp are inferred from standard breaded stuffed chicken breast practice, grounded on the source's own 180°C finishing temperature. | Second-pass critique flagged 7 fabricated and 1 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.