I've been wanting to do something for for a loooooooong time now, and I figure a tasty Russian / Ukranian recipe will do the trick- Chicken Kiev...ish! :P (You'll see why I put in the "ish"!)

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon chopped chives
(I used quite a few stalks of long green onions in this)
1/2 chopped onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
(actually, 2 1/2 lemons, thinly sliced)
fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional, but it added a good bit of moisture and flavor too)
6 skinless boneless chicken breasts (had 5, it was enough for me)
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups dried plain breadcrumbs
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons water (I used 1/2 cup chicken broth)
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying* (canola oil works too)
...
X 1/2 cup butter X
...
NO. NOT EVEN ONE DROP OF BUTTER TOUCHED THIS DISH, NOR SHOULD IT. Yes, Kiev does traditionally have butter in it, but why not be a bit healthier? Hence the "ish" :P

For that matter, I used canola oil to saute the veggies (just the onions and green ones actually) but OTHER THAN THAT, WHAT REALLY, REALLY WORKS-

One stick of goat cheese...seriously. Thats it.

You can even put in the flavored variety (5 pepper blend maybe- I'm not sure if the chive flavored would 'distract' from the insides)

SO! What you need to do is...

Find yourself a big ol' glass casserole pan...some parchment paper on the side...

~ First, Take out the chicken breast and wash off the gunk- and, while its still firm, cut a good slit right into the middle to make the pocket.

~ Once that's done, just cover the parchment paper over it and give it a good tenderizing with a mallet. This helps in two ways- it makes the cooking easier and makes the chicken much, much more tender.

~ Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper on both sides, and use cooking spray on the casserole dish. Slice at least one or two of those lemons (depending on how big that dish is) and then layer the bottom with the slices, reserving the rest of the lemons. Then just throw the pan (with the chicken) right in the fridge to rest. I also stuffed the chicken with lemon as well...thats optional, but yeah :P

~ Then, find yourself a nice large non stick skillet (I'd recommend it, I used a saute pan originally and it was a BITCH to clean after XD) and saute the green onions + regular onions with a bit of salt, pepper, and any leftover sliced lemon with the mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent.

BUT- Leave the fresh parsley OUT from cooking- right up until the last minute!

~ Toss those into a bowl, and while they're still warm, throw in the goat cheese- it'll get nice and soft when you fold it in- THEN you can throw in the parsley!

~ Now its time to get the chicken out from the fridge, but you need to do two things at once here- keep the large skillet on the oven, while at the same time, preheat the baking part to 375 degrees!

~ Grab two bowls- one for the eggs, and one for the bread crumbs.
Then just dunk the chicken in the egg wash, then the breading...and while the skillet is still on there....reset it on with HIGH heat and then QUICKLY throw the chicken on the skillet when it is good and HOT - this will sear the chicken and seal in the extra juices- maybe for just about a minute or two, no more- then you can just throw the chicken right back into the casserole dish! Then turn off the pan, obviously :P

~ THEN, you can stuff the pockets with the onion/cheese/parsley filling- dont be stingy and make sure you have enough to fill them all from the bowl.

~ Put in the oven for 30 minutes- however, at the half way mark, you can check on it, and that's when I added in the 1/2 cup chicken broth to prevent any extra dehydration, just in case!

Then when the bell rings- just let it rest for maybe a minute, and serve :3

It's probably the best thing I've ever made, and even -without- the skin, came out the most tenderest chicken breast you could even imagine. (and most of the time I usually end up eating ..."crunchy chicken"... *shudders* ugh XD )

Serve with pasta, veggies, and a good white wine and you're good to go folks!

Наслаждайтесь! (Enjoy)