Lay the chicken breasts out on a cutting board. With a knife parallel to the board, “butterfly” each breast by cutting it through the middle, leaving one long edges intact, so you can open it like a book.
Open the breasts. In the center of each breast place: 1 ½ tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, a scant sprinkle of fresh minced garlic, and a generous sprinkle of lemon pepper seasoning.
Close the chicken breast over the filling pressing around the edges.
Set out three shallow pans. Place the eggs in one, then beat the eggs. Place the panko breadcrumbs in the second pan. Place the flour and salt in the third pan. Toss to mix the salt into the flour.
Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add approximately ¾ inch of oil.
One at a time, dunk the closed chicken breasts in flour, then in egg mixture, then in the panko breadcrumbs to create a crust. (It’s important that the eggs thoroughly coat the entire surface of the breasts, as to “glue” the breasts shut so the butter doesn’t seep out while cooking.)
Once the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, gently flipping once, so the oil doesn’t splatter.
Remove from the pan and rest on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Undercooked Chicken: It’s important to find small chicken breasts for this recipe, in order to keep it a stovetop cooking process. They should be around 4-5 ounces per breast. If you use larger breasts, you risk browning the crust before the chicken is fully cooked on the inside. In this case, you would either need to finish the Chicken Kiev in the oven so the breasts can cook through. Or you would need to cut each large breast into two cutlets, and then butterfly each cutlet.