Aldo Zilli’s healthy chicken Kiev with saffron rice

Italian chef Aldo Zilli’s heart-healthy chicken kiev recipe tastes incredible

a plate of chicken kiev with risotto on a wooden table
By Aldo Zilli | Published - 23 Apr 2025
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Serves
2

Ingredients

For the risotto

  • 200g risotto rice, preferably carnaroli or vialone nano
  • 400ml homemade chicken stock, plus more if needed
  • 2 tbsp (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped fine about 100g
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 2 generous pinches saffron
  • salt and pepper
  • 60g Benecol buttery taste spread
  • 70g freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

For the chicken kiev 

  • 2 free-range chicken breasts
  • 100g plain flour
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 large egg
  • sunflower oil for frying
  • 200g breadcrumbs
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • Fresh parsley chopped
  • 100g Benecol buttery taste spread
  • 1 garlic clove chopped

Method

For the risotto

  1. Heat oil in a heavy 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until soft. Add rice, stirring frequently for about 3 min. Add wine and leave to evaporate.
  2. Add the boiling stock and saffron and a large pinch of salt, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Stir rice once, making sure no stray grains are clinging to side of pan above the liquid. Keep adding stock until rice is cooked about 16-18 mins.
  3. When rice is cooked, take off heat, add spread and Parmesan, shaking rice constantly until spread has melted and rice is thick and creamy. Add more stock or water as necessary if risotto becomes too dry. Season with salt.
  4. Serve immediately on hot plates, passing more cheese at the table.

For the chicken

  1. Place the soft spread, garlic, parsley and lemon zest in a bowl, mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a cling film sheet and form a roll, place in the fridge until needed.
  2. Put the chicken on a chopping board, with a sharp knife cut the breast in the middle to open it. If is too thick place between two sheets of cling film and with a mallet make it thinner.
  3. Cut the spread mixture into 4 equal pieces.
  4. Season the inside of each breast, place two pieces of butter in each breast and roll it up and fold in the side making sure that is tight and sealed. Roll the chicken in clingfilm and place in the freezer for about 10-15 min to get it in shape.
  5. In the meantime beat the egg in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place flour in a tray and the breadcrumbs too.
  6. Remove the film from the chicken, roll in the flour, shake any excess. Coat in the eggs and roll in the breadcrumbs until completed coated.
  7. Fry the chicken in enough oil to cover half of it, until golden on both sides.
  8. Take it out and place on a baking tray and place in oven at 180c for about 15 mins.
  9. Drain on a paper, slice in 4 pieces and serve with the risotto on the side.

Aldo Zilli has joined forces with Benecol to raise awareness of cholesterol and heart health. Cholesterol is a topic close to his heart, after his family history of heart disease and a high cholesterol diagnosis led him to turn his life around.

(Hero image credit: Simon John Owen For Benecol)

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