So I can just make this stuff? At home?

For many years, I thought that Chicken Kiev came not only fully formed, but fully boxed with instructions attached from the chiller cabinets at Marks and Spencer. This illusion was maintained on reading an article in a newspaper some years ago on Good Bad Food; that is, food that is probably bad for you, but tastes so good that you couldn't care less. Chicken Kiev was mentioned, along with its Marks and Spencer grazing ground. I bought some immediately.

Roll forward to today and on a glance through my Fabulous Baker Brothers' cook book, I see a recipe for the very dish. So I can make this? At home? When I want? Does life ever get this good? It seems so. This dish probably is still very bad for you: maybe making it at home is slightly more virtuous than buying it in store, but I doubt that somehow.

Anyway, to make your own rather generously portioned Chicken Kiev for two, you need: two garlic cloves; 100 grams of butter (the recipe says 120g, but I think that's overdoing things); a small bunch of coarsely chopped parsley; one lemon; salt and pepper; 30 grams of flour; two skinless chicken breasts; two eggs; 50 millilitres of milk; and 100 grams of breadcrumbs.

Firstly, crush the garlic in a food processor. Add the butter and chopped parsley. Zest the lemon in (I used a potato peeler rather carefully over the lemon before chopping the peel slightly and adding that to the bowl). Add freshly milled salt and pepper. Continue blending until smooth. Put to one side.

Next, get surgical on your chicken. Turn the breast upside down and, lifting up the inner fillet, make a small incision into the thick part of the fillet, giving you two flaps. Season with salt and pepper then spoon in generous amounts of your garlic and herb butter. Close the flaps and put in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

Now it's time to breadcrumb. Dust the chicken in a bowl of flour, shaking gently to lose any excess. Move this chicken to another bowl with the whisked eggs and milk (with another pinch of salt and pepper) therein, dipping them top and bottom before moving onto the third bowl with the breadcrumbs. Again, dip them in; top, bottom and if you're feeling brave, on the sides too. Some cold butter may fall out of the chicken at any one of these stages, but don't worry: just squeeze it back in. Place them back in the fridge for another hour's firming up.

Heat your oven to 180º Celsius. While this is going on, heat a frying pan with a little olive oil and place your Kievs in carefully for a little browning. When golden, put into an oven dish inside a piece of foil. Make sure the foil is well-sealed, then bake for 20 minutes.

And there it is! Your very own Chicken Kiev. Serve with a little pasta and an enormous salad to assuage any guilt about eating a luscious, butter filled, melt in your mouth chicken dish, pouring any melted butter over the chicken. If you still feel guilty, drink a lot of water with it and go for a run after it's settled.