GROWING UP in Indiana, Joe Papach liked the frozen-food-aisle chicken Kiev his mom served. But his final Slow Food Fast recipe produces an airy, unfailingly tender rendition worthy of love.

In place of the usual chicken fillets he uses ground chicken. After chilling the mixture to firm it up slightly, he forms patties encasing a knob of herbed butter and coats them in a magic breading made with instant mashed potato flakes. As the patties fry, the herb butter goes molten and the exterior puffs to a golden crisp. A mustard-spiked...

The Chef: Joe Papach

Illustration: Michael Hoeweler

His Restaurant: The Harvey House in Madison, Wis.

What He’s Known For: Partnering with his wife, Shaina Robbins Papach, to turn an old train depot into a fine-dining destination. Reinventing the supper club. Using regional traditions as a jumping-off point for modern Midwestern cooking.

For WSJ+ members: Sign up for a chicken Kiev cooking class with chef Joe Papach

GROWING UP in Indiana, Joe Papach liked the frozen-food-aisle chicken Kiev his mom served. But his final Slow Food Fast recipe produces an airy, unfailingly tender rendition worthy of love.

In place of the usual chicken fillets he uses ground chicken. After chilling the mixture to firm it up slightly, he forms patties encasing a knob of herbed butter and coats them in a magic breading made with instant mashed potato flakes. As the patties fry, the herb butter goes molten and the exterior puffs to a golden crisp. A mustard-spiked potato salad makes the ideal match, said Mr. Papach: “It has enough acid to cut through the meal’s richness.”

—Kitty Greenwald is a chef, food writer and the co-author of ‘Slow Fires’ (Clarkson Potter)

To explore and search through all our recipes, check out the new WSJ Recipes page.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

Share your experience with this recipe. Did you make any adaptations? How did you serve it? Join the conversation below.