Chicken Paillard – Lemony chicken paillard is the type of meal that is perfect for a weeknight since there are no shortcuts. It’s fast and efficient by nature, like most traditional bistro meals. While it may seem fancy, It is just chicken cutlets that have been pounded with a meat mallet to tenderize them and shorten the cooking time. The delicate cutlets can then be pan-fried and served with a sauce, or they can be grilled. This dish takes less than 20 minutes to prepare, but the end product will astound and wow your visitors. It’s light and pleasant, but it’s also quite energetic. A salad of crisp shaved fennel, spicy arugula, and delicate baby potatoes is served alongside warm grilled chicken. Sliced almonds provide crunch to the salad, golden raisins bring sweetness, and feta gives just the proper amount of salty.
Chicken Paillard Recipe:
As you may have gathered from our Seared Chicken Paillard recipe, paillard is the only way I eat chicken breasts. Pounding the breasts thin before cooking them ensures that the flesh cooks fast and uniformly, keeping it soft and juicy (nothing worse than dry, chalky chicken!). The pounded chicken is grilled rather than sautéed in this rendition, making it ideal for warm-weather weekday meals and entertaining.
What Exactly Is Chicken Paillard?
“Paillard” is a French word that refers to a pounded thin slice of meat—“paillard” does not just relate to chicken. Pounding the meat thin tenderizes it and reduces cooking time whether you’re working with pig, chicken, or veal. Plus, honestly, all that hammering is a lot of pleasure. Pounding chicken breasts into chicken paillards does not require any special equipment. If you have a meat mallet, this is the time to use it, but if you don’t, a normal old rolling pin will suffice.
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Shallots
- Lemon
- Chicken Stock
- Garlic
- Chives
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Chicken Paillard?
- Place the chicken fillets between two pieces of plastic wrap, one at a time. Flatten the fillets to 14-inch thickness using a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet. Season the chicken cutlets to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large pan over medium-high heat until the butter foams. Cook two of the chicken pieces (called paillards) on one side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the chicken for another 2-3 minutes, or until it is cooked through.
- Repeat with the remaining two pieces of chicken. Transfer the chicken to a dish.
- Cook the shallot in the skillet until softened, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Return the heat to medium-high and stir in the lemon juice and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer while deglazing the pan, scraping the brown pieces from the bottom carefully.
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half and thickened slightly. Cook, stirring constantly, until the remaining 4 tablespoons butter is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in the lemon zest and chives to mix. Return all of the chicken to the pan, along with any juices that have accumulated on the dish. Warm until well warmed. Serve alongside a simple green salad.
Tips And Tricks:
- You may substitute a grill pan or simply cook the chicken in a skillet!
- You may either pound the chicken breasts yourself (for instructions on how to do so, see this other paillard page) or ask your butcher to do it for you. You may also use chicken cutlets instead (plan on about 2-3 cutlets per person, depending on their size).
- To keep the chicken from sticking, spray both the grill and the bird with oil. Also, before cooking, make sure the grill is prepared and hot. To turn the chicken, you’ll need a decent pair of tongs.
How Should I Cook Chicken Breasts For Chicken Paillard?
- Chicken breasts should be cut in half horizontally into two thin pieces.
- Cover all of the chicken cutlets with plastic wrap on a large chopping board.
- Pound with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or a big heavy skillet until no more than 12 inch thick across the board. It’s critical that all of the chicken cutlets have the same thickness so that they cook at the same time.
What Kind Of Sauce Should I Serve With This Recipe?
A lovely sauce made with delicate shallots and garlic gently sautéed in butter, blood orange juice, additional butter, and capers. This sauce is fairly thin because we didn’t add flour or corn starch to thicken it because we wanted to keep the dish light. Yes, in addition to chicken, this sauce goes well with fish.
What Can I Do To Avoid My Chicken From Drying Out?
Pounding chicken breasts ensures that they cook quickly and evenly, avoiding drying out. To ensure that the chicken cooks fast, make sure your grill (or pan) is hot before adding it.
Can I Prepare The Chicken Paillard Ahead Of Time?
You may pound the chicken breasts up to a day ahead of time (refrigerate until ready to use). The dressing can be made up to two days ahead of time.
Should You Freeze This Chicken Dish?
Absolutely! This Chicken dish freezes and reheats wonderfully, so it may be made ahead of time. Serve it with crusty bread to mop up the juices.
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Chicken Paillard
Chicken Paillard - Lemony chicken paillard is the type of meal that is perfect for a weeknight since there are no shortcuts. It's fast and efficient by nature, like most traditional bistro meals. While it may seem fancy, It is just chicken cutlets that have been pounded with a meat mallet to tenderize them and shorten the cooking time.
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, horizontally split to create 4 fillets
- 1 teaspoon salt
- To taste, freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoon. olive oil
- 6 tablespoon. unsalted cold butter
- 1 large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon. lemon juice, squeezed
- 1 cup chicken broth
- zest lemon
- 1/4 cup chives, chopped
Instructions
Place the chicken fillets between two pieces of plastic wrap, one at a time. Flatten the fillets to 14-inch thickness using a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet. Season the chicken cutlets to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large pan over medium-high heat until the butter foams. Cook two of the chicken pieces (called paillards) on one side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the chicken for another 2-3 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Place on a platter. Return the heat to medium-high and repeat with the remaining two pieces of chicken. Transfer the chicken to a dish.
Cook the shallot in the skillet until softened, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Return the heat to medium-high and stir in the lemon juice and chicken stock.
Bring to a simmer while deglazing the pan, scraping the brown pieces from the bottom carefully. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half and thickened slightly. Cook, stirring constantly, until the remaining 4 tablespoons butter is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the lemon zest and chives to mix. Return all of the chicken to the pan, along with any juices that have accumulated on the dish. Warm until well warmed. Serve alongside a simple green salad.
Notes
Cook the potatoes and combine them with the vinegar combination up to 2 hours ahead of time (leave them at room temperature). You may also store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
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