Category: Poultry - Fresh

Chicken Paillard     

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, sliced lengthwise as thinly as possible
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:
Place 1 chicken breast between two large pieces of parchment paper on a sturdy work surface. Pound with a meat mallet until the breast is about 1/4 inch thick. If you don’t have a mallet, you can use a heavy pan or rolling pin. Set aside and repeat with the remaining breasts.

Season each breast with 1/4 teaspoon salt per side and a generous amount of pepper. In sauté or frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil, the chili flakes, and bay leaf until very hot, about 1 minute. Place 2 of the breasts in the pan and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is also golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the breasts to a plate. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Repeat with the remaining 2 breasts and set aside. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the garlic to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the garlic begins to soften, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the olives and capers and cook until well combined, about 1 minute. Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan. Stir to coat, cover, and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 3 minutes. Uncover, remove from the heat, and add the parsley. Spoon some of the olive mixture on top of each breast. Serves 4.

Date added: 2013-10-15
Number of visits: 2671