Chicken Paillard Salad with Arugula and Parmesan

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Chicken Paillard Salad is created using the French technique of pounding a boneless piece of meat before cooking. This has the dual benefit of tenderizing the meat as well as creating a thinner cut that cooks faster, therefore, losing less moisture. Serve your chicken with arugula, tomatoes, parsley, and shaved parmesan for a light and vibrant salad, ideal as a midweek meal.

Chicken Paillard Salad

The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading all the way through for any tips or substitute suggestions, to ensure that you have any specialized ingredients and equipment required and that you understand the steps and timings involved.

This chicken paillard salad sounds really fancy, but it is a very simple salad made with chicken, arugula, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.

The fancy word “Paillard” is actually a French culinary term that refers to a piece of boneless meat pounded thin before cooking.

This method tenderizes the meat and allows it to cook quickly. It is often prepared by dredging the meat in flour prior to sautéing.

We have skipped the dredging process in this chicken salad recipe which will make it gluten-free.

Serve up the salad for lunch on a sunny summer day, or as a light main meal – perfect for when dining al fresco!

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe

While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.

It does not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, and pepper, as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen already. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.

• Protein – Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Fresh Produce – Lemons, Arugula (Rocket), Cherry Tomatoes, Parsley
• Dairy – Parmesan Cheese
• White Balsamic Vinegar
• Italian Seasoning – this recipe uses store-bought Italian Seasoning, but it is so easy to make your own herb mixes, especially if you already have a bunch of herbs and spices in your pantry already. Just mix equal measures of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, and thyme. You can also add a pinch of garlic granules or powder as well as red chili flakes if you like. Store in an airtight jar and use in recipes as required.
• Garlic Powder
• Dijon Mustard
• Honey – try to buy locally produced honey when possible.
• Sea Salt
• Garlic Powder

Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).

More Recipes Using Chicken

One of the hero ingredients in this dish is chicken, so here are some more recipes using the same:

• Grilled Greek Chicken Skewers (Chicken Kebabs for BBQ Season!)
• Grilled Chicken Brie Panini with Savory Peach Compote
• Orange Cranberry Chicken Recipe Made with Bone-In Chicken Breasts

More Salads Recipes

Looking for more salads to make? Check these recipes out next:

• Strawberry Feta Salad with Pecans and a Balsamic Glaze
• Roasted Golden Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Feta & Olives

Recipe Tips

• You can use any variety of cherry or grape tomatoes for the salad if the multi-colored mini-heirloom tomatoes shown here are unavailable.
• Prepare a double or triple batch of the lemon vinaigrette and store the leftover portion in the refrigerator to use throughout the week on salads or as a marinade for other dishes.

How Do I Make Chicken Paillard Salad?

Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.

Continue to Content

Chicken Paillard Salad

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Chicken Paillard Salad is created using the French technique of pounding a boneless piece of meat before cooking. This has the dual benefit of tenderizing the meat as well as creating a thinner cut that cooks faster, therefore, losing less moisture.

Print

Ingredients

For the Lemon Vinaigrette

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp honey
• Sea salt, to taste

Remaining Ingredients:

• 1¼ lbs (560g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large organic lemon, sliced and cut in half, divided
• 6 cup fresh arugula (rocket)
• 1 pint (500g) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare the vinaigrette by combining all ingredients in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and shake vigorously until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
2. Place the chicken on a large sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper spread out on a clean work surface. Cut the breasts in half horizontally (with the blade parallel to the counter) and arrange both halves on the plastic wrap or wax paper in a single layer.
3. Cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound to ¼” thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Remove the top cover and season on both sides with garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
4. Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and most of the lemon slices, reserving 3 or 4 slices for garnish.
5. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is golden brown on the bottom and releases easily from the skillet. Turn and cook on the remaining side another 2-3 minutes, or just until the chicken is cooked through. Note: Squeeze the lemon slices with tongs while the chicken cooks to release the juice.
6. Remove from heat and discard the lemon rinds. Transfer the chicken to a large platter and place the reserved lemons into the skillet for approximately 30 seconds per side to warm up. Place the warm lemons on the platter with the chicken and set them aside.
7. Add the arugula, tomatoes, fresh parsley, and Parmesan cheese to a large bowl and drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette on top. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss to combine.
8. To serve, divide the salad between 4 serving bowls and top each with some of the chicken and warm lemon slices. Offer remaining dressing on the side while serving. Enjoy!
   
   

Notes

You can use any variety of cherry or grape tomatoes for the salad if the multi-colored mini-heirloom tomatoes shown here are unavailable.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 526Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 483mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 48g

This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.

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Make It A Full Meal

You’ve made the main, but what about the rest of the courses?

Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:

• Appetizer: Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges with Herbed Coconut Yogurt Dip
• Soup: Instant Pot Creamy Asparagus Soup Recipe
• Beverage: Watermelon Kiwi Cocktail with White Wine
• Dessert: Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Topped with Lemon Curd

There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.

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