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.
Course Salads
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 7 minutesminutes
Total Time 22 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 526kcal
Author Michelle Ordever
Ingredients
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
¼cupextra virgin olive oil
1Tbspwhite balsamic vinegar
1Tbspfresh lemon juice
1tsplemon zest
½tspItalian seasoning
½tspgarlic powder
1tspDijon mustard
1Tbsphoney
Sea saltto taste
Remaining Ingredients:
1¼lbs560g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1tspgarlic powder
Sea salt and black pepperto taste
2Tbspextra virgin olive oil
1large organic lemonsliced and cut in half, divided
6cupfresh arugularocket
1pint500g cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3Tbspfresh parsleychopped
¼cupshaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.