Home Chicken Breast Recipes Chicken Paillard
Becky Hardin
4.84 from 6 votes
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Chicken Paillard is a healthy dinner recipe that’s so very easy to prepare! Chicken breasts are butterflied and tenderized to accomplish the best shape, then marinated in a delicious medley of white wine, lemon juice, garlic and more. It’s then pan seared to perfection and served over a leafy green salad!
Why we love this Paillard Chicken Recipe
This French method of preparing chicken is one of my absolute favorites! Here’s why I love it so much:
- Quick & Easy: This easy chicken paillard recipe can be cooked in 30 minutes! It’s a great dish for busy weeknights when you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
- One-Pan Meal: If you hate washing dishes, then this recipe is your best friend! Everything in this recipe is cooked in one large skillet for your convenience.
- Healthy & Delicious: Not only does this light and zesty chicken taste good, but it’s healthy too! This low-calorie meal will leave you fully satisfied.
What other meat can I paillard?
You can paillard virtually any meat, including pork, veal, or beef!
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How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover chicken paillard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend storing the chicken and salad separately. Reheat the chicken in 30-second increments in the microwave until warmed through.
How to Freeze
While the chicken breasts freeze well, I do not recommend freezing the salad. Freeze the chicken breasts in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
What is chicken paillard?
“Paillard” (pronounced pai-aar) is French for a boneless piece of meat that has been pounded thin. Chicken paillard simply refers to thinly pounded chicken, which can be prepared virtually any way you like. In this recipe, we marinate it in a zesty sauce, pan fry it, and serve it with a tasty arugula salad.
More Chicken Breast Recipes We Love
- Baked Lemon Chicken Foil Packets
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken
- Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Cranberry Chicken
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4.84 from 6 votes
Chicken Paillard Recipe
This classic chicken paillard recipe is the perfect dinner after a long day. Crispy chicken is served with a beautiful salad, making it a healthy dinner that is ridiculously easy to prepare!
Prep: 30 minutes minutes
Cook: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 1 lemon juiced, zested, and divided
- 1 shallot chopped
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic about 2 cloves
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 4 cups trimmed arugula or salad greens
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 handful basil or parsley chopped (optional)
- lemon wedges optional, for serving
Equipment
Cast Iron Skillet
Instant-Read Thermometer
Instructions
Butterfly each chicken breast, then pound each to ¼-inch thickness using a meat tenderizer or heavy pan. Season them with a bit of salt and pepper and set them aside.
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
In a plastic Ziplock bag or large bowl, combine the wine (or broth), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon zest, shallot, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and garlic. Add the chicken and massage the marinade around the meat, sealing the bag (or covering the bowl with plastic wrap). Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
⅓ cup dry white wine, 1 lemon, 1 shallot, 5 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic
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Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Remove each piece of chicken from the marinade and add them to the hot oil in the skillet in a single layer.
Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip and cook another 2-4 minutes on the other side until fully cooked to 165°F internally. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and repeat with any other pieces.
While the chicken is cooking, whisk the remaining lemon juice and zest, remaining olive oil, mustard, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl until emulsified. Place the salad greens, tomatoes, and basil (if using) in a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over, tossing to combine. Serve with the cooked chicken
2 tablespoons grainy mustard, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 4 cups trimmed arugula or salad greens, 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, 1 handful basil or parsley, lemon wedges
Notes
- You can paillard virtually any meat, including pork, veal, or beef!
- In place of the white wine, you can use an equal amount of chicken or vegetable broth!
- In place of fresh garlic, use ½ teaspoon granulated.
- You can use any mustard you like in the dressing!
- You can use balsamic, white wine, or sherry vinegar in place of the red wine vinegar.
- Feel free to use your favorite salad greens, and add any vegetables you love!
- If your chicken breasts are exceptionally large (12 ounces or larger each), you can use 2 chicken breasts and split them in half horizontally.
- I recommend placing the chicken breasts in a Ziplock bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap before pounding to minimize the mess.
- Be sure the chicken breasts are all of equal thickness; this will ensure they cook evenly.
- Let the pan heat up thoroughly before adding the chicken to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan.
- Wait to flip the chicken breasts until they naturally release from the pan; otherwise, they may break into pieces.
- Use an instant-read meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature; once the chicken is 165°F, it is finished cooking.
Storage:Store chicken paillard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer (without the salad) for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Paillard Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 329Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 0.01g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 72mg24%
Sodium 373mg16%
Potassium 682mg19%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 819IU16%
Vitamin C 23mg28%
Calcium 57mg6%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Author: Becky Hardin
Course:Dinner
Cuisine:French
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How to make Chicken Paillard Step by Step
Prepare the chicken and marinade:Butterfly all 4 chicken breasts and pound them to 1/4-inch thickness. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and set aside. Make the marinade by combining 1/3 cup white wine, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp zest, 1 shallot, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp minced garlic in a bowl or zip-top bag.
Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken to the marinade. Massage the marinade all around the meat. Seal the bag or cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Cook the chicken: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Remove each piece of chicken from the marinade and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Work in batches to cook all of the chicken.
Make the salad: Make the dressing first by combining the remaining lemon juice and zest, remaining olive oil, 2 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a small bowl until emulsified. Place 4 cups arugula, 8oz cherry tomatoes and 1 handful of basil into a bowl. Toss everything together with the dressing. Serve with the cooked chicken.
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Meet Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin founded Easy Chicken Recipes in 2018. She has been creating trusted, easy, and delicious recipes on the web since 2012. Becky is known for simple dinner ideas, delicious crockpot recipes, creative chicken meals, and so much more. We have built a team of recipe developers, testers, and writers that love to create trust chicken recipes for every family.
