The Ringer: Chicken Paillard with Three-Herb Sauce

This post was originally published on my old blog. This version may contain minor edits and updates. The original is preserved at Recipe Repository. 

I can solve four of your problems right now.

No, really! The catch? You don’t get to specify which problems, but if you’re here I bet these ones resonate with you:

1. “I want an impressive meal, but I’ve made the same lasagna recipe from the back of the pasta box the last 10 times we’ve had company.”
2. “I don’t have enough time to make dinner” / “I don’t feel like making dinner if it’s going to take time”
3. “My chicken breasts shrink when I cook them! It’s like they hopped in the frying pan and decided to join the itty bitty… chicky committee.”*
4. “I’m always terrified my chicken isn’t going to cook through. The outside gets burnt before I can get the middle cooked!”

I know your pain.

Chicken Paillard. It sounds so regal, right?

All it is? Skinny chicken. Not skinny like low-calorie (which is BS anyway). Skinny as in you cut it open and beat it until it’s skinny.

Why would you bother doing all of that? Let’s turn to another name for explanation.

You may also hear this dish called an escalope. Sound familiar?  Escalope… Scallops! Think scalloped potatoes and you’re on the right track—cut thin for quick cooking and even distribution.

This has an added bonus for chicken: you lose less liquid from quick cooking times and the pounding tenderizes the meat, so your chicken stays soft and juicy!

I realize that when you’re looking through the steps of the recipe for the chicken it looks like a lot. But I promise that once you do the first chicken breast it will go so fast you won’t believe it.  You only have to cook for 2 minutes each side!  With a regular chicken breast it takes about 4-6 minutes on each side, maybe more if they’re super thick.

Really, just try it once. Keep this recipe around and you can have a quick, impressive meal in your back pocket so you can actually spend time with your guests outside the kitchen, or even just for a post-work meal when you can’t bear the thought of cooking for longer than 15 minutes.

You can serve this chicken plain or with any sauce you’d normally serve it with, but in spirit of the season, I suggest this summery three-herb sauce.  It’s minty, a little sweet, and so refreshing!

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chicken paillard with three-herb sauce

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• Author: Leannda Cavalier
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 5-10 minutes (depending on pan size)
• Total Time: 5 minute
• Yield: Serves 6 1x

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Ingredients

For the chicken paillard

• 6 small-to-medium chicken breasts
• 2–3 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For the three-herb sauce

• ⅓ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup fresh sweet mint, roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Pinch of salt

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Instructions

To make the chicken paillard

1. Cover a cutting board with plastic wrap.
2. Lay one chicken breast flat on the cutting board, smooth side down. Usually the chicken is longer than it is wide. You want one of the long ends facing you. Trim off any excess pieces of fat.
3. Place your knife along the center of the breast lengthwise and make a vertical cut about halfway through.
4. Keeping your knife in the cut you just made, turn it left and cut horizontally until just before you reach the edge (do not cut the piece off). Unfold the cut you just made and you should have a longer chicken breast with more even thickness on that side.
5. Repeat step 4 with the right side of the chicken.
6. Place a second sheet of plastic wrap on top of the chicken and pound the chicken with a mallet or rolling pin. I even used a can of soup in my college days. You’re looking to tenderize and even out the thickness of the chicken here, so be careful not to create any holes in the chicken. Stop when it is uniform in evenness.
7. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
8. Season both sides with salt, pepper and oregano—about a pinch of each for each side.
9. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide frying pan to medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 2-3 minutes. Flip and sear 2-3 minutes more.*
10. Allow to rest on a cutting board covered in foil for 5-10 minutes.
11. Drizzle with three-herb summer sauce and serve.

To make the three-herb sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides.
2. Add additional water 2 tablespoons at a time if herbs won’t process or your sauce is clumpy.
3. Pour over chicken and devour!

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Notes

• *You’ll know the chicken is done when it has dark brown sear marks and no pink remains on the outside. Don’t worry too much about the inside — it will continue to cook while resting.

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Paillard, Searing
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: chicken paillard with three-herb sauce, chicken paillard, chicken recipes, herb sauce, no cook sauce

*Yup, that’s where that landed.