There are so many recipes for chicken. I like to eat chicken breasts, but this is a protein that requires a fair amount of effort to get a result that is moist and flavorful and that is cooked just right, neither under nor over done. Even cooked properly, chicken breasts can be bland and boring. Seasoning, herbs, and sauces play a huge role in elevating the end product to something special.
I found this recipe from David Tanis at The NY Times for an entrée that is full of flavor and easy to prepare. The breasts are prepared as a paillard, which is a French word for a thin piece of meat that can be cooked quickly. In this case, chicken breasts are sliced and then pounded to an even thickness, seasoned in a quick and simple marinade of salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil, sautéed in a pan, finished in the oven, and served with a dab of tapenade, a traditional Provençal black olive paste, which makes a perfect accompaniment.
chicken paillard with olive tapenade
Ingredients:
FOR THE TAPENADE:
• 1 cup pitted Niçoise olives
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tablespoon capers, well rinsed
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• Pinch of red-pepper flakes
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE CHICKEN:
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 8 ounces each
• Salt and pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped thyme, plus a few sprigs
• 8 wide strips of lemon zest, from 1 medium lemon
• 5 ounces wild arugula (about 4 handfuls)
• A piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino Romano, for shaving
• Lemon wedges
Instructions:
- Make the tapenade: In the bowl of a food processor, place olives, anchovy, garlic, capers, parsley, orange zest, lemon zest, red-pepper flakes and olive oil. Pulse several times to make a rough paste, then scrape down sides of the bowl and purée for about 30 seconds more. Alternatively, use a knife to finely chop ingredients, transfer them to a bowl and stir in the olive oil. You should have about 1 cup of tapenade, more than you need for this recipe. (Refrigerate the remainder for up to 2 weeks.)
- Prepare the chicken: Working one at a time, lay chicken breast on a sturdy cutting board. With a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut breast horizontally in half, almost, but not completely. Open the breast like a book; it will be a heart-shaped piece of meat. Lay the breast between two resealable plastic bags and lightly pound the breast to ⅜- to ½-inch thickness. Don’t pound too hard, or the meat may tear. When all breasts are ready, transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet in one layer.
- Season each breast on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Sprinkle with chopped thyme, and rub seasoning into meat, coating evenly with oil. Scatter thyme sprigs and lemon zest strips over. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Set oven to 400 degrees. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat, and lightly coat bottom with olive oil. When oil is hot, lay two chicken breasts top-side down in skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn over and cook 1 minute more. Transfer breasts to a clean baking sheet, browned-side up. Repeat with the other breasts.
- Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until firm to the touch. Remove from oven, keep warm and let rest 5 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and lemon zest strips.
- Put arugula in a bowl, and dress very lightly with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place a handful of dressed greens on each of four plates. Place cooked paillards alongside. Smear 1 tablespoon tapenade across the surface of each breast. With a vegetable peeler, shave some cheese over arugula. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.
I modified the recipe somewhat. I made the tapenade with 3 different olives; kalamata, castelvetrano, and dry cured black in equal amounts. I used a very good quality EVOO for the tapenade. I left out the citrus and the pepper flakes in the marinade step, and I also skipped the use of lemon in the final serving. I placed the lightly dressed arugula on the plate, put a little of the tapenade on the arugula, then a piece of the cooked chicken on top of the greens, spooning more tapenade over the top surface of the chicken and finished with Parmesan shavings.
You might wish to use the citrus called for in a recipe, as it will give an acidic splash to the final result, but I didn’t think it necessary. Letting the chicken slices sit with the salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil for 30 minutes gives the chicken just the right amount of “brine” time and keeps the chicken moist and flavorful. The timing of the sauté and finishing in the hot oven solves the issue of under or over cooking of the chicken.
You end up with something on the plate that is visually appealing and tastes wonderful. Serve it by itself, or make a small side of crispy roast potatoes https://www.seriouseats.com/ultra-crispy-roast-potatoes-recipe or pasta alla lemone.https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-al-limone and a little of the tapenade works well with either of these sides. A little tapenade on a crostini tastes great too!
trustforce 