Grilled Chicken Paillard

Looking for that light dinner that is extremely impressive, wonderfully healthy, and surprisingly easy to prepare? Search no further. I know all of these characteristics sounds too good to be true, but I'm telling ya, this recipe's got them all covered. A thinly pounded chicken breast gets marinated with olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper, then grilled, and topped with a fresh arugula salad. Because the chicken is thin, it picks up a great sear on the grill yet still manages to hold on to all of that lemony flavor of it's simple marinade. Then while it's still hot, you plop a generous serving of arugula salad (filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion that's dressed with lemon and balsamic glaze) right on top. When that salad hits the chicken, magic happens as the lettuces wilt slightly and the salad's flavors cascade into the chicken. The lemon in the dressing marries with the lemon in the chicken's marinade, tying them together perfectly, and the balsamic glaze adds a welcome sweet and rich note that makes the whole dish sing. Basically, it rocks. And hey, yes summer is almost over *SAD/bittersweet/but i'm ready* but this is great for your bikini bod all year round.

Grilled Chicken Paillard, for 4

Ingredients
4 chicken boneless/skinless breasts, pounded thinly (smile @ your butcher and they'll hook you UP)
2 tbs good olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
generous sprinkle of salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

for the salad:
arugula
1 head of butter lettuce
4 cups of arugula
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 viadlia onion, roughly chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and roughly chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tbs balsamic glaze
kosher salt

Recipe: Put the chicken in a plastic bag or bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover or seal, and let marinade for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
When ready to cook, fire up your grill to medium-high heat and brush/spray it with olive oil. Lay the marinated chick on the grill on a diagonal to get nice grill marks. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, until nicely charred marks appear and the chicken meat turns white. Cut a piece in half to ensure it is cooked through. Once cooked, remove from grill.

In a large bowl combine the lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and balsamic glaze. Toss the salad with the dressing and sprinkle with some salt. Heap the salad on top of the chicken either on the platter or on individual plate servings. Serve immediately.

this is pretty nice, no?

paillard por favor

xoxo

hungreegirl.