Chicken Paillard with Arugula & Tomato

Well friends, we are back to sunny, warm weather here in Southern California and I'm in the mood for fresh, light meals. 

This dish is perfect~light & fresh and a staple in our house for summertime. It's inspired by a recipe in the Nordstrom Flavors Cookbook, and what got me excited about cooking chicken again.

Before, the taste of chicken seemed boring and a little too game-y to me, bleh. Once I discovered paillards, I suddenly looked forward to meals with chicken. I now prepare all my chicken dishes in the paillard fashion and it makes such a difference! Suddenly the chicken becomes sweet and flavorful, yum. 

This is one of Jesse {and Ryder's if you can believe it} favorite meals, both boys gobble it up! The dressing certainly makes the meal, you should have some leftover to serve over your side salad the next night!

Ingredients

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts {preferably free~range organic. The better quality your chicken, the better it will taste}

- 10 ounces arugula {tough stems removed}

- cherry tomatoes, halved {J isn't a fan of tomatoes, so I usually just use a handful for me and Ry}

- 1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced

{balsamic vinaigrette}

- 1/3 cup, plus one tbsp. balsamic vinegar

- 2 tablespoons minced sweet onion

- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard

- 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

- 1 handful fresh basil, chopped

- 1 cup olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

Directions

 1.) Combine the balsamic vinaigrette ingredients, sans the olive oil in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify. Set aside.

2.) Split each chicken breast in half horizontally. Place each half between two sheets of parchment paper and pound gently, working from the inside out. Your breast should go from 1/2 inch wide to 1/4 {This step can be done several hours before cooking to get ahead. simply cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until needed}

3.) Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non~stick skillet until hot. Cook each paillard approx. 2 minutes each side, seasoning each side. Place in the oven to keep warm as you cook finish cooking remaining paillards.

3.) Arrange your paillards on a dinner plate, and top with arugula, tomato and onion. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.

until next time

B