Photo by America’s Test Kitchen

• Share

PRINT

These sautéed, super-thin chicken cutlets are easy to make and look so good, they evoke the feeling of an evening out.

Paillard is a French term that refers to boneless meat that has been pounded thin to tenderize it and help it cook faster.

In this recipe, we halve boneless chicken breasts horizontally and pound them to an even thickness under plastic wrap, so they cook at the same rate and turn out moist, tender and juicy. (To make slicing the chicken easier, freeze breasts for 15 minutes first.)

To further ensure juiciness, we brown them on only one side. Getting a brown crust is key, but browning both sides dries the meat out.

The cutlets can be paired with a number of sauces. We offer the sweet, tangy combination of apple cider and cider vinegar with the kick of whole grain mustard.

Chicken Paillard

Servings: 4

Total minutes: 40

Ingredients:

• 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed and breasts trimmed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Instructions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Halve chicken horizontally, then cover chicken halves with plastic wrap and use meat pounder to pound cutlets to an even ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook, without moving, until browned, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, flip cutlets and continue to cook until second sides are opaque, 15 to 20 ­seconds. Transfer to large heatproof plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and repeat with remaining cutlets. Cover plate loosely with foil and transfer to oven to keep warm while making the sauce.

Mustard Cider Sauce

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1¼ cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. (If necessary, add oil to equal 1 tablespoon).
2. Add shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute.
3. Adjust heat to medium-high and add cider and vinegar.
4. Bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
5. Simmer until reduced to ½ cup, 6 to 7 minutes.
6. Off heat, stir in mustard and parsley, then whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately with cutlets.

Excerpted from the new America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, Modern Bistro.