Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Easy Weeknight Chicken Paillard

Every once in a while, we all need one of those meals that requires no energy, no brainpower, no skills, and no effort to pull off. I'm no exception! After a wretched day at the office, this Chicken Paillard hits the spot. Paired with some easy oven roasted potatoes or even a bag of veggies steamed in the microwave, this meal will quickly become your "go-to" for an easy weeknight meal.

When I say easy, I mean EASY!! You need a total of 5 ingredients (6 if you include the chicken) and most of which are always on hand. This chicken is so flavorful, so light, so satisfying. It is absolutely perfect for a quick, yummy, summer dinner. Throw together the marinade in about 2 minutes, crank up your grill, grab a cold beer, and sit back and unwind from the stresses of the day. Now you know those comedy skits that seem to come full circle by the end of the show...the comedian references jokes he made during the entire sketch to make one extra-funny joke to polish off his performance? Well, I'm about to do the same in blog-land. Just you watch. :)

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast per person
(See: *Two Breasts are Better than One*)
1 handful of Rosemary- preferably from your garden!
(See: *On a Regular Wednesday Afternoon....*)
Juice of 1 Lemon
Generous sprinkle of Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning
3-4 Freshly pressed cloves of Garlic
(See: Top 10 "Can't Live Without"s: Kitchen Tools)
Olive Oil



Tools you'll need:

Chef's Knife
Cutting Board
Garlic Press
(See: Top 10 "Can't Live Without"s: Kitchen Tools for all the above)


Directions:

1. Finely chop the Rosemary. Toss it in the Ziploc bag with the Chicken Breasts.







2. Remove the skins from the garlic cloves, push them through the Garlic Press into the bag.







3. Sprinkle the chicken generously with the Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning.



4. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bag with the rest of the ingredients.





5. Pour about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Olive Oil to coat all the ingredients nicely and to create the marinade. Tightly zip the bag and rub/toss the chicken to coat completely. Store in the fridge until you are ready to eat.







6. Light the grill, set it to high heat. Spray the grill with non-stick cooking spray and using GRILLING tongs, place the chicken breasts on the hot grill. For a nice grill-mark effect, turn the chicken breasts 90 degrees and continue to sear. After about 4 minutes, turn them over and repeat the 90 degree turning for an X. If you don't care about looks, just be sure to cook the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the breast. Serve them piping hot with whatever sides you opt for. Like a little more brightness, squeeze a fresh lemon over the cooked chicken.





Enjoy!!

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

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