Chicken Paillard
with potato-cauliflower mash / mixed greens salad

Name: Chicken Paillard
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 20 oz Cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen, chopped into florets; 2 lbs Potatoes, russet, peeled and cubed; 1/4 cup Sour cream (sub plain or Greek yogurt); 1 bulb Shallots, diced; 2 cloves Garlic, chopped; 1 lb Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, halved; 2 tsp Lemon zest; 2 Tbsp Parsley (opt), chopped; 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp Butter; 1 Tbsp Flour, all-purpose; 1/2 cup Wine, white (sub stock); 1/2 cup Stock, any type; 1 Tbsp Lemon juice; 1/4 cup Almonds, sliced; 4 oz Cucumbers, sliced; 2 tsp Lemon juice; 1 tsp Vinegar, red or white wine; 1 tsp Mustard, Dijon; 1 tsp Honey; 2 Tbsp Oil, olive; 4 oz Mixed greens

Active: 60 Total: 60

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

For this French classic, pound chicken cutlets very thin so they cook quickly. They'll be tender, buttery, and delicious. Be sure to spoon some of the velvety pan sauce over the mashed vegetables, too! We previously featured a different version of this dish in 2022.
Smarts: If you'd like to get this meal to the table faster, you can make the potato-cauliflower mash fully ahead and reheat it at serving time (remember to reserve half of the vegetables for Thursday's meal).

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Boiled Potatoes and Cauliflower (for 2 nights):

Cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen - 20 oz , chopped into florets
Potatoes, russet - 2 lbs , peeled and cubed
Sour cream - 1/4 cup (sub plain or Greek yogurt)

Chicken Paillard:

Shallots - 1 bulb , diced
Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 lb , halved
Lemon zest - 2 tsp
Parsley (opt) - 2 Tbsp , chopped
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Butter - 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
Flour, all-purpose - 1 Tbsp
Wine, white - 1/2 cup (sub stock)
Stock, any type - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp

Mixed Greens Salad:

Almonds, sliced - 1/4 cup
Cucumbers - 4 oz , sliced
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 tsp
Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
Honey - 1 tsp
Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
Mixed greens - 4 oz

Prep

Cauliflower / Shallots / Garlic - (If prepping right before cooking, prep potatoes first and get them started boiling.) Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Toast almonds - Place almonds in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Toast in the dry skillet until golden and fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Chicken - Slice chicken in half to thin. Place chicken pieces on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Pound chicken with a meat tenderizer to flatten to ¼” / 0.6 cm and season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Potatoes / Lemon zest / Parsley / Cucumbers- Prep as directed.

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Make

Place stockpot with water and potatoes over high heat (wait to add cauliflower). Season the water well with some salt.
Bring potatoes to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add fresh cauliflower florets after potatoes have been boiling for 7 minutes; add frozen cauliflower florets after 10 minutes. When vegetables are tender, drain and rinse. Place colander with vegetables back in stockpot (off heat) and cover with a dish towel to steam. (This will give you tender but not watery potatoes.) Set aside half of the potatoes and cauliflower if making Thursday night’s meal.
While vegetables cook, assemble the salad. In a large serving or mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice (portion for salad), vinegar, mustard, honey, and olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper to taste. Pile cucumbers, mixed greens, and almonds on top of dressing, but wait to toss together until just before serving.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add cooking oil and first portion of butter. When butter is melted and bubbly, add chicken in a single layer. Saute until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (165F / 74C), 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Return pan to the stove and reduce heat to medium-low. Add shallots and garlic and saute until golden and tender, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over shallots and stir until no dry spots remain. Add wine and stock to the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Simmer until liquid is reduced by about half, 4-5 minutes.
While sauce reduces, return potatoes and cauliflower to stock pot and add in sour cream. Mash with a fork or potato masher (or use an immersion blender to get it really smooth and creamy). Add some stock, water, or more sour cream if the mixture is too thick to mash. Season to taste with some salt and cover to keep warm.
When sauce has reduced, stir in second portion of butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice (portion for chicken) and heat gently until butter has melted. Taste and season with some additional salt and pepper, if needed. Return chicken to pan and turn to coat both sides with sauce. Remove from heat and sprinkle parsley (if using) over top of the chicken.
Toss the salad to coat with dressing.
Divide chicken and potato-cauliflower mash among serving plates and spoon pan sauce over top. Enjoy with salad on the side.

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