Chicken Paillard With Sage, Garlic & Brown Butter
Photography: ALAN BENSON
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Chicken Paillard With Sage, Garlic & Brown Butter

A quick classic, 'Paillard' means 'flattened' in French. It's a fantastic method for chicken breasts – tenderising and ensuring even cooking. Bash gently, then cook and top with fried capers, sage, brown butter, and lemon juice.
Photography: ALAN BENSON

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Serves
2-3
Total Time
25 Minutes
Ingredients
2 x 200g chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
½ cup of plain flour
2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
50g of unsalted butter
8 garlic cloves, unpeeled & smashed
2 tbsp of capers in brine, rinsed
Half a bunch of sage, leaves picked (about 20-30 leaves)
Zest & juice of half a lemon
100ml of chicken stock
Fine sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Step 1

Butterfly the chicken breast and place it in-between two sheets of baking paper. Use a rolling pin to bash the chicken until it’s 3-4 mm thick. Remove the paper and season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Tip the flour onto a plate or tray and dredge the chicken in the flour.

Step 2

Set a wide, flat frying pan over a high heat and add the olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until slightly golden. Remove the chicken from the pan and reduce the heat to medium.

Step 3

Add in the butter and garlic cloves. When the butter has browned, add in the capers and sage and fry for 30 seconds. Next, add in the lemon zest and juice, along with the chicken stock. Simmer the pan sauce until it has reduced by half, then add the chicken back in, coating it in the sauce and cooking for a further minute just to heat it through. Serve immediately.

Note: To butterfly a chicken breast, lay it in on a chopping board with the thicker end pointing away from you. Press down onto the chicken with the palm of your hand while you use your other hand to cut through the length of the chicken breast using a chef ’s knife, aiming to get as close to the centre as possible. Do this slowly and carefully. As you cut, use the hand that’s pressing down on the breast to lift the top piece of breast away from the bottom. Cut all the way through to the other end, leaving you with two thin slices of chicken breast.

Recipe courtesy of Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking by Danielle Alvarez with Libby Travers (Murdoch Books, £24.99, was £30). Photography by Alan Benson

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