Mustard-Garlic Chicken Paillards with Spring Peas and Lemon

Mustard-Garlic Chicken Paillards with Spring Peas and Lemon
Hirsheimer & Hamilton
Provided by:
total prep
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be bland, but paillards (just a French way of saying "flattened") cook so quickly that they retain a lot of flavor and stay really moist. The peas, mustard, and lemon zest pack a big punch into each juicy bite. If you can’t grill, the paillards can be seared in a large hot skillet with a little oil.

Reprinted with permission from The Farm: Rustic Recipes for a Year of Incredible Food by Ian Knauer/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

Ingredients

  • FOR THE PEAS:
  • 8 ounces snow peas
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 large scallions, finely chopped
  • 1 1/4 pounds shell peas, shelled (1 1/2 cups), or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • FOR THE CHICKEN:
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 3/4 pounds total)
  • Pea shoots for garnish (optional)

Directions

  • Preheat the grill and oil the grill rack.
  • Make the peas: Trim the snow peas and cut them diagonally into thirds. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the snow peas, regular peas, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender and bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Keep warm.
  • Make the chicken: Mince and mash the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt to a paste with a chef's knife. Stir together the garlic paste, mustard, lemon zest, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl.
  • Place 1 chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap, then pound it with a meat pounder until it is 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Rub the breasts all over with the mustard mixture.
  • Grill the chicken, turning once, until grill marks appear and it is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Serve the chicken topped with the pea mixture and fresh pea shoots, if desired.

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