This Crispy Chicken Paillard is coated in a crunchy panko crust, pan-seared, and then topped with a fresh lemon arugula salad! It is super simple to make and the whole meal comes together in about 30 minutes or less.
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When it came time to pick the first recipe on this blog, I had no doubt that this crispy chicken paillard would be the first. This is a meal my mom often made for me growing up and one that my friends always ask me to make when they come over for dinner.
What is chicken paillard?
In French cooking, "paillard" refers to a piece of meat that has been pounded thin. It tends to result in meat that is evenly cooked throughout and juicy.
In my version of chicken paillard, I coat the chicken in a crispy panko crust to create a crunchy exterior for the juicy chicken breast.
How to make chicken paillard
1. Place the boneless, skinless chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken into even ½ inch thickness.
2. Set up your dredging station with 3 shallow bowls. To one bowl add the flour, to another add a beaten egg, and to the final, add panko, salt, and pepper.
3. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg, and then the panko. This step can be done up to several hours in advance and the chicken can be kept in the fridge until ready.
4. Add the oil to a pan on medium-high heat (you may need to work in batches or use two pans to prevent over crowding). Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until crispy and fully cooked through. Add more oil to the pan if it dries out.
5. While the chicken breasts are cooking, make the arugula salad by tossing the arugula, tomatoes, and mozzarella in the garlic lemon vinaigrette. Serve the hot chicken with the salad on top.
Expert tips
- Pound the chicken breasts into even thickness before coating it in the panko. This will help make the chicken cook evenly throughout. By pounding the chicken, it will cook fully on the inside at the same time the outside gets crispy. If you don't have a meat mallet, a rolling pin or pot will work!
- If the pan dries out when cooking, add more oil to the pan. The panko will burn and not get crispy in a dry pan.
- To prevent overcrowding, you may need to work in batches or grab a second pan. If the pan is too crowded with chicken, the panko will steam and be soggy, rather than get crispy.
- The salad dressing is one of my favorite dressing recipes. It is a punchy dressing with champagne vinegar, lemon juice, and grated garlic but it pairs so well with the crispy chicken and crunchy arugula. Save this dressing to use on other salad recipes!
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Prep ahead tips
To prep this chicken paillard in advance, coat the chicken in the panko up to the morning of and keep it covered in the refrigerator before pan-searing. You can either spread each piece of chicken out across a sheet pan and cover it, or you can stack the chicken breasts on top of one any other with a layer of parchment paper in between each.
Serving suggestions
Since I serve this chicken paillard with a salad on top, I consider it a full meal by itself and typically don't accompany it with any side dishes.
If I was hosting a dinner party, I'd serve my Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip as an appetizer, Blueberry Lemon Drop or white wine to drink, and, Strawberry Bread Pudding for dessert.
More chicken recipes you'll love
I'm so excited to share with you my first recipe! If you make this crispy chicken paillard I'd love to know what you think in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Paillard with Arugula Salad
Ingredients
Crispy Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded into ½ an inch
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup avocado oil plus more as needed
Salad
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 3 tablespoon champagne or white wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ a lemon)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups arugula or mixed greens
- 1 pt grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella preferably ciglienne, cut into bite sized pieces
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, place flour. In a second shallow bowl, whisk together eggs. In a third bowl, place panko, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. Transfer the chicken to the eggs, then coat with the panko mixture.
- Heat a large saute pan on medium-high heat (you may need a second pan or to work in batches to prevent over crowding). Add the oil then the chicken and cook until crispy on both sides and cooked through, flipping halfway through, about 4 minutes per side. If the pan gets dry while cooking, add a little more oil to keep the chicken crispy and stop it from burning.
- Meanwhile make the salad. To make the salad dressing, mix together Dijon, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss together greens or arugula with tomatoes, mozzarella, and dressing.
- Serve chicken hot with mixed salad directly on top.
Notes
- To prep this chicken paillard in advance, coat the chicken in the panko up to the morning of and keep it covered in the refrigerator before pan-searing. You can either spread each piece of chicken out across a sheet pan and cover it, or you can stack the chicken breasts on top of one any other with a layer of parchment paper in between each.
- If the pan dries out when cooking, add more oil to the pan. The panko will burn and not get crispy in a dry pan.
- To prevent overcrowding, you may need to work in batches or grab a second pan. If the pan is too crowded with chicken, the panko will steam and be soggy, rather than get crispy. If using two pans, divide the oil in half evenly.
Want to save this recipe to come back to it?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
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