Chicken Paillards with Orange-Thyme Butter
Grilled chicken breast paillards are served topped with a generous pat of a compound butter made of ground almonds, orange and thyme. Recipe courtesy of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY.
Recipe Ingredients:
4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons almonds, ground
1 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking Directions:
- Prepare orange-thyme butter by combining butter, ground almonds, orange juice, thyme leaves, orange zest, salt and pepper in small bowl. Mix well. Transfer onto a piece of plastic wrap. Roll into a 1-inch diameter cylinder; secure ends by twisting plastic. Chill butter until firm, about 2 hours.
- Open chicken breast halves and “butterfly” each piece by making a cut in the thickest part of the breast. Spread open chicken breasts between sheets of parchment or plastic wrap; pound to an even 1/4-inch thickness to make a paillard.
- Prepare gas or charcoal grill. Sprinkle chicken breasts with additional salt and pepper; brush lightly with vegetable oil. Place on grill and cook, turning, until done throughout, about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until done.
- To serve, top each paillard with a slice of orange-thyme butter.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe): 330 calories; 24 g fat; 9 g saturated fat; 1 g carbohydrate.
Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of the National Chicken Council. Used with permission.