Chicken Paillard in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Chicken Paillard is a classic dish of boneless chicken breasts that have been thinned out using a mallet, rolling pin or merely “butterflied.” The mallet breaks down the fibers in the meat, making it more tender, while the thinner cutlets cooks faster with less loss of moisture. This recipe uses a creamy mustard sauce which complements the flavor of the tenderized chicken perfectly. It goes well with any number of fresh sides like a crisp salad, steamed vegetables or baby new potatoes.

• 2 chicken breasts, pounded to ¼’ thick
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 2/3 cup chicken stock
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and hit with glancing blows, working from the center to the edge using a meat mallet or a rolling pin to flatten the cutlets to ¼” thickness.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil until almost smoking. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side; add more butter and oil to the pan if needed. Transfer the chicken to a warmed plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the wine and deglaze the pan stirring to scrape up the browned bits.  Add stock and mustard and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper and cook until smooth with the consistency of thick gravy.

Add the chicken back to the pan and fully coat the cutlets with sauce. Serve the chicken with additional sauce poured over the top as desired. The sauce is delicious ladled over a side of potatoes as well.