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Why It Works
- Pounding the chicken into thin, even cutlets ensures quick, consistent cooking.
- Swirling cold pieces of butter into the reduced pan sauce emulsifies it into a smooth, glossy consistency.
Thin, golden, and covered in a bright lemon-butter sauce, this chicken paillard recipe turns boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a dish that’s quick, elegant, and unexpectedly luxurious. By pounding the meat into thin, even cutlets, the chicken cooks quickly, develops a golden crust, and stays juicy—a far cry from the dry, stringy results that often plague boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
While paillard is a French culinary term for pounding meat thin for quick and even cooking, in the US, chicken paillard often refers to seared chicken breasts with a lemony herb-butter sauce. It’s become a weeknight staple thanks to its ease and speed, offering a meal that feels far more refined than its quick cooking time might suggest.
Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
How to Cook Chicken Cutlets Without Drying Them Out
One of the challenges that makes it hard to cook chicken breast properly is their uneven thickness, which puts the thinner parts at risk of overcooking before the thicker parts are fully cooked through. Pounding them into thin, even cutlets solves the problem, ensuring they cook evenly from edge to center while staying juicy. In just a few minutes, the cutlets develop a light golden crust and cook through.
A Quick Pan Sauce That Pulls It All Together
After the chicken is seared, the fond in the pan becomes the base for a quick pan sauce. Wine and stock deglaze the browned bits, and cold butter swirled in at the end melts gradually, allowing the fat to emulsify evenly into the sauce and create a rich, glossy consistency. Lemon zest and juice brighten the flavors, and fresh parsley, chives, and tarragon add a burst of herbal freshness.
Fast, Easy, and Elegant
Not only is this chicken delicious, but the entire dish comes together in about 30 minutes with one pan and a handful of ingredients. It’s quick enough for any night of the week, but refined enough to serve whenever you want something that feels a bit special.
This recipe was developed by Marianne Williams; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.
30-Minute Chicken With Lemon Butter Sauce (and It Cooks in One Pan!)
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1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces; 64 g) all-purpose flour
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2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; for table salt, use half as much by volume
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1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
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2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 to 8 ounces each; 170 to 227 g each) (see notes)
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1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
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3/4 cup (180 ml) dry white wine
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1/2 cup (120 ml) homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
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1 medium garlic clove, grated
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5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces; 71 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled (see notes)
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1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh juice, divided
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2 tablespoons (18 g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
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2 tablespoons (about 10 g) thinly sliced chives, divided
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2 teaspoons (about 3 g) finely chopped tarragon leaves, optional, plus more for garnish
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Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling
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Preheat oven to 200°F (95°C). Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet; set aside.
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In a shallow dish or plate, stir together flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Set aside a large plate to transfer chicken to after breading.
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Working with one chicken breast at a time, place chicken breast on a cutting board. Hold it in place with the palm of your non-cutting hand, and use a sharp knife to slice chicken horizontally into two even cutlets. Repeat process with remaining chicken breast. Cover each breast half with plastic wrap, and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound to 1/3-inch thickness.
Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
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Place 2 chicken halves in prepared flour mixture, and turn to coat; tap off excess flour mixture, and transfer chicken to the large plate. Repeat process with remaining chicken halves.
Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
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In a large stainless steel, cast iron, or carbon steel skillet, heat oil over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, add two chicken pieces to hot oil; cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Repeat process with remaining 2 chicken pieces. Place browned chicken halves on prepared baking sheet, and place in warm oven (do not wipe out skillet).
Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
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While chicken is resting in oven, heat the same skillet over medium-high. Add wine; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Add stock and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has reduced to about 1/3 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic, butter, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1 tablespoon of chives, 2 teaspoons tarragon (if using), remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, swirling and stirring constantly, until butter is completely melted, about 1 minute. Spoon sauce over chicken, and garnish with remaining chives, parsley, and additional tarragon (if using), lemon zest, and flaky salt. Serve immediately.
Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
Equipment
Baking sheet, wire rack, large stainless-steel, cast iron, or carbon steel skillet
Notes
You can use 4 store-bought chicken breast cutlets instead of whole chicken breasts, but pounding your own ensures even thickness and more reliable cooking.
Both American- and European-style butter will work for this recipe, but we recommend seeking out European-style butter, as its higher fat content produces a more richly flavored sauce.