Lemon Chicken Paillard

Make this for your next dinner party, to impress your husband's boss, or just for your kids.  It's that pretty (and delicious!).  Don't be scared by the sauce; it's just gravy! Sort of.  It's simple, though. Trust me.

By the way, paillard (pi-yahrd) is just a French term that refers to any meat thinly sliced for quick cooking.   This whole meal took about 20 minutes. Quick!

Lemon Chicken Paillard

4 thin cut chicken breasts (alternately, you can pound them thin with a meat cleaver)
olive oil
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
1 lemon, juice and zest
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock (I used homemade, just like Martha would, and I'll tell you all about it later this week)
Baby greens
handful of Italian parsley

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs de provence, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.  Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes per side.  Remove chicken from pan when cooked and cover with foil to keep them hot.  

Reduce heat and add butter.  When the butter melts, add the flour to the butter and cook, stirring with a whisk, a couple of minutes to make a roux.  Whisk in the chicken stock a little at a time.  When the broth thickens to just coat the back of a spoon, remove pan from the heat. 

Toss the salad greens with lemon juice, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.  

To serve, cover the bottom of the plate with the warm sauce, top with a pile of salad greens, and add the chicken on top.  Sprinkle the plate with parsley.