Sweet Love and Ginger

Cooking Lessons

How to Prepare Chicken Paillards & a Recipe

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Don’t let the fancy-pants name scare you paillards are a simple
cut of chicken that is pounded flat, that’s all. You can make them in your own
kitchen using boneless, skinless chicken breast.

I have been doing this for years and never knew that I was
so fancy-shmancy. I like them because the chicken breasts that are typically
available in the stores are way larger than a single portion should be, so
cutting the paillards allows for smaller portions, while giving the impression
of large portions. I also really like the tenderness of the chicken once it is
pounded flat besides, plus it’s useful for making the meat more malleable when
you want to roll it. Another bonus is that when it’s thinner it will cook
faster without getting dry. See how useful?

How to prepare a Chicken Paillard:

1. 
Lay a boneless, skinless chicken breast skin
side up on a cutting board

2.  Place your hand on top, and very carefully slice
the chicken horizontally, almost reaching the other side.

3.  Flip the chicken open like a book.            

a.  You can leave the large piece of chicken like
this or continue the cut to that you have two separate pieces

4. 
Lay the chicken flat and place a piece of
plastic over the top.

5.  With the smooth side of a mallet begin pounding
the chicken from the center outward until it is roughly ½ to ¼ inches thick.

Note: if you don’t have a mallet like me, the bottom of a
coffee cup kinda-sorta works as well.


Clean Lemon Shallot Chicken
Paillards

2 tbs
whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp
each of salt & pepper

2
prepared chicken paillards

2 tbs
olive oil

2 tbs
organic, unsalted butter

3
shallots, chopped finely

1
lemon, juiced

1 tsp
fresh lemon zest

1/2
cup chicken broth

Salt
and Pepper to taste

Sift
together salt, pepper, and flour and dust the paillards with this mixture. In a
large skillet heat 1 tbsp of oil, add chicken and cook for 2 -3 minutes per
side, or until browned lightly and cooked through. Remove from pan and set
aside. In the same skillet melt 1 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of oil, and saute
shallots until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, broth and bring to
a boil. Continue to stir often, scraping the bottom of the pan for browned
bits. Once the liquid has reduced by half add the remaining butter. Return the
chicken to the pan to warm and serve warm.(Serves 2)

10 Cooking Tips for the Single Person

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In my Dinner 4 One series I have shown a few of my favorite recipes to cook for myself when I am home alone, however I thought it might be helpful to put together a list of simple tips that are really helpful for the person who eats alone a lot.
1)      Make extra of the basics. Make a whole or half a box of pasta very aldente and keep it in a container in the fridge. Then when you are making a pasta dish you can just toss it in your sauce, or warm it up in some boiling water. By not storing the pasta with sauce on it you are allowing yourself options with leftovers, and saving time.
2)      Invest in oven safe single serving dishes. We all crave baked deserts, or pasta dishes, but making a huge pan that you are forced to then eat all week or throw away is not appealing. With a few single serving dishes you can make just enough baked ziti or apple crisp for one or two days.
Like these found at Target for $1.99 each
3)      Buy in bulk. I know this sounds silly but think about it; if chicken is on sale this week buy a large container then take it home and store it in individual bags, or one large bag with wax paper in between, the same goes for ground beef. You can save hundreds of dollars a year doing this, and then you just pull your individual serving out when you want it.
4)      Keep quick defrosting proteins on hand such as fish, shrimp and scallops. These are expensive proteins yeah, but being the single eater why not treat yourself? And I don’t know about you but they are great for nights that I haven’t planned ahead because they defrost very quickly.
5)      Freeze leftover Greens in ice cube trays. This one is great for anyone, but especially the single person who may not go through a whole bag of spinach, kale or swiss chard in one sitting. Get a little wilt on it in a sauté pan and fill up your ice cube trays, once frozen toss them in a plastic bag. Then next time you need a little green pull out a couple cubes. You can also do this with fresh herbs, though I suggest freezing them in oil for even more ease.
(The benefit of being single is that there is so much more freezer space to store fresh veggies while they are in season!)
6)      Label everything in the freezer! Keeping a lot in the freezer makes me nervous about freezer burn and things going bad. I like to make sure everything is labeled with the date it was frozen. Most things only last a few months in the freezer so this helps me take care of the older stuff first.

I love my Gordon Ramsey Blender for only $20
7)      Mini appliances: Invest in a mini food processor, and/or blender. This opens up the world of pureed soups, smoothies, and dips. I even have a mini crockpot that’s great for just little old me, and can be used as a warmer for dips and sauces later in life.
8)      Plan ahead. Having roasted chicken and mashed potatoes on Monday can mean chicken and gnocchi soup on Wednesday, and Chicken enchiladas on Tuesday, mashed potato pancakes on Thursday or chicken salad for lunch.
9)      Avoid keeping snacks in the house. It’s way too easy to simply eat a carton of ice cream for diner when there is no one around to judge you.
10)   Keep a list of substitutes on hand. Sometimes I don’t always have exactly what the recipe calls for, or I can only find it in a large size. Having a list of items I can use instead, like the one below is super helpful.
Bonus tip: Get excited. When cooking for yourself there are no time limits, no other dietary restrictions. It’s just you, what you like, what you’re goals are and what you want. Try new things, and hey if you make a mistake; no one has to know!