Gluten-Free Chicken Paillard with Romesco Recipe
Chicken Paillard with Romesco
Make this for a large party or halve the recipe for a family meal. Cutting and pounding the chicken to make it wide and flat is easy, but explaining it is hard. Search for step-by-step visual instructions online. Note: this recipe calls for romesco sauce (recipe follows), so plan accordingly. You won't want to use store-bought romesco (if you could even find it), because it often contains breadcrumbs and is not gluten-free.
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
- 8 small or 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded 1⁄4 inch thick and halved
- Flaky sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1⁄2 lemon
- 1⁄4 head radicchio cut into bite-size pieces
- 1⁄2 cup loosely packed Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup loosely packed mixed fresh herbs such as basil, dill, and fennel tops
- 1 recipe Romesco Sauce see below
- Paprika optional
- 1 cup roasted piquillo peppers or roasted red peppers drained and sliced into 1⁄4-inch strips (optional)
- 1 recipe Crispy Fried Onion Strings see below; optional
Instructions
-
Preheat a grill or stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Oil the grill, then grill the chicken for 2 minutes per side. Season with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice. Keep warm on a covered plate.
-
In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the radicchio, parsley, and mixed herbs and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Smear 1 cup romseco sauce on the bottom of a serving platter. Top with the chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Top with the roasted peppers and the radicchio-herb mix. Garnish with the fried onions and a few grinds of pepper and serve.
ROMESCO SAUCE
This Spanish sauce is usually off limits due to the inclusion of breadcrumbs. Jessica's version allows us to put the thick and savory flavor bomb front and center again with Chicken Paillard (see left). But it's also great with fish, roasted potatoes, or grilled bread. FYI, if you don’t want to make the garlic confit, toss unpeeled cloves in olive oil and roast, wrapped in foil, in a 400°F oven until soft.
Ingredients
- 1 dried guajillo chile
- 1 dried ancho chile
- Boiling water
- 12 ounces roasted piquillo peppers or roasted red bell peppers drained and sliced
- 1 cup toasted chopped almonds
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried marjoram
- Zest and juice of 1⁄2 lemon
- 3 cloves Garlic Confit see below or roasted garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- Kosher salt
Instructions
-
Halve the chiles lengthwise, remove and discard the seeds and stems, and toast the chiles in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour boiling water over them just to cover. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid and chiles separately.
-
In a bowl, combine the piquillo peppers, almonds, marjoram, lemon zest and juice, reserved chiles, garlic confit, and vinegar. Mix with your hands, massaging the peppers. Puree in a blender or food processor until the sauce is a bit coarse but homogenous, thick, and spreadable. Add a tablespoonful or two of the reserved soaking liquid if necessary. Season to taste with vinegar, salt, and lemon until very bright in flavor.
CRISPY FRIED ONION STRINGS
With addictive onion- ring taste and the ability to dress up anything from salads to burgers to Chicken Paillard, this quick and easy garnish is worth making and is best enjoyed the day it’s made.
Ingredients
- 1⁄4 cup potato starch
- Canola oil for frying
- 1 cup very thinly sliced yellow onion
- Kosher salt
Instructions
-
Place the potato starch on a plate. In a small saucepan, heat 1 inch of oil over medium-low heat. Dredge the onions in the potato starch, add in batches to the pan, and cook, stirring, until light golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion to paper towels to drain, then season with salt.
GARLIC CONFIT
Poaching garlic in oil results in pudding-creamy cloves that add exceptional flavor to mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, salad dressing, or toast (as does the garlic-flavored poaching oil). Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Servings 3 heads garlic confit
Ingredients
- 3 whole heads garlic intact and unpeeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 chile de árbol peppers
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 240°F. Place all of the ingredients in a small ovenproof pan, cover it with parchment paper, and cook in the oven for 90 minutes. Uncover and let cool completely. To use, separate the cloves and pinch one end of the skins to help push the garlic out of the other end.
Recipe: Jessica Koslow
Photography: Aubrie Pick
