Chicken paillard with caper berries and roasted plum tomatoes

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Chicken paillard is a wonderful dish to try at home, and this version from Tom Aikens is among the best. Pounded thin, the chicken breasts will cook evenly and quickly, making a great dinner. Marinating the meat overnight will ensure the chicken breasts are full of flavour, which will pair well with the punchy rocket, tasty tomatoes and salty capers.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Chicken paillard

Marinade

Plum tomatoes

Method

1
Mix together all of the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Separate out 30ml to dress the salad at the end, the rest will be used for the chicken. Set aside in the fridge until needed
2
Take the butterflied chicken breasts and wrap each one in cling film. Use a large pan to lightly bash each breast so they flatten out slightly (like you would do for an escalope but not as severe)
3
Cover the breasts in the marinade and leave to marinate for as long as you like, preferably overnight
4
Preheat the oven to 90°C. Place the quartered plum tomatoes on a baking tray. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl and cover the tomatoes. Cook the plum tomatoes for 2 hours
5
Once the tomatoes are ready, put a griddle pan over a medium heat and once scorching, drop in the marinated chicken breasts (if you're pan is not large enough to accomodate all 4 breasts, grill in batches of 2). Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side (alternatively you can cook on the barbecue which may take slightly longer)
6
Lay the breasts of chicken onto plates. Toss the rocket and basil in the marinade that was separated in step 1 and then layer on top of the chicken. Finish with the caper berries, black olives, Parmesan shavings, slow roasted tomatoes and a drizzling of balsamic round the edge
First published in 2015

Tom Aikens is one of the most creative and talented chefs Britain has ever seen, with a restaurant empire to match.

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