Crispy Chicken & Pan Sauce with Fresh Greek Lettuce Salad
Crispy seared chicken, a fast pan sauce, and a refreshing Maroulosalata salad—this one checks all the boxes for a quick, healthy weeknight meal.
I’ve mentioned before that I get a lot of cheeky comments from you guys when I share my home meals in my Instagram stories. With the army of people I’m always cooking for at my house, it looks like I’m eating a wild amount of food. Well… you’re not wrong!
As a very tall man who is as concerned about calorie intake as anyone, I do try to watch what (and how much) I eat to align with my own health goals. I eat really good food, but I have been known to eat too much of it. This is one of those meals that fills you up and keeps the calorie count low. This salad is a HUGE hit around the house these days. It’s a traditional Greek lettuce salad called a Maroulosalata salad. Super easy to make, very fresh and bright, and that dill adds the right amount of kick. You can pair it with anything, and so far, it doesn’t get old.
The key to this dish is giving your chicken breasts a quick pounding. Flatten them out a bit, sear them in olive oil in a hot pan, make a quick pan sauce, and dig in. I used chicken breasts this time, but you could easily substitute thighs with this recipe.
Give it a shot and bookmark this salad! I will be making it for the rest of the summer. Try it once and you will too!
Let’s go.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1/2 of an Iceberg lettuce, washed & dried
1 heart of Romaine lettuce, washed & dried
1 cup fresh dill, diced
6 scallions, split and finely sliced
200g feta cheese
1 cucumber
~1/2 cup Olive oil
Red Wine vinegar
Kosher salt
1 lemon
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp butter
Black pepper
Equipment
Rolling pin or meat mallet
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl
Wire rack
Method
Step 1: Flatten the Chicken
Between two pieces of parchment paper, use a rolling pin or meat mallet to pound the chicken flat until it’s about an inch thick. Set aside and repeat for all of the breasts.
Generously season all sides with kosher salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Prep the Salad
Using a large chef’s knife, shred your lettuce and place it in a large mixing bowl.
Quarter the cucumber lengthwise and dice into small bite sized pieces. Add to the bowl.
Dice the dill and scallions and add to the mixing bowl.
Break up the feta cheese and crumble over the top of the salad.
Drizzle about 1/4 cup of olive oil and about 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar over everything.
Season with a few pinches of kosher salt and a few cracks of ground pepper.
Mix and set aside.
Step 3: Sear and Sauce
Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a few glugs of olive oil to the pan and carefully lay the flattened breasts skin side down in the pan. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do them two at a time. Just don't over-crowd the pan as chicken will kind of steam and you won’t get a good sear on the skin.
Once the skin side looks golden brown, flip and repeat on the flesh side. About 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside on a wire rack and repeat until all of the chicken is cooked.
Keep the heat high and add 1 cup of chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Scrape up all the bits and keep stirring until it has reduced by half. Add two knobs of butter and the juice from 1/2 a lemon and a few pinches of salt. Keep stirring until it thickens in consistency and can coat the back of a spoon.
Step 4: Serve & Enjoy
Slice the breast and place it on a plate alongside a generous serving of the salad. Spoon some of the pan sauce over the chicken and enjoy.