By now you have figured out that I promote one meal for the whole family. Â I think there is a beautiful connectedness that comes from everyone sharing the same meal and sharing the same energy from that food. Â In addition, I believe that we help our children develop better eating habits when we expose them to a wide variety of foods during their lives and we encourage them to try new things. Â By giving in to the picky eater in the family and making him chicken tenders or buttered pasta every night because he won’t eat grown-up food, we are basically ensuring that he will grow up with only a taste for “kid cuisine” and the flavors associated with it. Â Not only that, who in the world has time to make more than one meal every night?
Mr. Picky is my 7-year-old and he is a challenge at mealtime even though I have done everything right. Â I am a great eater and I have set a good example for him (the most important thing.) Â I have exposed him to every vegetable and whole grain countless times. Â He has helped me prepare dozens of meals. Â We have gone shopping together at the supermarket and farmer’s markets. Â We have planted seeds and grown our own food. Â And he is still a total pain in the ass neck and still quite picky, although he is slowly coming around. Â But I am not stressed out about it because Daughter #1 was the exact same way, even worse! Â Until one day something clicked and now she eats everything I eat from beet greens and bok choy to millet and muesli.
What does this have to do with chicken paillard and arugula salad when 99% of kids hate arugula?  Of course they hate it.  It is peppery and bitter and their tastebuds haven’t developed to the point that it tastes good to them.  I didn’t like arugula when I was 7, but I am a maniac for it now.  I even grow tons of it in my garden.  So should I cater to the lowest common denominator in my family and prepare arugula-less meals?  Heck no!  I want arugula salads every now and then with a lemon vinaigrette and thinly pounded chicken breast.  It’s one of my favorite quick-fix meals.  But this is where I think flexibility should play a role.  I will cut the chicken into strips and lay them on top of the arugula so that  it is more appealing to my son and I allow him to eat just the chicken.  He can look around the vegetable crisper and see if there’s something else that he would like, such as a raw carrot.  In this way, I am not making him a whole different meal for him and the rest of us get to eat what we want.
No one likes everything, not even me. Â I very much dislike papaya, tarragon and poached or runny eggs. Â If you dislike arugula, feel free to substitute spinach or a crisp romaine. Â If you dislike chicken, you can add steak or chickpeas and shaved parmesan cheese. Â This is a great recipe to make for a crowd or for just one. Â The photo below shows a big platter I made when my cousin Joanna and her husband Anthony stopped by for dinner. Â I literally came home after they arrived at my house and whipped this together in front of them. Â The other finished photo at the top is my lunch yesterday when I was working at home testing recipes. Â As luck would have it, Mr. Picky came home for lunch and asked if I would share my chicken with him. Â My pleasure, as long as I get all the arugula for myself! Â One day he’ll be asking for that, too.
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- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Juice of 1 lemon + 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces arugula
- 1 tomato, chopped
- Place the chicken breasts one at a time in between to pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound to a ¼-inch thickness. You can use a meat mallet or a rolling pin. The idea is to get the chicken to an even thickness all around. Remove from the paper and place in a glass baking dish and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon on top. Drizzle with an equal amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- Heat the grill to medium. In the meantime, prepare the salad dressing. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the inside of a medium bowl with the cut side of the garlic. Add the garlic to the bowl. To the bowl, add 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and black pepper to taste. Whisk to combine. Pour ½ cup olive oil into the bowl, whisking constantly to emulsify. Taste for seasoning and tartness. Add more oil if necessary.
- Remove chicken from marinade and grill a few minutes on both sides until golden brown. Place on a cutting board. Arrange the arugula on a platter and drizzle with enough of the dressing to coat lightly. Cut the chicken into strips and arrange on top of the arugula. Scatter tomatoes on top and drizzle a little more dressing. Or arrange the chicken on a platter and top with dressed arugula leaves and tomato.
Do ahead: you can make the dressing several days in advance and wash and dry your greens in advance, too. Just wrap them in a damp kitchen towel and store in the refrigerator.
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