Greek-style Grilled Chicken Paillard

5 from 3 votes

Servings: (unless you eat a whole chicken breast yourself, in which case you have to double this to serve 4 people)

Author: Pamela

4 Tablespoons unrefined extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
4 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 2 large lemons
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tablespoons dried oregano plus extra for sprinkling
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 bone-less skin-less chicken breasts
2 Persian cucumbers or ½ English cucumber diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion or pickled onion there's a recipe for pickled shallots in my book on page 109
2 Tablespoons roughly chopped kalamata olives
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese or avocado or both

Heat the grill to medium. In a screw-top jar combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Shake until combined. Measure 2 Tablespoons for the salad and set aside the remainder for the marinade.
Place the chicken breasts one at a time in between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a large ziploc bag and pound to a ¼-inch thickness on a cutting board. 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 plastic and place in a glass baking dish and add the reserved marinade. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
Make the Greek salad topping. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, kalamata olives and toss with the reserved 2 Tablespoons of dressing. Top with the feta (or avocado, if using) and set aside.
Grill the chicken until grill marks appear and the chicken releases easily from the grill, about 3-4 minutes. Turn the chicken and grill the other side until cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
Place the chicken on a platter and top with salad.

Chicken can also be plated on a bed of arugula leaves drizzled with a little olive oil, as shown here.