Simple Sexy Chicken

in defense of the boneless, skinless chicken breast

Have you met a boneless, skinless chicken breast you truly love? I can count the times I have been excited about one on one hand. Either coated in our soy-honey marinade, fried crisp like my Milanese, and now, this recipe.

The past few weeks have been flat out on cookbook deadline, with 14 hour shoot days and a lot of dirty dishes. By the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is make dinner. But there are still a lot of mouths to feed.

Enter this recipe. A quick and easy way to make a nice meal for the fam, which is always where we (I) need inspiration. Ideally something more wholesome than protein bars and scraps from cold set food. (It’s glamorous work.) It’s easy to cook creatively for work. It feels harder when it’s another Tuesday night at home.

behind the scenes, with the great photographer Peter Frank Edwards

Thanks to recipe work and photo shoots, I have scraps of extra greens and herbs in the fridge. To make the most of it, I threw together this quick pesto-like sauce that will make any boring chicken breast shine—or could be tossed with pasta, or served with eggs, or used to dress a rice bowl. It rescues odds and ends from the fridge (a la Make More with Less) and turns them into something genuinely useful.

this batch = spinach + arugula + basil + mint + parsley + pecans

The green sauce is less a recipe and more a formula, so use what you have. Half a bunch of arugula? A tired handful of mint? Spinach, kale, watercress, basil, parsley, chives, dill, almonds, pecans, pistachios—any of these can find a delicious home in this sauce. Or, do you still have store-bought pesto lingering from those salmon + brothy beans? Try that with the chicken tonight.

my chicken milanese recipe, another b/s breast fave

In other news—slightly more glamorous than the piles of dishes and weeknight chicken—Mike and I shared a little “Guide to Charleston” in the latest issue of Kiawah’s beautiful magazine, Legends. Take a look when you have a chance and support some of our favorite local businesses.

Legends Feature 2026

28.4MB ∙ PDF file

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the recipe: Grilled Chicken Paillard + Green Sauce

Serves 4

Paillard (pronounced pie-yard) is a classic culinary technique, where a piece of boneless meat (chicken, veal, or pork) is pounded into a thin uniform shape. This method tenderizes the meat and allows it to cook quickly and evenly in just a few minutes. It’s a great weeknight hack.

I also tested this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs, which some of you may prefer. Swap the breasts for 2 pounds of b/s thighs and pound lightly, as these are already thinner than a breast. Proceed as directed.