Martha Stewart's Simple Trick for the Absolute Best Chicken Breasts

Chicken breast often gets a bad rap. It’s either too dry (because it’s been overcooked into oblivion) or raw in the middle (because it’s a thick hunk of protein that refuses to cook evenly). But chicken paillard flips that narrative. It’s proof that chicken breast can be delicious, fast, and—most importantly—juicy and perfectly cooked.

I found Martha’s recipe last year while aimlessly scrolling for a quick way to cook a couple of leftover chicken breasts. Well, to be fair, it wasn’t just a couple—I bought a pack of eight chicken breasts because the eight-pack was cheaper than the four-pack.

In hindsight, buying that much chicken was… ambitious. But at the time, it felt perfectly reasonable and fiscally responsible. So there I was, with a mountain of chicken breasts and no strategic plan. Luckily, I stumbled upon Martha’s chicken paillards, which are a joy to cook and eat.

The Trick for Super Juicy Chicken Breasts

I love the simplicity of this recipe. The ingredients are nothing fancy: salt, pepper, butter, a little oil—all things you probably already have in your pantry. While it might sound basic and elementary—maybe even borderline boring—the secret to delicious chicken breasts is Martha's technique.

Rather than slicing chicken breast in half horizontally (which kinda works, but not really), Martha does something clever. She makes a superficial cut down the center before adding a few shallow cuts from either side. This helps you open up and flatten the chicken breast. Sandwich the chicken between plastic wrap and pound it as thinly as you can with a mallet. (Don’t skip the plastic wrap. No one wants chicken juice flying all over the kitchen.)

If you don’t have a mallet, a rolling pin works fine. Even a cast iron pan will do the job. Why all this pounding? Because the thinner the chicken, the more evenly it cooks. Plus, you get more surface area touching the pan, which means more browning, more flavor, and less chance of overcooking.

My Tweaks to Martha Stewart's Chicken Paillards Recipe

Martha cooks the chicken paillards in oil and foaming butter. I take it a step further and let the butter brown a little, whisking it until those nutty, golden flecks appear. Cook the chicken breast over medium-high heat for about two minutes on each side. Martha prefers hers with minimal browning, but I don’t mind a good sear—it just adds more flavor.

One of the best things about the chicken paillard is its versatility. Martha serves hers with a salad, which is also how I usually like it as well, but I’ve also used this recipe as a base for other variations, like “pizza chicken” with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella and “pesto parm chicken” with, you guessed it, pesto and Parmesan.

While there are a million chicken breast recipes out there, sometimes you just need one.