Peruvian Grilled Chicken Paillard with Citrus, Herb & Aji Amarillo Pepper Marinade

Step 1

Make the Peruvian Citrus, Herb & Aji Amarillo Pepper Marinade. You will use half for the marinade. (I make a salad dressing with the remainder.)

Step 2

Clean and dry chicken, trim of excess fat. Butterfly chicken: place a chicken breast on a cutting board. With a sharp knife cut the chicken breasts almost in half horizontally - and open up like a book. Set aside on a plate, continue with the next three.

Step 3

Place each on a cutting board - cut side up, lined with a piece of parchment paper. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder, pound thin using down and out strokes. Make sure they are a uniform thickness. Add to a plate. Continue with the next three.

Step 4

Add 1/2 cup of marinade to the chicken to cover all. Wrap well, refrigerate ONE hour. (An acidic marinade cam begin to "cook" the chicken the chicken and make it tough if marinated too long.)

Step 5

Heat a grill pan - brush with some oil to cover the grates - set heat to high. When good and hot - add a marinated chicken breast, cut side up to the pan. Do not move around! Let cook and develop strong grill marks - about 4 minutes. Peek underneath, turn over with tongs. Turn heat down to medium to cook second side and cook until firm and cooked through, about 2 minutes - remove to a clean plate. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the chicken. Repeat with the rest of the chicken, cleaning the pan when necessary. Sprinkle the tops of the chicken with salt if desired.

Step 6

Serve the chicken warm, or cool and refrigerate. Cut the chicken in half, or can cut into strips.

Step 7

Add the remaining marinade in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil to make a flavorful vinaigrette. Serve the chicken as part of a salad - or simply dip in the vinaigrette!