This dinner salad features tender sliced buttermilk-marinated chicken breasts served over a lemony shaved fennel, arugula, and cannellini bean salad. Fresh and simple!

Slices of grilled marinated chicken breast in a gray ceramic bowl, with knife and fork, shaved fennel and arugula parsley salad on the side.

When I first created this recipe I was thinking of tagliata, a simple Italian dish of thinly sliced beef served with a tangle of arugula and shaved Parmigiano cheese.

I switched out the beef for thin chicken breast cutlets, or pieces of boneless chicken that are pounded thin. They’re great for a fast, fuss-free meal. They take just a few minutes to cook and you can serve them with a fresh salad.

A secret for tender chicken

Pounding chicken tenderizes the protein structure of the meat. Plus it evens out the thickness of the chicken breasts so that they’ll cook more evenly, which is key to dishes like breaded chicken cutlets.

I use the smooth side of the pounder to make the chicken flat and even. After pounding, the breasts marinate in a tasty blend of fresh basil, fennel seeds, lemon and tangy buttermilk, adding lots of flavor and tenderizing a step further.

I usually make this quick-cooking chicken recipe right on the stovetop using this heavy grill pan. But if outdoor grilling is an option for you, by all means fire it up!

The fennel salad

To make this a complete main dish salad, I made an crisp arugula salad by mixing in some shaved fresh fennel, cannellini beans seasoned with lemon and olive oil.

5 from 2 ratings

Buttermilk Chicken Breasts with Fennel Salad

Karen Tedesco
This dinner salad features tender sliced buttermilk-marinated chicken breasts served over a lemony shaved fennel, arugula, and cannellini bean salad. Fresh and simple!
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Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel or Italian seasoning
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh basil or parsley leaves, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 pound chicken breast cutlets , or boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note below)

Fennel Salad

  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and very thinly sliced
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
  • 2 cups (40 g) baby arugula or spinach leaves
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  1. Whisk the buttermilk, lemon juice, olive oil, fennel or Italian seasoning, garlic, basil or parsley, red pepper and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes, or refrigerate up to 2 hours in advance.
  2. Heat a heavy skillet (such as cast iron) over medium high heat until the pan is very hot (a few drops of water should sizzle and instantly evaporate). Drizzle in about a tablespoon of oil. Cook chicken until it's no longer pink inside, about 3 minutes per side. You might have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan.

Make the fennel salad:

  1. Put the fennel, cannellini beans, and arugula in a salad bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat.

Serving:

  1. Slice chicken ½-inch thick. Serve the salad on plates with the sliced chicken on top, then sprinkle with Parmesan shavings or grated Parmesan.

Notes

  • Butterfly the chicken: With the breasts facing you lengthwise, cut ¾ through the center of thicker, long side of each chicken breast and open flat. Pound to an even thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Put the chicken in a large shallow baking dish. Instead of butterflying the chicken breasts at home buy ready-to-cook, thin-cut chicken cutlets in some markets.
  • Marinate the chicken up to 2 hours ahead. The chicken will take less than 10 minutes to cook.
  • You can cook the chicken on the stovetop or fire up your outdoor grill.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 314kcal Carbohydrates: 7g Protein: 28g Fat: 19g Sodium: 285mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 4g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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