Sesame-Crusted Chicken Paillards with Seaweed Salad

Thin, tender chicken breasts crusted with sesame seeds and served with a refreshing Asian-inspired seaweed salad featuring wakame, cucumbers, and radishes in a soy-vinegar dressing.

4 servings

1 hr

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•1 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
•2 tablespoons sugar
•1 whole dried red chile pepper
•¼ cup soy sauce
•¾ ounce dried cut wakame seaweed
•2 whole small Asian cucumbers, peeled and halved lengthwise
•1 tablespoon kosher salt
•4 whole red radishes, trimmed and cut into fine strips
•2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
•2 whole scallions (green and white parts), thinly sliced
•½ cup sesame seeds
•4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), washed and patted dry and trimmed of fat
•1⅓ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
•1 to taste Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions

1.
Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and chile in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the chile and discard. Stir in soy sauce and set aside to cool.
5 min
2.
Cover the dried wakame with warm water in a medium bowl and soak for 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry, and set aside in a medium serving bowl.
7 min
3.
Scoop out the seeds from each cucumber half with a small spoon and slice each cucumber half thinly. Sprinkle the salt over the sliced cucumbers and gently knead with your hands until the cucumber slices release their water, about 3 minutes. Transfer the to a clean kitchen towel, wrap the towel around the cucumbers, and squeeze out as much water as possible. Add to the bowl with the wakame.
8 min
4.
Add the radishes, cilantro, and scallions to the wakame and cucumbers. Add half the rice vinegar mixture and 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds. Toss to combine, and refrigerate until serving.
5 min
5.
Light a grill for direct high heat, about 500°F.
10 min
6.
Coat the chicken breast halves with the sesame oil and the remaining 6 tablespoons sesame seeds. Place one of the breast halves on a large sheet of plastic wrap, season it with salt and pepper, top with another sheet of plastic wrap, and pound until uniformly 1/16 inch thick and the approximate diameter of a dinner plate. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining breast halves, using fresh sheets of plastic for each one.
15 min
7.
Brush the grill grate and coat liberally with oil. Remove the plastic wrap from one side of 2 of the flattened breasts and place them on the grill so that they are spread out flat. The easiest way to do this is to support it from the plastic-wrapped side with your open hand and flip it onto the grill. Immediately lift off the sheets of plastic wrap. Grill until the chicken looks opaque at the edge, about 30 seconds. Flip with a spatula and grill 15 seconds on the other side. Remove to a platter, cover to keep warm, and repeat with the other 2 chicken breast halves.
5 min
8.
Serve each paillard spread out flat on a dinner plate; it should nearly cover the entire serving surface of the plate. Drizzle the remaining rice vinegar mixture over the paillards, and place a large mound of seaweed salad in the center of each one.
5 min

Ingredients

•1 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)

•2 tablespoons sugar

•1 whole dried red chile pepper

•¼ cup soy sauce

•¾ ounce dried cut wakame seaweed

•2 whole small Asian cucumbers, peeled and halved lengthwise

•1 tablespoon kosher salt

•4 whole red radishes, trimmed and cut into fine strips

•2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

•2 whole scallions (green and white parts), thinly sliced

•½ cup sesame seeds

•4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), washed and patted dry and trimmed of fat

•1⅓ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

•1 to taste Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and chile in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the chile and discard. Stir in soy sauce and set aside to cool.

5 min

Cover the dried wakame with warm water in a medium bowl and soak for 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry, and set aside in a medium serving bowl.

7 min

Scoop out the seeds from each cucumber half with a small spoon and slice each cucumber half thinly. Sprinkle the salt over the sliced cucumbers and gently knead with your hands until the cucumber slices release their water, about 3 minutes. Transfer the to a clean kitchen towel, wrap the towel around the cucumbers, and squeeze out as much water as possible. Add to the bowl with the wakame.

8 min

Add the radishes, cilantro, and scallions to the wakame and cucumbers. Add half the rice vinegar mixture and 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds. Toss to combine, and refrigerate until serving.

5 min

Light a grill for direct high heat, about 500°F.

10 min

Coat the chicken breast halves with the sesame oil and the remaining 6 tablespoons sesame seeds. Place one of the breast halves on a large sheet of plastic wrap, season it with salt and pepper, top with another sheet of plastic wrap, and pound until uniformly 1/16 inch thick and the approximate diameter of a dinner plate. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining breast halves, using fresh sheets of plastic for each one.

15 min

Brush the grill grate and coat liberally with oil. Remove the plastic wrap from one side of 2 of the flattened breasts and place them on the grill so that they are spread out flat. The easiest way to do this is to support it from the plastic-wrapped side with your open hand and flip it onto the grill. Immediately lift off the sheets of plastic wrap. Grill until the chicken looks opaque at the edge, about 30 seconds. Flip with a spatula and grill 15 seconds on the other side. Remove to a platter, cover to keep warm, and repeat with the other 2 chicken breast halves.

5 min

Serve each paillard spread out flat on a dinner plate; it should nearly cover the entire serving surface of the plate. Drizzle the remaining rice vinegar mixture over the paillards, and place a large mound of seaweed salad in the center of each one.

5 min