2 chicken breasts, butterflied – see kitchen note

extra-virgin olive oil, divided (see method below)

kosher salt, as desired

freshly ground black pepper, as desired

2 cups baby arugula

1 tablespoon lemon juice, juice from approximately 1/2 lemon

Method:

To prepare the Chicken:

1.     Preheat oven to 400ºF. Note: See step three below.

2.     Remove chicken from packaging and gently dry with paper towels. Generously salt, pepper and oil each chicken breast.

3.     Preheat a large skillet or cast iron over medium – high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, approximately 1 minute. Add chicken presentation side first (smooth side) and allow to cook until golden brown in color, approximately 4 – 6 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until fully cooked through. If chicken begins to burn before it is fully cooked, reduce the temperature or transfer to preheated 400ºF oven to fully cook through.

4.     Remove from heat, transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before eating.

5.     Meanwhile, prepare the simple salad.

To Prepare the Simple Salad:

6.     In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Whisk to combine and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

7.     Add arugula, toss to just combine and serve with chicken.

Kitchen Note:  Most grocery stores will gladly butterfly your chicken for you, but doing it at home is really quite simple. Simply lay your chicken breasts on a cutting board and using a sharp knife, cut across the middle from right to left WITHOUT cutting all the way through, which would result in two pieces. Open the chicken breast laying it flat so it is about 1/2-inch thick. This will cook the chicken much faster as it is now half as thick.