My Family’s Favorite Chicken

My Grandma Doris was a real piece of work. As they said in the old days, “That lady had class!” Doris was allergic to kitchens, so she used to take my brother Jeff and me out to fine restaurants whenever we visited. She loved one French restaurant in particular, where she would always order chicken paillard with potato puree. It seemed so exotic, so chic, that Jeff and I always ordered the same dish and loved it. It wasn’t until I was in cooking school years later that I learned it was just a fancy name for pounded chicken with mashed potato. You gotta love the French! But it’s still my favorite chicken dish, and it’s great for people who are having trouble eating. That’s because pounding the chicken flat makes it quick to cook and very easy to chew.