Quick-and-easy Mother's Day meal can be made in minutes, chef says

Looking for a last-minute Mother's Day gift?

Sons and daughters can show their mom some love with a quick-and-easy chicken dish that celebrity chef Robert Irvine says can be prepared in minutes.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Irvine shared his recipe for seared herb chicken paillard with toasted coriander Greek yogurt and spring harvest salad. (See the video at the top of this article.)

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Although it's suitable for any occasion, the dish is particularly helpful for anyone pressed for time.

That's because the meal can be made in less than three minutes.

Chef Robert Irvine's seared herb chicken paillard is presented with a toasted coriander Greek yogurt spread beneath a spring harvest salad. (Justin Leonard)

Irvine also revealed four practical cooking tips that will help make your Mother's Day meal a success.

1. Choose your meat

Chicken paillard is pounded flat and grilled or sautéed quickly.

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"Paillard just means a flat piece of meat," Irvine told Fox News Digital.

He used chicken breast for his dish. "But you can do this with the thighs, which have much more flavor because the dark meat contains more natural fat," Irvine said. "The white meat doesn't."

Chef Irvine said chicken paillard can be made with breasts or thighs. (Fox News)

When it comes to flattening the chicken, Irvine recommends using the smooth end of a meat pounder.

"And all we're doing is breaking the protein apart, so it cooks faster."

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Fish can also be substituted for chicken.

"We could use salmon the very same way. We could use cod," Irvine said. 

2. Don't forget the stem

One of the herbs used to bolster the chicken's flavor is rosemary.

Irvine demonstrates how he uses rosemary to add flavor to the dish. (Fox News)

"Now, people think that when I use the rosemary, which is literally taken off the stick here, that this is the flavor," Irvine said, holding the stem. 

"It is slightly. But this, the twig, is much more intense in flavor."

He incorporates the twig into the dish, using the back of a knife to bring out the aroma.

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"I'm going to drop that in when I cook."

Irvine then removes it before serving.

"I'm never going to eat this because it's too hot," he said. "But it's a great flavor."

3. Pick the right oil

Instead of a traditional olive oil, Irvine prefers to use a grapeseed oil.

Irvine uses grapeseed oil instead of olive oil. (Justin Leonard)

"The reason I use grapeseed oil is because I don't want a bitter, peppery aftertaste," he told Fox News Digital. 

"I've already got arugula. That's the pepperiness."

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Grapeseed oil reaches a higher temperature than olive oil, "sears the chicken nicely" and "doesn't get absorbed into the chicken like an olive oil would," he said.

"Olive oil's really only for finishing."

4. Let it be

While the chicken is cooking, there is no need to move the pan, Irvine said.

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"If I shake the pan, the protein moves," he said. "It will never get golden brown."

Irvine shared tips with Fox News Digital for creating a quick and easy meal. (Justin Leonard)

Put down the spatula, Irvine said, and "let it do its thing."

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"It will tell you when it's ready to turn over because the edges will turn golden brown."