The Ultimate Guide On How To Cut Chicken Breast

The chicken breast is possibly one of the most used parts of a chicken as it is rich in protein yet contains the least fat compared to other parts.

However, chicken breast recipes can be confusing for beginners about how to cut them appropriately. Yes, certain dishes require a different size and shape so as to enhance the beauty of the dish.

Therefore, let us show you how to cut chicken breast that is most suitable for your recipe today.

Way To Serve Chicken Breast

Chicken breast contains many nutrient factors, with 55 percent protein of a person’s recommended protein intake.

It also contains polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, which are healthier fat than that of other red meat types, making it desirable for weight loss recipes.

Over time, this excellent chicken cut has been used to serve as appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, or even desserts in many restaurants in the world.

The most classic way to serve chicken breast is poach chicken breast. This is the simplest and most convenient way to cook chicken.

As the liquid’s heat cooks the chicken, the chicken meat is tender, juicy, and tasty. This way is most suitable for chicken salad, sandwiches, pizza or hot soup.

Another popular way to serve chicken breast is pan-fried chicken. This method uses fat and medium heat to cook the chicken until it is golden brown on the outside. 

Unlike fried chicken, pan-frying makes the chicken half crispy and juicy on the inside. This amazing chicken breast piece is usually used with salad, pasta, or taco wrap.

Other methods you can use on chicken breast are stir-fry, grilling or barbeque, baking, or roasting. These methods might take a long time and require more cooking equipment.

How To Cut Chicken Breast

As there are many ways to cook chicken, the chicken breast doesn’t always serve as a whole. Normally, this tasty ingredient tends to have a long, oval, and half-heart shape.

If you only use chicken breast as your main dish, it is fine to keep it in shape. However, if you need to combine chicken with vegetables or slices of bread, you might need to cut it. So, how to cut up chicken breast properly?

Strips

If you’re making stir-fried breast chicken, you need to cut this type of poultry into strips. Cutting chicken breast into strips helps the chicken meat be well cooked under the medium heat of stir fry.

So, how to cut chicken into strips for stir fry?

1. Before cutting the chicken, you should put it in a fridge or freezer for 15 minutes first. This would make the raw chicken less slippery and soft, making it hard to cut into small strips.

2. Then, hold the chicken piece with your non-dominant hand on a cutting board.

3. Use a sharp chef knife with a length of eight to 10 inches and cut the chicken piece against the grain.

A chicken breast can have five to seven strips depending on the desirable size of the strip. You can cut a strip about half an inch for the Fajitas recipe or around 2 inches for fried chicken.

In half

If you receive a family pack of chicken breasts, the breasts tend to be large and weigh around 12 ounces each piece. That’s when you need to cut them in half to use them for cooking.

So, how to halve a chicken breast?

1. Place the raw chicken breast on the cutting board with the skin side down, revealing the bone and meat.

2. Then use a chef knife and start at the white cartilage. This part is usually at the end of the bone, making it easy to cut right through it.

3. Use your knife and start cutting the chicken breast in half vertically.

With bone

A bone-in chicken breast can be unfamiliar to western cuisine, but it is extremely common in Asian kitchens.

If you’re making an Asian-style chicken dish, you might want to keep the bone. However, it might be hard to cut through the bone if you only use normal techniques and equipment.

So, how to cut chicken breast with bone?

In this method, you need to use a cleaver, kitchen shears, or scissors to cut through the hard bone easily. In this method, we will use the cleaver.

1. Place the large chicken breast with the skin side up.

2. Aim at the middle of the chicken, then use your cleaver to make a long slice.

3. When you reach the bone, pressure the knife and rock it back and forth a few times until it cuts through the bone.

Fillets

Pan-frying chicken breast is most suitable for fillet cuts as it can leave the crispy chicken outside yet juicy inside. However, this method is a bit tricky, so you must be careful when cutting it.

So, how to fillet a chicken breast?

1. Place the chicken breast with the skin side up.

2. Use your entire non-dominant hand and press on the chicken meat so stable it.

3. Use your chef knife and put the blade parallel to the cutting board. Then place it at the chicken meat and start slicing chicken breast horizontally.

Cubes

Chicken breast cube is an ideal size for sautéing the chicken. It is perfect for shish kebab or hot pie dishes. So, how to cut chicken into cubes?

1. Place the chicken breast with the smooth side up.

2. Look at the meat fibers’ grain, then use the chef knife to cut the chicken horizontally against the grain into half to one and a half inches strips.  

3. Then rotate the strips and slice them into small cubes at half-inch size.

FAQs

How long can chicken breast last?

A fresh market raw chicken can last about two hours at room temperature. If more than two hours, toxic bacteria can build up quickly and ruin the meat.

If you put it in the freezer or fridge, the chicken breast can last for days.

How to store chicken breast?

Storing food is a necessary process for you to use your raw ingredients more than one time. Like other meats for chicken breast, you need to put it in an airtight container or freezer bag. 

Then you can put them in the refrigerator or freezer, which can last to 5-6 days in the fridge or 5-6 months in the freezer.

Conclusion

Chicken is a tasty and versatile type of meat that can be used in many dishes. One of the chicken’s desirable parts is the breast, which is the healthy and tender part.However, for each recipe and cooking method, it is necessary to learn how to cut chicken breast properly, so your dishes are well presented with a suitable chicken bite size.