cut-chicken-mld108081.jpg Credit: Tara Donne
Chicken breasts are lean, affordable, and oh-so-versatile, but their uneven shape presents an eternal problem for cooks. The narrow side gets overdone while the thick side finishes cooking. Butterflying –- that is, splitting the chicken breast horizontally and opening it like a book –- allows you to then easily pound the meat to an even thickness. (Prepared this way, the split and pounded chicken breasts are called paillards.) Alternatively, you can stuff that butterflied chicken breast with something delicious and close it back up for cooking. mld105416_0110_htbutter1.jpg Step One Place one hand on the chicken, curving your fingers up slightly for safety. Slice meat horizontally, cutting almost to the other side. Open it like a book. mld105416_0110_htpoundc1.jpg Step Two Place meat inside a plastic bag or between two sheets of plastic wrap. Working from the center out, pound with the smooth side of a mallet until meat is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. frying-chicken3-mld108081.jpg Credit: Tara Donne Now that you know the secret, check out some of our favorite recipes that call for butterflied chicken breasts. Martha’s Chicken Paillards Chicken Marsala Chicken Milanese Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Basil and Tomato Chicken Paillards with Squash and Spinach Walnut-Stuffed Chicken Roulades
cut-chicken-mld108081.jpg Credit: Tara Donne
cut-chicken-mld108081.jpg Credit: Tara Donne
cut-chicken-mld108081.jpg
Credit: Tara Donne
Chicken breasts are lean, affordable, and oh-so-versatile, but their uneven shape presents an eternal problem for cooks. The narrow side gets overdone while the thick side finishes cooking.
Butterflying –- that is, splitting the chicken breast horizontally and opening it like a book –- allows you to then easily pound the meat to an even thickness. (Prepared this way, the split and pounded chicken breasts are called paillards.) Alternatively, you can stuff that butterflied chicken breast with something delicious and close it back up for cooking.
mld105416_0110_htbutter1.jpg
Step One
Place one hand on the chicken, curving your fingers up slightly for safety. Slice meat horizontally, cutting almost to the other side. Open it like a book.
mld105416_0110_htpoundc1.jpg
Step Two
Place meat inside a plastic bag or between two sheets of plastic wrap. Working from the center out, pound with the smooth side of a mallet until meat is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
frying-chicken3-mld108081.jpg Credit: Tara Donne
Now that you know the secret, check out some of our favorite recipes that call for butterflied chicken breasts.
Martha’s Chicken Paillards
Chicken Marsala
Chicken Milanese
Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Basil and Tomato
Chicken Paillards with Squash and Spinach
Walnut-Stuffed Chicken Roulades
mld105416_0110_htbutter1.jpg
mld105416_0110_htbutter1.jpg
mld105416_0110_htpoundc1.jpg
mld105416_0110_htpoundc1.jpg
frying-chicken3-mld108081.jpg Credit: Tara Donne
frying-chicken3-mld108081.jpg
