Boneless Chicken Breasts vs Split Breasts

[k_young221]

Okay I have a beginner's question! I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts but they're so darn expensive- $5.35 for 3-4 breasts! The grocery has "split chicken breasts" on sale and I'm wondering what the difference is. Do they have a bone? Is there an easy way to just take the bone out and end up with "boneless, skinless chicken breasts"? Sorry if this is a really stupid question! lol

~K

 

[Alix]

Split chicken breasts still have some rib and backbone on them. Its not terribly hard to debone them, just a bit painstaking for some folks. A nice alternative for you might be to buy frozen boneless skinless breasts. I get around 8-10lbs at Costco (Sam's Club) for about $30 roughly.

 

[k_young221]

Thaks for the quick response! We don't have a warehouse store nearby, but I'll look for a website that tells me how to debone them. I'm willing to put in a little extra work to save $$!

Thanks!
~K

 

[Alix]

Its not really that hard to do. Pick some up and just fiddle with them, you won't need instruction, trust me.

Welcome to DC!

 

[k_young221]

LOL okay I'll give it a shot! My parents always told me I had no common sense, so I tend to research the heck out of something before trying it. =)

BTW this looks like an awesome forum. I'll definitely be coming back regularly!

~K

 

[urmaniac13]

Alix is right, also here shops in Rome I see some significant difference in price between already separated chicken breasts and split chicken breasts, practically the same items!! To me it is a great saving opportunity for not so much of a work... like Alix said, no need for instructions... you can see and feel the bone and sinews, just slice around them, also making sure to slice around your own fingers as well (chicken can be a bit slippery so never push the blade towards any of your body part!! also if the chicken if semi-frozen--not completely though--it is much more manageable to cut!)

BTW welcome to the forum!! Hope you will hang with us a lot, here "TheresAlwaysSomebodyHome" to help and entertain you!!

 

[jennyema]

A lot of the time you can cook them bone-in. It's easy enough to eat around the bones.

You do need to trim off some of the rib portion though. I use scissors.

 

[Andy M.]

The more a chicken has to be handled, the more expensive it is. You are, essentially, paying someone to split the breasts or debone them.

If you can learn to cut up and debone a whole chicken and use all the parts, that will be the least expensive way to go. If that's more than you want to deal with, then go with the least processed pieces you can deal with.

I sometime will buy up to a dozen whole chicken breasts on sale, then debone them for boneless chicken breasts. That leaves me with the bones to make a stock. It also gives me the option of having boneless breasts with the skin still on for some recipes.

 

[auntdot]

We prefer chicken breasts with the keel bone intact, usually try to get them split.

Cooking them with the bone and cartilage in keeps in the juices.

Can bake or broil them, or cook them on the grill.

They are easier to cook without drying out than the boneless version.

If there is a downside, you have to deal with the keel bone, which really is not a problem.

We grew up with the breasts with the bone in, and find boneless a poor second in general.

 

[Claire]

My response is that if I'm cooking on the grill outside, I want bones and skin. During the winter, it is nice to have them prepped and ready to go for stir fries, chicken fingers, curries, etc. In fact, my favorite chicken is one that has everything on it ... somehow a roasted, fully dressed chicken in the oven or on the weber has more flavor. Then the carcase goes into the pot for stock. Don't get me wrong; my freezer almost always holds a bag of bonless, skinless breasts and one of wings (we have a neighborhood thing about wings). But to me, the more bone and skin, the more flavor.

 

[Constance]

I prefer the taste of the bone-in breasts. Not only are they cheaper, but they have a lot more flavor. I do keep some boneless ones on hand, though, for a quick chicken sandwich.
I have been cutting up my own chickens for years, and it's no trick at all to bone the breast. Feel your way around...a lot of the bones will just pull out.

Here's a site with pictures...

http://www.ehow.com/how_2706_bone-chicken-breast.html

And this one shows how to bone a whole chicken...

http://www.ehow.com/how_2069_bone-whole-chicken.html

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I also prefer bone-in, and for a variety of reasons. First, like Constance said, bone-in meats have more flavor. They are usually easier to cook to succulent perfection.

Second, The meat stays fresher longer if it isn't handled as much.

Third, If I'm removing the bones for a particular recipe, I save them, and the skin for making stocks and soups. In fact, poultry are full of healthful nutrients that are difficult to get elsewhere. Just make sure you crack the bones before boiling them.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Constance]

"...In fact, poultry are full of healthful nutrients that are difficult to get elsewhere. Just make sure you crack the bones before boiling them..."

Well said, Goodweed. I've never cracked my bones first, though...I just simmer them all day, then strain, put broth back in kettle and reduce it by half.

By the way, the experts now admit that chicken soup really can help you get over colds and flu. It's important that you eat it from a mug, inhaling the vapors. Our grandmothers knew what they were talking about. I think even Vick's Vapor Rub is making a comeback.

And by the way, the less someone else handles my meat, the happier I am. My husband and I tend to buy big chunks of meat and cut them to our own specifications.

 

[letscook]

I buy my with bones in them. With a sharp knife just slowing and carefully cut the meat away from the bone. It save the bones in a freezer bag and just keep adding to it until i get a bag full and then make stock or soup. Usually has some meat left on the bones. When I make the stock I divide it up into 16oz containers and freeze it for when I need a can of chicken broth. Saving $$ all the way around.

 

[Claire]

Remember, though, that if you are throwing away the bones and skin (I don't; stock is the name of the game) then the price difference may not be worth the extra trouble. If you're young, two or three jobs, a few kids, then the boneless/skinless IQF may be the only way to go. I personally used to do a lot of cooking for my extended family, and had a couple of regular "guests" who were very fussy eaters. It was always nice to have those frozen chicken breasts to feed them. Some people prefer their food with less flavor!!!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

"...In fact, poultry are full of healthful nutrients that are difficult to get elsewhere. Just make sure you crack the bones before boiling them..."

Well said, Goodweed. I've never cracked my bones first, though...I just simmer them all day, then strain, put broth back in kettle and reduce it by half.

By the way, the experts now admit that chicken soup really can help you get over colds and flu. It's important that you eat it from a mug, inhaling the vapors. Our grandmothers knew what they were talking about. I think even Vick's Vapor Rub is making a comeback.

And by the way, the less someone else handles my meat, the happier I am. My husband and I tend to buy big chunks of meat and cut them to our own specifications.

Cracking the bones allows the nutrients from the bone marrow, and the collagen to dissolve into the liquid. Cooking with slighly acidic veggies, such as cekery root, onion, garlic, and celery also help extract the vital nutrients. In China, broths made from bones and marrow are called "soups of longevity" and have been prized for centuries.

To be sure, cooking all day in boiling water will extract the nutrients as well. But as I'm the bread-winner in my home, and the head cook and bottle washer, time is often at a premium. I find that any shortcuts I can find to speed things up are very useful to me. For broths and extracting nutrients and flavors, I always crack the bones, add acidic veggies, and usualy use a pressure cooker. I get the same quality and flavor in this manner as I would by cooking for extended periods of time, but usually in a mere 45 minutes. I also found that if l let the broth cook for much more than that, I have to dilute with water as the flavor becomes too concentrated.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North