ISO help cooking chicken breasts

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I have no problem butterflying pork. My issue trying to cut chicken breast into to thin slices is that the side that was attached to the bone has uneven loose bits. I may have to take a picture next time I cook chicken breast. I don't have a problem cooking them whole without them drying out.


that can create issues - I find pressing the breast down, a thump or two, usually flattens them enough the bottom cut is more uniform.
 
Sorry.

The chopsticks act as a guide so you can cut the top half of the breast off. You are slicing the breast in half horizontally so you end up with a top half and a bottom half.

Thanks Andy. DcSaute's photos helped. The penny finally dropped. D'oh! :doh:
 
Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen suggests cutting breasts into three pieces, like this, so the thinner end is less likely to overcook.
CuttingCutlets_1.jpeg
 
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When you get a chicken breast, you get two muscles, the large muscle, and the tenderloin. Separate them, and save the tenderloins for another meal by freezing the in zipper bags. This will give you a nice piece of meat to butterfly, or slice.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Yes, chief - the tenderloins will cook in no time at all, whereas the breast takes a whole lot longer.
I keep the tenderloins apart, as you do, and save them for skewers. I often make chicken satays, and they´re perfect for that.
Just a note, though, and I learned this from watching Sarah Moulton, years ago on Food TV. There´s a white tendon that runs through the tenderloin. Press down on one end, with your thumbnail, and run your knife along the loin to remove it, otherwise you may have a chewy bit in the middle.
 
OK… late to the party, but in the last year or two I have replaced almost everything I use breast for with boneless thighs. This includes tacos, enchiladas, chicken salad, and more. I think it is more flavorful and easier to cook.
 
Yeah, I suppose it would be simpler if I removed the filets/tenderloins from the chicken breasts. I have been reluctant to do that because I am often using frozen chicken breast, so I don't really want to freeze them again. No, it would not be simple to just take the tenderloin off before freezing the breasts. They come individually cryovac packaged, so I just toss them in the freezer like that when I find that I won't get to them before they would go off.
 
When I buy chicken breasts (on sale) there are usually 5 to 7 of them in a package. As soon as I get home they are individually wrapped, weighed and marked, into the freezer. If they are huge, I remove the tender to a separate wrapper, again, weighed, marked and ito the freezer.

I love them for stir-fry. Works for me!

Even if I want to butterfly or pound them out, those big ones are just tooo big! So, off come the tenders! With 7 large breasts I will get 9 meals as there are usually 2 packages of tenders gotten from the 7.

Edit: although I certainly agree with taxy! If I were to go to the expense of buying them individually cryovac and frozen I would NOT defrost, break the seal, just to remove the tenders!
 
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Edit: although I certainly agree with taxy! If I were to go to the expense of buying them individually cryovac and frozen I would NOT defrost, break the seal, just to remove the tenders!

These are locally raised, organic chicken breasts. That's just the way they sell them. They taste great.
 

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