How To Cut Chicken Breast

Learn how to cut chicken breast into cubes, strips, and cutlets with this step by step guide. Cutting chicken breast is quick and simple and with the right tools, can be done perfectly.

A good chicken breast is a staple for most recipes involving chicken. It is also pretty good when prepared and used on its own. Whether you bake it, bread it, fry it, or dip it in one of several different sauces, you will likely be cutting chicken breasts if you plan to use this meat.

There are almost as many ways to cut a chicken breast as there are to eat and prepare one. This article is going to show you some of the most common ways to cut chicken breast!

Tools

Cutting board

Sharp knife or kitchen shears

How To Cut Chicken Breast Into Strips

Cutting a chicken breast into strips is pretty easy, and this step by step will show you how to cut chicken breasts into strips.

Lay the chicken breast out in front of you on a cutting board or other clean work surface.

Use a sharp knife and cut the breast into strips of about equal length, going lengthwise down the chicken breast.

The strips don’t all need to be the same size, but try to make them as even as you can.

Then you have strips that will be perfect for cooking.

How To Cut Chicken Breast Into Cubes

Whether you want to make homemade chicken nuggets or you just want to turn your chicken breast into true finger foods, cutting the chicken breast into cubes is pretty easy and you don’t need to stress out over it.

Here's how to cut chicken breasts into cubes:

First, pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Lay the chicken breast out in front of you on a cutting board or other clean work surface.

Hold the chicken firmly and use a sharp knife to cut the breast into strips of about equal length going lengthwise down the chicken breast.

Once you have those strips, turn the chicken 90 degrees until the cuts are horizontal, and repeat the process. After that is done, you should have chicken cubes!

Here are some recipes that use chicken cubes:

Air fryer chicken bites

How to cook chicken pieces in a pan

Chicken skewers

Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs

How To Cut Chicken Breast Into Tenders

Now, there is a difference between chicken strips, tenders, and fingers. Chicken strips (or fingers) are strips as described above. They are horizontal cuts of meat that are often breaded and fried to be eaten. Now, chicken tenders are an actual piece of chicken meat that is a cut from the breast.

It is called the pectoralis minor or the ‘inner filet’ and it is a small muscle found on the underside of the chicken breast. The chicken tenders are attached to the underside of the chicken breast, and each chicken has two of them. They are about five inches long and are often attached by a thin sheet of meat and skin, and taste the same as chicken breasts.

If you want to cut into true chicken tenders, then find the tenders and separate them from the breast, and a simple cut will do the trick. Otherwise, cut the entire breast into strips and call them tenders, because no one is going to know the difference.

This Fried chicken tenders recipe is a great one and you should try it.

How To Cut Chicken Breast Into Cutlets

Finally, we have the chicken cutlet. The cutlet is a very thin piece of meat that cooks a lot faster than a traditional chicken breast and is much easier to fry and manipulate. Basically, all you are doing is taking a chicken breast and cutting it in half to make the resulting pieces thinner, which is much harder than it sounds because the breast itself is usually already pretty thin.

Here's how to cut chicken breast into cutlets:

You just need to remove the tender, and then lay the chicken breast on a flat firm surface or on a chopping board.

Slowly slice the chicken breast in half until you have two equal pieces.

The chicken cutlets are supposed to be thin. Place parchment paper around and between the chicken and then beat it with a heavy object (such as a rolling pin). Do this until the chicken reaches your desired thickness. 

If you are still green with your knife skills, getting that perfect cutlet slice can be hard, and you might mangle your chicken breasts trying. At least they will still taste pretty good!

What is the best way to cut chicken breast?

The best and easiest way to cut a chicken breast will largely depend on the meal you are trying to make.

If you are looking for a completely easy method of cooking chicken breast, as well as a cut that won’t take up much time, then you need to cut your chicken breast into strips or cubes.

It is easy, they cook well, and they can be used for countless different meals!

The best way to cut chicken breast is to use a sharp knife or kitchen shear and place the chicken on a firm surface, then safely cut it into desired shapes and sizes.

Tips For Cutting Chicken Breast

• Make sure your work surface and knife are sanitized. Of course, any time you are handling raw meat, you should make sure that everything is sanitized and cleaned. Wash your hands, wash your knife properly, and ensure that the raw meat doesn’t get everywhere in the kitchen.
• Ensure that the knife is sharp as a dull knife can make a mess of the chicken or cause you injury.
• Don’t be afraid of a mistake. Whether you are slicing the chicken into cubes or performing the maneuvers needed to make cutlets, mistakes happen. Pieces don’t end up the same size or maybe aren’t as uniform as you want them to be. At the end of the day, for most recipes, some chicken breast cuts that are bigger or smaller than the rest aren’t going to bother anyone too much.
• Be careful with sharp knives. If you are not comfortable using a knife for cutting chicken, you should use a kitchen shear.
• You can use this guide for cutting boneless chicken thighs.

Cutting Against The Grain

Surprisingly, it matters how you go about cutting your meat. When it comes to chicken breasts, a ‘grain’ comes with them.

The grain is the muscle fibers that are inside the meat, with the direction those muscle fibers are going as ‘the grain.’

Going against the grain means that you are cutting in the opposite direction of those fibers, and the movement of your knife cuts the fibers in half.

This has the effect of making the meat more tender and leading to meat that is much easier to eat. It’s a better eating experience all around, and why not make your cut chicken breast even more delicious?

To find the grain, look at the chicken breast and identify the direction that the muscle fibers are moving, then cut through those fibers to go against the grain.

When cutting chicken into cubes it doesn't matter if you cut against the grain.

More Recipes

How to reheat chicken

How to mince chicken

Boiling chicken thighs

How to brown chicken

How to boil frozen chicken

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