SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

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Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be moist and juicy if they’re prepared properly.  The key is getting the same width throughout the breast so that it cooks evenly.  This step-by-step tutorial will how you how to butterfly a chicken breast, or open it up.

My apologies for the raw meat shots.  I’ve debated about whether or not to post this because it’s not at all mouthwatering.  (Ok, it’s slightly gross.) Yet, I’ve had many people ask how I marinate chicken to save time and I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this very important preparation step.

Note:  I always put a kitchen towel under my cutting board to keep it from moving while I’m working and make sure to always use a sharp chef’s knife.  These is an important safety measures. I use an 8 inch chef’s knife – this is the most appropriate tool for this task.

I also use a ‘garbage bowl’ lined with a plastic bag so that I can throw any scraps right into the bowl and get them out of my working area.

This is an all-natural chicken breast right out of the package.  It’s always thicker on one end than the other, which is a major obstacle to getting a moist, juicy chicken breast.

Start by trimming any extra fat and rib meat.  Just cut it right off and throw it in the garbage bowl.

Flip the breast over.  There is a natural line in the breast, which I’ve marked with an arrow.  I opened it up to make it more obvious.  This will tell you where to make your first cut.

Hold your knife at a very slight angle and cut into the breast but not all of the way through.  Use your hand to flip open the flap and press it flat.

It should look like this.

Now flip the breast around.  You’re going to open up the other half of the breast.  Again, hold your knife at a slight angle and slice into the breast without cutting all the way through.

Here’s what your butterflied breast will look like.  I marked two places with arrows to show you where I’d cut off a little extra meat to make the chicken look nicer.  Of course, this is optional, but it helps with the final product as we do eat with our eyes.

I cut the butterflied breast in half so they’re in appropriate serving sizes.  If you wanted to pound them into cutlets, all you’d have to do is place the breast between two pieces of saran wrap and pound it thin.  I use one of my stainless steel frying pans for this.

Since tomorrow is Holiday Food Fest at Gluten Free Easily, I’ll be posting the second part of this on Friday – how I ‘freezer’ marinate chicken to save time and still eat well.

I do hope you have a Holiday dish to share with us at Shirley’s place tomorrow.  If not, that’s fine too.  At least stop by, check out what everyone else is making, and say hello.  All participants will be entered to win a bottle of Tropical Tradition’s Organic Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.

And, Amanda from Amanda’s Cookin’ is giving away a KitchenAid Mixer.  Stop by and leave a comment to enter!