How to Butterfly a Chicken Breast in 3 Simple Steps

Learn this quick technique today, and you'll use it all the time—not just for chicken, but also for other meats such as pork or veal.

Mastering how to butterfly a chicken breast allows you to achieve evenly cooked, thin cutlets from a bulky piece of meat. Chicken breasts are favored for being lean and versatile, but their uneven thickness can lead to cooking challenges. This straightforward, three-step technique resolves these issues by turning the uneven cut into a more manageable shape, enabling you to use this method across a variety of meats, such as pork and veal, for flavorful results.

Chicken Paillard — Credit:
Bryan Gardner

What Is Butterflying?

The culinary term "to butterfly" means splitting a food, almost—but not completely—through. It's a technique used for everything from shrimp to turkey breast. The two halves are then opened up so they resemble a butterfly shape. With a chicken breast, it's more like cutting the chicken breast horizontally so it opens up like a book.

Why You Should Butterfly a Chicken Breast

Butterflying a chicken breast gives you thinner, more even pieces that will cook quicker and more evenly. It also allows you to easily pound the meat to a very even thickness. Prepared this way, the split and pounded chicken breasts are called paillards. Alternatively, you can stuff the butterflied chicken breast with something delicious like basil and tomato, or roll the thin meat around a filling to become a chicken roulade.

How to Butterfly a Chicken Breast

What You Need

No special equipment is required for butterflying, but do make sure your knife is sharp:

Cutting board: Use a cutting board reserved for raw meat.
Sharp knife: A boning knife is ideal—it has a slightly flexible, skinny blade. But we often use a chef's knife, too.
Meat mallet: If you want to pound the meat flat, you'll also need a meat mallet.

Ensure your knife is sharp enough before you begin. A sharp knife not only makes the cutting process easier but also safer, as it requires less force and is less likely to slip.

1. Remove the Skin

If the chicken breast has skin attached, loosen it with your fingers and remove.

2. Cut Horizontally

Place the chicken breast on the cutting board with what would have been the skin side down. Place one hand on the chicken breast, curving your fingers up slightly for safety. Insert the knife into the middle of the thickest part and cut horizontally; cut almost to the other side. Open it like a book.

To make chicken cutlets, continue to cut the chicken breast all the way in half instead of keeping the two halves attached.

3. Pound the Chicken

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 (or whatever thickness is required for your recipe).

Updated by

Victoria Spencer

Explore more: