How to Butterfly Chicken

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

Learn how to butterfly chicken, a simple technique for splitting chicken breasts so they cook quickly or hold a filling. Or, cut them all the way through to make cutlets.

Somebody butterflying a chicken breast.

Tutorial notes

  • Uniformity: Butterfly and pound chicken breasts so they cook quickly and evenly without burning. You can cut and pound chicken thighs the same way, too.
  • Cutlets: Cut all the way through to make chicken cutlets.
  • Buying: Look for pink chicken (without even a hint of gray) and check the “best buy” date.
  • Storing: According to the USDA, store raw chicken for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
  • Freezing: Remove chicken from the grocery store package and re-wrap in foil, freezer paper, or plastic wrap, then place in freezer-safe bags. Label, date, and freeze for up to 9 months (technically they will last indefinitely, but the quality will suffer). Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Cover a cutting board completely with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Add chicken breasts. Working with one breast at a time, place your palm on top of the breast and slice in half horizontally taking care to not slice all the way through. Repeat with the second breast.
Somebody butterflying a chicken breast.
  1. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer on the plastic wrap-covered cutting board. Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness, about 1/4-inch. Remove top layer of plastic wrap.
Somebody pounding chicken breasts after butterflying them.

How to Bread Chicken

Learn How to Bread Chicken with this simple technique that wows everyone in the house and keeps the mess to a minimum. Then pan-fry, air-fry, or bake your cutlets to golden, juicy perfection. There’s nothing…

10 minutes
View Recipe

Recipes for chicken cutlets

Join Us

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow along on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for our latest recipes! Tag all your glorious creations #culinaryhill so we can eat vicariously through you.
Somebody butterflying a chicken breast.

How to Butterfly Chicken Breasts

Learn how to butterfly chicken breasts, a simple technique for splitting chicken so it cooks quickly or holds a filling. Or, cut chicken breasts all the way through to make cutlets.
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings (4 ounces each)
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Calories 129
5 from 2 votes

Ingredients 

  • 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large)

Instructions 

  • Cover a cutting board completely with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Add chicken breasts. Working with one breast at a time, place your palm on top of the breast and slice in half horizontally taking care to not slice all the way through. Repeat with the second breast.
  • Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer on the plastic wrap-covered cutting board. Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness, about 1/4-inch. Remove top layer of plastic wrap.

Notes

  1. Uniformity: Butterfly and pound chicken breasts so they cook quickly and evenly without burning. You can cut and pound chicken thighs the same way, too.
  2. Cutlets: Cut all the way through to make chicken cutlets.
  3. Buying: Look for pink chicken (without even a hint of gray) and check the “best buy” date.
  4. Storing: According to the USDA, store raw chicken for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
  5. Freezing: Remove chicken from the grocery store package and re-wrap in foil, freezer paper, or plastic wrap, then place in freezer-safe bags. Label, date, and freeze for up to 9 months (technically they will last indefinitely, but the quality will suffer). Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ouncesCalories: 129kcalProtein: 24gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 132mgPotassium: 420mgVitamin A: 34IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
Website | + posts

Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

Quick & Easy Meals in Under 30 Minutes!
15 simple recipes for busy weeknights.

You May Also Like

Questions and Comments

Thank you for your comments! Please allow 1-2 business days for a reply. Our business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am PST to 5:00 pm PST, excluding holidays. Comments are moderated to prevent spam and profanity.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.