# Flattening Chicken Breasts



## TomatoMustard (Jul 20, 2011)

I am really bad at doing this. I've use a recipe or two in the past that required me to pound out the chicken breast, usually for wrapping around something. Everytime I do it I have the worst time. I can never seem to get it as flat as I think it should be. 

anyone have any tips or tricks?

I use a cake pan and a can of soup or something of the like. It works extremely well with beef and some other random applications but a flat chicken breast seems to elude me.


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## Rocklobster (Jul 20, 2011)

I cover them with a piece of plastic wrap and use the flat side of my meat mallet or the flat side of my heavy cleaver. I go right for the thickest piece. Don't murder the poor thing, it has already been killed once. I have the outside of the breast facing up. It has a membrane on it still that helps the chicken form shredding into pieces. I just rap it until the thickest part becomes equal to the thinner pointy end.


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## ChefJune (Jul 20, 2011)

I prefer to use the bottom of a heavy (cast iron) skillet because when I use my cleaver, I end up also pounding the side of my thumb into the board. 

Also, look on the bottom side of the boneless breast. There's a tendon that, if not removed, prevents the meat from flattening out the way you want it to.


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## Rocklobster (Jul 20, 2011)

ChefJune said:


> I prefer to use the bottom of a heavy (cast iron) skillet because when I use my cleaver, I end up also pounding the side of my thumb into the board.
> 
> .


 
Ahhh. Pain! That's what I'm feeling. I was wondering what that was when I used a cleaver. Nobody said my cooking style was pretty.


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## SodiumPentathol (Jul 20, 2011)

I like the cast iron skillet method two. Only takes one or two good thwaps to get a flat surface (just don't hit it toooooo hard or you'll have flat chicken bits instead of a flat chicken breast.) Also, if you put the breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap and put that in between a couple of dish towels it muffles the noise, and stops concerned neighbours from coming downstairs to see if you're okay.


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## betterthanabox (Jul 20, 2011)

SodiumPentathol said:


> I like the cast iron skillet method two. Only takes one or two good thwaps to get a flat surface (just don't hit it toooooo hard or you'll have flat chicken bits instead of a flat chicken breast.) Also, if you put the breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap and put that in between a couple of dish towels it muffles the noise, and stops concerned neighbours from coming downstairs to see if you're okay.




Concerned or nosy?


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## Andy M. (Jul 20, 2011)

SodiumPentathol said:


> ...Also, if you put the breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap and put that in between a couple of dish towels it muffles the noise, and stops concerned neighbours from coming downstairs to see if you're okay.



Noise?  The chickens aren't supposed to be alive when you do this.


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## SodiumPentathol (Jul 20, 2011)

That's a toss up. No one upstairs knows how to cook, so when they hear us messing around in the kitchen we get visitors appearing with noses twitching  good thing we always make extra!


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## TomatoMustard (Jul 20, 2011)

I like the cast iron method. How flat _can_ you get a chicken breast without it just falling apart?


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## Snip 13 (Jul 20, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> Noise?  The chickens aren't supposed to be alive when you do this.





I put my chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and hit it with my fist lol!


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## jennyema (Jul 20, 2011)

Put it in a heazy ziplock and use my meat hammer or a SS pot.


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## CharlieD (Jul 20, 2011)

If you are having trouble, why don't you try to use the tool spcificaly meant for the job? Tendorising hammer. When you get good at that you can try to use some other tools. I know that is what I did. Today I can flatten chicken with pretty much anything heavy.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jul 20, 2011)

Take it down to the imaging place and put it in the mammogram machine.


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## Bigjim68 (Jul 20, 2011)

Snip 13 said:


> I put my chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and hit it with my fist lol!


That is the way I do it.  My hand is my all purpose kitchen tool.  I use the heel of my hand


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## Dawgluver (Jul 20, 2011)

I bash them with my marble rolling pin.  It helps to roll it out too, doesn't seem to shred as much.  Use the plastic wrap or baggie.

Sir Loin's idea might work too, though you will need to make an appointment 2 weeks in advance, and your insurance may not cover it.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Jul 21, 2011)

I butterfly the breast first then place between to sheets of non stick thingy and feed it through my pasta roller.I feed a lot of things through the machine to get a uniform thickness.


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## Andy M. (Jul 21, 2011)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> I butterfly the breast first then place between to sheets of non stick thingy and feed it through my pasta roller.I feed a lot of things through the machine to get a uniform thickness.



Now that's a great idea!


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## TomatoMustard (Jul 22, 2011)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> I butterfly the breast first then place between to sheets of non stick thingy and feed it through my pasta roller.I feed a lot of things through the machine to get a uniform thickness.


 
That sounds TNT. I don't think I actually know how to butterfly a piece of meat, though. Time to search youtube.


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