Thinning Chicken breast

JoeV

JoeV

Dough Boy
After reading AllenOK's thread on chicken marsala, I wanted to get some feedback from you folks. I used to hammer chicken breasts when making Chicken Parm, but lately I have just been thinning the breasts by cutting them horizontally. Some of the larger breasts I get in family packs, I actually get three fillets from one breast. Is there a reason for hammering the breast other than tenderising and speeding up the cooking process? I have found that they fit better on a baking sheet and in glass pans. Am I missing something? This was 6 breasts filleted in half.

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LOL Joe, it seriously depends on my mood as to what I do with the chicken.....
haha.
If I'm cranky and feel the need I beat the tar out of it..... if it's a good day and it's still frozen half way (or legogirl is asleep) I slice it in half.
They come ridiculously huge sometimes doncha think? I can feed all 5 of us on 3 breast halves most times and have leftovers.
 
I have this "thing" I'm not sure what it's called but... it's got about 20 blades in it and you punch down on it and it presses those blades down through that poor meat at the same time it's pounding it to death. BOY BOY OH BOY!!!! I get all my anger out when I use it.
 
lilylove said:
I have this "thing" I'm not sure what it's called but... it's got about 20 blades in it and you punch down on it and it presses those blades down through that poor meat at the same time it's pounding it to death. BOY BOY OH BOY!!!! I get all my anger out when I use it.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a tool Vera might be interested in (unless she already has one).:shock:
 
Funny story to follow.....


I pound mine and get huge pieces that I cut. But first I put out any fiberlike things or that long white thingy by brushing it out with a small paring knife.
Then put them between butcher paper and pound.

I did about 6 pounds at 3am the monday before Christmas. My brother was flying in that afternoon and I had to pick him up, so I was trying to get a jump on things. Well I didn't know it but I was pounding, pounding away, the vibration knocked acouple of things off the counter, the dog went running from the room, TV on loud so I could hear thru the pounding.
Next thing I know, knock, knock on the door.
I was so loud the neighbor across the street woke and was going to call the police. LOL! I was using the smooth side of a metal meat mallet.
I felt I had to bring some to the neighbor the next day
(same day, only much later. LOL!) So I made them a small chicken parm dish and some extra sauce for spaghetti. I never did get a thankyou. (Snowbirds.)

Next time I say, "Fu*& 'em if they can't take a joke!"
 
i pound mine when i am making chicken cordon bleu or some other chicken dish that requires my to make it into a roll or roll stuff in it..

when i am making parm, i either butterfly the breast or simply do it the same way you do
 
For me, it depends on my mood, the size of the chicken breast, and what I'm going to be doing with it.

The ones I had at work probably could have been pounded, just to make them look bigger. But, they were what we have been calling a "recession buster special", and are cheap-cheap-cheap. We're actually loosing money on that. So, I make it look good and taste great, but I'm not going to jump through hoops to make it impressive.

I also agree that bulk ICF chicken breasts are a little on the big side. Cut them in half and save yourself some trouble.

Lilylove, for some reason, I keep associating the word "card" with the tool you mentioned. That may be meat-cutter's slang for the tool. Odds are, it like a "cuber", designed to help tenderize tougher cuts of thin meat.

I've got a really funny story about when I was in college, and the chef-instructor was teaching us how to take a leg of veal, and make all sorts of different cuts of meat from it. However, the bulk of them were scallopini, and had to be pounded.
 
I like to pound the breasts for parm. I think it makes a great presentation when that piece of chicken almost fills the plate...
 
i always pound it.

umm, my chicken, that is.

.

i mean, i can't think of a reason not to want it softer, or more tender.


sheesh, none of this is coming out right

oh, forget it. i'm going back to getting caught up on threads and pm's. :confused:
 
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