Slicing chicken breast fillets

corblimey

I came across this page today, and while I'm not that interested in the recipe (I've already got a great Satay recipe I use regularly), I am interested in how the blogger sliced his chicken to end up with those nice long thin strands.

I assume he bashed each fillet to a thin consistency and then sliced it lengthwise, but none of that is mentioned in the recipe. Any tips?

looksee

Just slice the fillets lengthwise. If you then use the back of a heavy knife you can scrape it along the slice to lengthen it a bit, but don't bash it or you will end up with chicken pulp!

duploelabs

Or put the breast between two sheets of cling film and use a rolling pin normally on it

Mrs Fox

I'd cut it at an angle, run the knife down >45°.

Not G.R

Butterfly it. Then cut into strips?

corblimey

duploelabs wrote: »

Or put the breast between two sheets of cling film and use a rolling pin normally on it

looksee wrote: »

Just slice the fillets lengthwise. If you then use the back of a heavy knife you can scrape it along the slice to lengthen it a bit, but don't bash it or you will end up with chicken pulp!

When following Oliver's 15 min recipes, he always flattens out the chicken (presumably because it cooks quicker that way) so I have used his method of putting a breast fillet between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper and hitting it with a frying pan. If I do that, and then slice it lengthwise, I guess I'll get something akin to the website.

Never tried that heavy knife method...

Not G.R wrote: »

Butterfly it. Then cut into strips?

Man, I don't know if I'm buying the wrong types of fillets, but mine do not lend themselves to butterflying very successfully. The edges are too thin or something.

The Hill Billy

corblimey wrote: »

Man, I don't know if I'm buying the wrong types of fillets, but mine do not lend themselves to butterflying very successfully. The edges are too thin or something.

You need a sharp knife & a steady hand. Or ask a butcher to do it for you.

Alun

You could also just buy mini fillets which are already about the right size and shape for that recipe I'd say. Cheaper per kg than the whole fillets as well

corblimey

Alun wrote: »

Cheaper per kg than the whole fillets as well

Shirley that can't be true!

Alun

corblimey wrote: »

Shirley that can't be true!

Yes, I know, it's weird, but whenever I've looked it's true, certainly in Lidl/Aldi.

Dial Hard

Alun wrote: »

Yes, I know, it's weird, but whenever I've looked it's true, certainly in Lidl/Aldi.

By weight or per pack?

Alun

Dial Hard wrote: »

By weight or per pack?

Per kg. I'm off to Aldi in a bit, so I'll double check.

hardCopy

Alun wrote: »

Per kg. I'm off to Aldi in a bit, so I'll double check.

You're right, have noticed the same myself. Chicken fillets are a premium cut. Mini fillets don't need processing like diced breast meat (which does cost more than fillet )

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

Dial Hard

hardCopy wrote: »

You're right, have noticed the same myself. Chicken fillets are a premium cut. Mini fillets don't need processing like diced breast meat (which does cost more than fillet )

The mini fillets are just the little "extra" bit from the side of the breast (I'm sure there's a technical term for it but I haven't a bog's notion what it might be) so they don't require any more processing than the fillet itself, in fairness.

gerrybbadd

Melendez wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I hate that part too, and always cut it out!

Alun

Dial Hard wrote: »

The mini fillets are just the little "extra" bit from the side of the breast (I'm sure there's a technical term for it but I haven't a bog's notion what it might be) so they don't require any more processing than the fillet itself, in fairness.

According to Wikipedia ...

"Often, the tenderloin (pectoralis minor) is marketed separately from the breast (pectoralis major). In the US, "tenders" can be either tenderloins or strips cut from the breast. In the UK the strips of pectoralis minor are called "chicken mini-fillets".

Alun

Alun wrote: »

Per kg. I'm off to Aldi in a bit, so I'll double check.

I actually went to Lidl instead, but ...

Mini fillets €9.40 per kg

Whole fillets €9.67 per kg

Diced chicken €10.26 per kg

rubadub

In recent times the mini fillets are cheaper in tesco, a few years back they were not.

They have photos of the farmers on the ones in tesco. I noticed one farmers packs had noticeable less sinuey white bits in them.

The one I never find particularly cheap is thigh meat, which loads of people always talk about being very cheap relative to breast. Maybe it is in some butchers but in most supermarkets I see it around the same price, a little less but its often more expensive than breast meat. Maybe the thigh with bone is cheaper but you would have to weigh the meat, of course it is far cheaper per kilo with the bone in.

Dial Hard

rubadub wrote:

The one I never find particularly cheap is thigh meat, which loads of people always talk about being very cheap relative to breast. Maybe it is in some butchers but in most supermarkets I see it around the same price, a little less but its often more expensive than breast meat. Maybe the thigh with bone is cheaper but you would have to weigh the meat, of course it is far cheaper per kilo with the bone in.

6 thighs for 3 quid in Aldi and there's absolutely loads of meat on them. Thighs are by far my favourite cut of chicken. So much flavour.

Mellor

Dial Hard wrote: »

The mini fillets are just the little "extra" bit from the side of the breast (I'm sure there's a technical term for it but I haven't a bog's notion what it might be) so they don't require any more processing than the fillet itself, in fairness.

Alun is right.
It's Pec major and minor (same as in humans).
Here in Oz, chicken fillets are sold whole, as in the fillet and mini fillet are still joined together. 1 chicken breast can be 300-400g

Alun

Mellor wrote: »

Here in Oz, chicken fillets are sold whole, as in the fillet and mini fillet are still joined together. 1 chicken breast can be 300-400g

The odd thing is that, in my experience in any case, they are here too, so I'm wondering when they're removed and what happens to all the fillets that have had them removed. Maybe they go on to become chicken kievs or something, where having that little extra bit would be inconvenient for the food processors somehow.

Dial Hard

Alun wrote:

The odd thing is that, in my experience in any case, they are here too, so I'm wondering when they're removed and what happens to all the fillets that have had them removed. Maybe they go on to become chicken kievs or something, where having that little extra bit would be inconvenient for the food processors somehow.

I'd say they end up in things like Tesco Value packs of chicken fillets (where the "value" simply comes from them being smaller), or pre-made stir-fry mixes, etc.

duploelabs

I'm surprised by people thinking that cheap meat is a good thing. How do you think the producers make them with still maintaining a margin?

Mellor

Alun wrote: »

The odd thing is that, in my experience in any case, they are here too, so I'm wondering when they're removed and what happens to all the fillets that have had them removed. Maybe they go on to become chicken kievs or something, where having that little extra bit would be inconvenient for the food processors somehow.

I don't remember the being on when I was in ireland. But it's been a long time too. The fillets are certainly smaller.
But they'd have no issue getting rid of breast meat. I read somewhere that the UK and Ireland are a net importer of "white" chicken meat & a net exporter of dark meat.

Dial Hard

duploelabs wrote:

I'm surprised by people thinking that cheap meat is a good thing. How do you think the producers make them with still maintaining a margin?

I don't recall anyone saying they think that?

I did mention that thighs are excellent value but that's more down to there being virtually no demand for them in Ireland than anything.

I always buy free-range where possible. Generally they don't specify on thighs, though, and my butcher doesn't sell them separately.

Taboola

Dial Hard wrote: »

I don't recall anyone saying they think that?

I did mention that thighs are excellent value but that's more down to there being virtually no demand for them in Ireland than anything.

I always buy free-range where possible. Generally they don't specify on thighs, though, and my butcher doesn't sell them separately.

I *think* what duploelabs means is people in general.

They wouldn't sell the cheaper meat if people didn't buy it.

Dial Hard

Taboola wrote: »

I *think* what duploelabs means is people in general.

They wouldn't sell the cheaper meat if people didn't buy it.

I had this conversation over dinner with friends recently.

I'm all for buying ethically whenever and wherever I can. And I used to be quite judgemental about people who don't. But I'm lucky enough that I have the money to make that choice.

A lower income family on a very tight budget doesn't necessarily have that luxury. So I'm not going to judge anyone who buys a €4 whole chicken to roast when the alternative is a frozen pizza and chips.

Tarzana2

duploelabs wrote: »

I'm surprised by people thinking that cheap meat is a good thing. How do you think the producers make them with still maintaining a margin?

Aye but at our currents levels of consumption of meat, few could afford ethically produced meat, not to mention that at the current consumption rates, there wouldn't even be enough agricultural land area to produce the amount we need in an ethical manner. Well, in the UK anyway. With our much lower population density, it might be possible here but I'd be doubtful. But again, price. And no real solutions to how to make it affordable. Meat consumption needs to drop really, and I don't see that happening any time soon in the general population. I try not to think about how pigs and chickens are farmed but it's hard not to. And we'd be one of the better countries for minimum welfare standards. For chucks and piggles that standard still ain't great.

Mellor

Dial Hard wrote: »

I don't recall anyone saying they think that?

I did mention that thighs are excellent value but that's more down to there being virtually no demand for them in Ireland than anything.

Yeah I'm not sure where it came from either. Cheap chicken breast verses "premium" chicken breast is probably a quality/ethical issue.
But is silly to apply that logic to one cut verses another.

Wings and thighs are cheap as they are left over from all the breast-munchers.

I wonder where all the free range off-cuts go? Probably in with the rest, or off to some meat grinder.

The Hill Billy

So OP - Did you manage to slice those chicken breasts OK?