What Is a Chicken Breast Half? [Everything Discussed]

Have you encountered a recipe where half a chicken breast is needed?

Well, it’s understandable if you don’t know what it means. But it’s important to quickly learn what chicken breast half is. Otherwise, you won’t be able to make the recipe work. 

So, what is a chicken breast half? 

Well, it simply means chicken breast cut in half. However, you’ll find two types of half chicken breasts. Firstly, the breast can be completely cut in half. Secondly, the two halves of the chicken breast can also be attached by the breast bone. Hence, half a chicken breast can be both bone-in and boneless. 

Now, this is a short description. To work with this chicken breast, you have to know more. That’s why we’ve provided different types of chicken halves and their recipe.

So, don’t miss them out! 

What Does Half a Chicken Breast Mean? 

Chicken breast is a good source of protein. It’s pretty lean and has less fat content than a T-bone steak.  So, chicken has some health benefits and it’s affordable.  Hence, it’s a great way to enjoy meat and maintain a healthy life.

Now, if we talk about chicken breast. Then we have to mention chicken breast halves or half. Because oftentimes, you’ll find half chicken breast is needed for lots of recipes. Moreover, in grocery stores, chicken breast is mostly sold in halves instead of full. 

However, to be specific, the half chicken breasts come in two forms. One is with bone and skin, another without bone or skin. Therefore, their weight, taste, and texture are different-

Half Chicken Breast Type	Weight	Taste	Texture (After Cooking)	Weight (After Cooking)
Split with bone and skin	8-10 ounces	Meatier	Stays moist for longer	6-8 ounces
Without bone and skin	5-6 ounces	Meaty	Doesn’t stay moist for much long	3-4 ounces

Now, this was a quick comparison between the two varieties. There’s not any difference taste-wise like sliced or chopped brisket. However, the weight of the half chicken breast depends on the weight of your chicken. 

Thus, this is just an average calculation on our part. Also, the weight decreases by around 2 ounces after cooking. 

You haven’t understood the table quite clearly?

Well, don’t worry! We’ve discussed the two types of half chicken breasts in detail. So, let’s check that out-

Bone-in Split Chicken Breast 

First of all, if the chicken breast has a bone in it, it’s either split chicken breast. Or it’s cut through the bone. So, both halves should have a part of the big bone. 

Now, you might think- what is a split chicken breast? 

Well, for bone-in chicken breast, the breast is split into two halves. But the halves are attached by the bone. Hence, it looks like a split or open book, much like a butterfly cut. But that cut is mostly done with boneless chicken breast.

Now, bone-in split chicken weighs about 8-10 ounces as it’s not fully cut in half. But if it’s completely cut in half, it should weigh around 6 ounces.

This piece carries almost 2x more protein than boneless half chicken breast. Thus, it tastes meatier and has a more chickeny flavor. Also, it can stay moist more than a chicken breast without bone and skin.

Now, we’ve mentioned the nutrition facts to make things easier-

Nutrition Facts for Bone-In Split Chicken Breast with Skin

1 serving-

Calories	190 kcal
Total fat	10g
Carbohydrate	0g
Protein	18g

So, this is how nutritious a bone-in split chicken breast is!

Boneless Half a Chicken Breast

Now, after the bone in, let’s focus on boneless and skinless half chicken breast. This piece of chicken breast weighs about 5-6 ounces. It has less of a chickeny flavor as it lacks the bone. 

Plus it also doesn’t stay moist for more than approximately 3 hours after cooking. Because it doesn’t have the bone to distribute the heat evenly through the breast meat. Moreover, the skin helps to lock in juiciness and moisture. 

However, you can find boneless chicken with skin. So, your chicken breast can stay moist for longer than 3 hours that way. 

Now, let’s look at the nutrition facts. Because it plays a big role in your decision regarding any food. So, how much nutrition does a half chicken breast carry?

Nutrition Facts for Half Chicken Breast with Skin but without Bone  

Serving size ½ breast yield from 1lb chicken-

Calories	149 kcal
Total fat	8g
Carbohydrate	0g
Protein	10g

So, this is an average nutrition fact of boneless half chicken breast. 

How to Cut Chicken Breast in Half Properly? 

Now, both bone-in and boneless chicken can be cut in 4 different ways. However,  bone-in chicken may be difficult to cut. 

But boneless chicken breast can be cut in half lengthwise, horizontally, or crosswise. You can even cut or find boneless chicken breast in butterfly style.

Now, if you want to cut a chicken breast in half on your own. Then it’s best to debone it first with a boning knife. Otherwise, you might end up cutting your finger. 

Also, we thought of keeping everything simple. Hence, here’s a short version of the recipes that go with each cut-

Cuts	Recipe
Lengthwise and horizontally	Chicken cutlets, Steak, fried chicken, chicken sandwich, stir fry chicken.
Crosswise	Curry, stir fry chicken.
Butterfly	Grilled chicken.

Now, let’s get into the details-

How to Cut Chicken Breast in Half Lengthwise? 

To cut the chicken breast in this way, you have to follow these instructions-

Take your chicken breast and lay it flat on your cutting board. This way the round portion of the chicken breast will be up. So, place your hand over the chicken breast to keep it in place.  

Now, take your knife and keep it parallel to your cutting board. To be more specific-

Place it halfway between the top and bottom of the thickest part of the chicken breast. Next, just slice through the chicken breast by keeping the knife at the same angle. You have to slice through back and forth with the knife. 

Make sure you don’t use much force with the slicing. Just maintain a slow and smooth cutting motion. This way you should have even chicken breast halves within 5 to 7 minutes.

Now, this cut of chicken breast can be used in many ways. For example, the chicken cutlet is a good recipe. 

You can even cut the sliced halves into cubes and stir fry them with veggies. Fried chicken, steak, even a chicken sandwich can be made with chicken breast halves cut lengthwise.

How to Cut Chicken Breast in Half Horizontally? 

Now, for horizontally cutting the chicken breast in half-

You have to follow almost the same rules as the lengthwise. Just before slicing, place the knife at the thinnest part of the chicken breast. Start slicing it from one side to the opposite, horizontally.

Cut the chicken breast open and separate the two halves. That’s it! The halves should look the same as lengthwise cut ones.  Moreover, you can use this cut the same way you used the lengthwise cut. For example, cutlet, fried chicken, etc. 

How to Cut Chicken Breast in Half Crosswise?

Last but not the least, to cut a chicken breast in half crosswise-

You have to take the chicken breast and lay it on the cutting board. But keep the breast in a vertical way. 

Then determine the half point of the chicken. Lastly, cut the chicken breast to get two halves. This is similar to cutting a point and flat from a brisket by identifying the fat seam.

Now, for crosswise cut chicken breast, chicken curry is a delicious dish to make! 

How to Butterfly Chicken Breast?

Now, this cut actually means to split the chicken breast in half. Thus, the halves will stay attached and won’t be completely separated. 

So, how to butterfly a chicken-

Place the chicken breast on your cutting board. Then slice the breast horizontally. But don’t separate the two halves. Instead, cut it almost to the other side. 

More specifically,  stop slicing about 1.5 inches from the edge. Lastly, open the breast like a book. It should appear like a butterfly.

Now, if you want you can pound the split chicken breast to even out the thickness. Hence, these are some great meat mallet for the job-

Use the mallet and you’ll get a beautiful and even-looking butterfly chicken breast!

Now, you can easily grill the butterflied chicken breast. Then enjoy the grilled chicken breast with rice, pasta, or just vegetables. 

So yeah half a chicken breast can come in handy in different ways! Therefore, you should definitely think of buying it!

FAQs

Question: Should I cut my chicken breast in half?

Answer: Yes, we suggest cutting your chicken breast in half. Because a full breast can be really thick and hard to work with. By cutting the breast in half, you’ll have two even halves of the breast. And you can use these halves easily for any type of recipe.

Question: How to cut a bone in chicken breast in half?

Answer: Well, to do this, you’ll need to remove the bone at first. Otherwise, the cutting process will get really hard for a beginner. Then you can slice the boneless breast lengthwise. 

Question: Should I cut my chicken breast in half?

Answer: Well, it’s a great way to enjoy chicken. Because cutting the breast in half will make it easy for you to cook it. Because the breast halves will be cooked evenly. Plus half chicken breast can be used in different types of recipes. 

Conclusion

So, we need to put a pause here. Hopefully, you’re crystal clear about what is a chicken breast half.

By the way, you can keep the bone in the chicken breast. Then make a curry with the cubes of that piece. 

That’s all! Good luck slicing your chicken breast in half!