Dicing chicken uniformly escaped me for years, but I have finally managed to figure it out so all the pieces of breast meat are uniform in cubes without the mangling and shredding.
1. Cook the chicken breasts the day before and refrigerate overnight. I use a ziploc bag which then becomes the long-term storage unit if I have leftovers to freeze.
2. Work with one half a chicken breast at a time, cutting the solid breast on the bias into 3 or 4 smaller slices or pieces.
3. Turn each slice or piece again 1/4 turn, noting carefully if the first cut is producing shredding. If so, turn slightly more.
4. Cube or dice each piece, one at a time only. If the slice or piece is too large or thick, it will naturally "give' along a seam line so work with each half. Again, if the shredding occurs, turn it slightly until you find just the right angle where the pieces are the uniform cut you are looking for.
What used to look awful now turns out pretty well for me. Don't be in a hurry with this as you want to use a sharp knife and aim for consistency. Now my chicken salad or chicken tetrazini is as pretty as can be because the chicken chunks are bite sized and uniform without a lot of weird shreds or bits.
If you will cut your meat in a grid system when it is slightly frozen it will cut better and be less likely to shred. Always remember to use sharp knives and the one that has been designed for the task. Many I know use a peering knife to cut foods, peel foods and any other kitchen projects requiring a knife. They usually cut themselves or ruin the food they are working on because this knife is specifically made to do little projects and doesn't have the correct size of blade or handle size and grip for bigger jobs. I often cook extra meat such as chicken when I am preparing a meal and freeze it. When I need it for another meal, I let it defrost in the fridge for about 30 minutes and then easily cut it into the desired pieces. Thus saving time and have the basic start for a simple meal especially when I am tired or limited on time. Happy cooking.
If you are to cut up chicken for a recipe and it is too soft, I just put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes, just enough to freeze it but not too hard and then it is easy to cut.
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