# Cooks - why are chicken breasts pounded or butterflied? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932 "2012-07-11T21:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/41 "2012-07-13T21:41:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I have a cookbook called [Southern Cooking](http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Southern-Cooking-Revelations-American/dp/0375400354/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342214526&sr=1-7&keywords=southern+cooking) that tells how to properly prepare fried chicken. I’ve been meaning to give it a try, but it’s a two-day process, what with the brining and the buttermilk soak. It sounds terrific, though. "Together they share their secrets for such Southern basics as pan-fried chicken (soak in brine first, then buttermilk, before frying in good pork fat), " Got to be worth the time. I want that book. Thanks for the link. I’ve never brined chicken for frying, but I have used yogurt which probably has a similar effect to buttermilk. And frying in lard is definitely the way to go for pan fried. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/42 "2012-07-13T21:47:59Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > "Together they share their secrets for such Southern basics as pan-fried chicken (soak in brine first, then buttermilk, before frying in good pork fat), " > . Some of my heart tissue died just reading that but damn that does sound good. ---
**Author:** ![Chipacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Chipacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chipacabra)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/43 "2012-07-14T01:19:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > "Together they share their secrets for such Southern basics as pan-fried chicken (soak in brine first, then buttermilk, before frying in good pork fat), " > > Got to be worth the time. I want that book. Thanks for the link. I’ve never brined chicken for frying, but I have used yogurt which probably has a similar effect to buttermilk. And frying in lard is definitely the way to go for pan fried. Here’s a secret: Both the brining and the buttermilk soak only need to be about 45 minutes to an hour. Longer soak times are just so that you can take a nap while you claim that you’re busy cooking. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/44 "2012-07-16T00:06:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > In fairness, I heard that meme since I was a wee bairn (I’m 65 now) and thought it was common knowledge. I don’t think I was truly educated about it until the last decade or so. Same here (about the decade or so since learning about that…I’ve still got almost a score of years before I’m 65). But given that it’s been disproven, the producers/editors at FoodTV should have corrected Neely and whomever else might pass along the bad information. So many people hate to have what they “learned” corrected by facts and science. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/45 "2012-07-16T03:45:22Z")
I want to try brining the next time I grill chicken and read on another site that Chick Fil A brines their to-be-grilled chicken in pickle juice. I don’t like the taste of pickles, but is there something magical in pickle juice that I’d be missing out on, besides taste, if I used some other type of brine? Sorry if this is a stupid question, this is a helpful thread. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/46 "2012-07-16T05:28:53Z")
Not as far as I know. The most important ingredient in brine is salt. [Here’s a good run-down of brines.](http://ruhlman.com/2010/10/how-to-brine-chicken-quick-brine-recipe/) A standard brine is usually about 5% salinity, but I usually don’t have the forethought for that, so when I brine, I quick brine at higher levels of salinity. Mike Ruhlman here goes for 10% brine at 2-3 hours, which is more what I usually end up doing. Basically, what the brine does, through the process of osmosis, is suck in water (and aromatics and whatever else you have) to the muscle tissue, making it moister (and more flavorful.) The acid in the pickle juice would also help breakdown the muscle tissue, but a simple brine will work well. When I brine, I don’t usually use any acid in my brining liquid (with the exception of citrus sometimes.) You’ll be fine without it. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/47 "2012-07-16T11:41:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Basically, what the brine does, through the process of osmosis, is suck in water (and aromatics and whatever else you have) to the muscle tissue, making it moister (and more flavorful.) It [might not](http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html) be [osmosis](http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/diffusion.html), but it does work. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932/48 "2012-07-16T14:54:05Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > It [might not](http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html) be [osmosis](http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/diffusion.html), but it does work. Yeah, I wasn’t sure if the current science was it on being exactly osmosis or not, but I went with what Wikipedia had. D’oh! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooks-why-are-chicken-breasts-pounded-or-butterflied/627932.md?page=2)