--- title: "Butterfly: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "To butterfly is to slice a thick piece of meat, fish or shrimp almost in half and open it like a book, so it is thinner and cooks fast and evenly." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/butterfly" --- # Butterfly To butterfly is to slice a thick piece of meat, fish or shrimp almost in half and open it like a book, so it is thinner and cooks fast and evenly. Also called Butterflied, Butterflying. To butterfly means to cut a thick piece of food almost all the way through and open it out flat, like the wings of a butterfly or the pages of a book. The result is a piece that is half as thick and twice as wide. Cooks butterfly chicken breasts, pork chops, legs of lamb, whole fish and shrimp. ## How to do it For a chicken breast: 1. Lay the breast flat with the thicker side facing your knife hand. 2. Put your other hand flat on top to hold it steady. 3. With a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut into the thick side, through the middle of the breast. 4. Stop about 1 cm (1/2 inch) before the far edge, so the two halves stay joined. 5. Open the breast out flat. If one side is still thicker, press it down or [tenderize](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/tenderize) it gently with a meat mallet. For shrimp (prawns in the UK), cut along the back, deeper than you would to [devein](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/devein) it, then press it open. Butterflying a whole bird by removing the backbone is called [spatchcocking](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/spatchcock). ## Why it works Heat moves from the outside of food to the center. A thinner piece lets the center reach a safe temperature before the outside dries out. An even thickness means the whole piece is done at the same time. The larger, flat surface also browns well on a grill or in a pan, and it takes a filling or a marinade easily. ## Common mistakes * Cutting all the way through. You end up with two thin cutlets. That is fine to cook, but it is not butterflied and will not hold a filling. * Cutting off-center, so one side is much thicker than the other. * Holding the meat with your fingers in the path of the blade. Keep your hand flat on top. * Cooking it as long as the whole piece. A butterflied breast often needs only a few minutes per side. ## In recipes "Butterfly the chicken breasts", "a butterflied leg of lamb" and "butterflied shrimp" all mean this cut. A butterflied leg of lamb has also had its bone removed, so you may need to [debone](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/debone) it first. ## Recipes that use this technique 4 recipes from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sheet-Pan-Shrimp-Oreganata-9.jpg)Sheet Pan Shrimp Oreganatawww.skinnytaste.com · 25 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/sheet-pan-shrimp-oreganata/) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2019/07/Char-Siu-Chicken-scaled.jpg)Char Siu Chickenwww.onceuponachef.com · 30 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/char-siu-chicken.html) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Healthyish-Foods-Grilled-Chicken-Paillard_.jpg)Zesty Lime Grilled Chicken Paillard with Pineapple Jalapeno Salsawww.skinnytaste.com · 45 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/zesty-lime-grilled-chicken-with-pineapple-salsa/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/RuebenStuffedPorkTenderloin.jpg)Rueben Stuffed Pork Tenderloinwww.skinnytaste.com · 45 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/rueben-stuffed-pork-tenderloin/) ## Related terms * [SpatchcockTo spatchcock a bird is to cut out its backbone and press it flat, so a whole chicken or turkey roasts or grills faster and more evenly, with crisp skin.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/spatchcock) * [DeveinTo devein shrimp is to cut along the back and pull out the dark intestinal tract, which can be gritty and looks unappealing in the cooked dish.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/devein) * [TenderizeTo tenderize meat is to make it less tough before cooking, by pounding it thin, scoring it, salting it or marinating it in acid or fruit enzymes.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/tenderize) * [DeboneTo debone is to remove the bones from meat, poultry or fish before cooking, which makes it faster to cook, easier to stuff and simpler to carve and eat.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/debone) * [ShrimpPrawns and shrimp are small shellfish that cook in two to three minutes. Americans say shrimp for almost all of them, Britons and Australians say prawn.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/shrimp) [More in knife skills and preparation](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/knife-skills)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)