How to cut chicken into cubes (Breast & Thigh Fillets)

When I worked at the chicken shop a lot of customers would ask us to dice breast fillets for them.  So today I’m going to show you how to cut chicken into cubes so you can do it at home.

It’s very easy to do. In fact If you’ve cut chicken for stir fry you’re halfway there.

I’ll show you the easiest way to cut small and big cubes using breast fillets and thigh fillets.

Let’s get started.

How to cut chicken into cubes

Before you start cutting your chicken you need to decide how large you’re going to make the pieces which will come down to what recipe you are making.

The larger the piece will naturally take longer to cook. So if you’re making something in a slow cooker, larger cubes will work well. 

If you wanted to add some chicken to pasta or a salad then smaller pieces will suit that better. You can simply cook these in a frying pan and toss them in, nice and quick!

Before you begin, wash and remove any fat from the chicken fillets you are about to cut.

Chicken breast fillets into small cubes

1. Lay the chicken breast parallel to your body and apply some pressure to the top of the breast fillet.
2. Start cutting in the breast fillet horizontally, starting at the thickest part and ending at the thinnest, try to make the cut as even as possible so you end up with two pieces about the same thickness.
3. Next start at the thickest part of the breast fillet and run the tip of the knife towards the thinnest cut 3 – 4 evenly spaced strips from the breast fillet. 
4. Now that you have your strips cut them into squares, be careful not to make them too small because when they cook they will shrink.
5. Do the same to the other side of the breast fillet and that’s it.

Chicken breast fillets into large cubes

Cutting breast fillets into larger cubes is straightforward and quick. 

1. Starting from the thickest part of the breast fillet, run your knife down to the thinnest, cutting at least 3 to 4 strips  depending on the size of the fillet.
2. Since we didn’t cut the breast fillet Down the centre, your strips will be thick, from here cut the strips into 4 or 5 cubes depending on how big you want them to be. 

Chicken thighs fillets into cubes

 This is how to cut chicken thighs into cubes. Like the breast fillets, it just depends on how many cuts with the knife you make that determines how big or small the cubes are. 

1. Start by washing and removing the fat at the end of the thigh fillets.
2. Place the tight fillet in front of you and make a cut down the centre. 
3. You now should have two strips and it’s up to you how big or small you would like the cubes to be simply cut each strip into cubs.

That’s how you cut chicken fillets into cubes both big and small from the breast fillets and thigh fillets. 

It does take a little bit of practice to get the cubes consistently the same size.  But having a sharp knife and not rushing will help you keep everything consistent.

FAQ