Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <equipment><chicken-breast><tenderizing>
Title: How to pound chicken breasts without a meat tenderizer?
Question: I do not have a meat tenderizor. I want to fry my chicken breasts but need to pound out the meat. What can I use instead?

Answers:
sents: text: This might seem silly
text: but, . . .
text: I use my fist.
text: I always cover my chicken with plastic wrap to contain the mess before I pound it.
text: You can also glove up instead/as well.
text: I have found that punching it is just the right amount of force for the job.
text: And the uneven surface of my knuckles acts as a meat tenderizer and breaks up the tissue just a little.
text: (But not too much.)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/65929/AGirlHasNoName
score: 40
sents: text: Anything flat, non-breakable, and reasonably heavy would work: rubber mallet, rolling pin, flat-bottomed wooden bowl, etc.
text: I would suggest protecting the meat and implement from one another with plastic wrap.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/69966/Tuorg
score: 35
sents: text: Put breast between baking paper, roll like dough with a rolling pin.
text: If you have any spices/herbs/salt/pepper to add you can sprinkle then mid rolling as this will push them inside meat.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/47855/SZCZERZO KŁY
score: 15
sents: text: Put it between two plastic sheets, or inside of a zipblock bag big enough to accommodate the smashed size of the breast.
text: Then you're going to want to grab a skillet and beat that meat into submission.
text: Cast iron is the classic here, but anything you can swing will work.
text: Just make sure the skillet isn't hot or warm when you start assaulting that meat.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 8
sents: text: I've been known to cover with plastic wrap, lay my chef's knife flat along a piece of chicken, and then hit the flat of the blade with the heel of my hand.
text: Obviously, stay away from the sharp / pointy parts; but that is easy to do with a big chef's knife.
text: I typically only do this
text: when I have one or two pieces of meat that need tenderizing (as anymore will tenderize you back!)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/71408/Van
score: 4
sents: text: We designed ourselves a wooden block (remains from a 2" laminate floor joist) about 8" by 8", drilled a hole in one side, and screwed in a handle.
text: When we use it, we wrap it around and around with plastic wrap to keep the meat clean.
text: We would then use this as an intermediate, placing the chicken breasts underneath it, and pound it with a 3 lb sledge hammer.
text: Though it sounds a bit extreme, it is actually quite effective, works quickly, and does not damage the meat.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/57273/anonymous2
score: 4
sents: text: I've seen my mother use a Corningware plate or saucer in place of a meat tenderizer.
text: She would just hold the plate sideways and pound out the meat with the edge of the plate.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/71434/R. McMillan
score: 3
sents: text: Iron Skillet (or another heavy pot/pan) Cutting board Rolling pin - really easy if you have the French tapered kind Big can of tomatoes...
text: An empty wine bottle A pool ball (the kind you use on a table...not in the water!)
text: Bon Appetit!
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/71437/Hope 2 Help
score: 2
sents: text: First off, you'll definitely want your chicken between two sheets of plastic.
text: You can either do this with two sheets of plastic wrap, or by putting it in a gallon ziplock bag (don't seal it though).
text: The best alternative tool to use is a rolling pin as it's got no sharp edges (will break your plastic and can cut the chicken in half) and has weight and length to aid in leverage when whacking.
text: Not everyone has a rolling pin, so if you don't just grab the largest heaviest can of food you have and slam it into the chicken.
text: I wouldn't use any beverage cans, and especially not anything carbonated like soda or beer.
text: I actually have a purpose built meat tenderizer and prefer using my rolling pin.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/49752/Sdarb
score: 1
sents: text: I have used a cast iron skillet against a cutting board.
text: Plastic wrap or parchment paper to protect the surfaces...
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/71440/KMcCMedia
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Anything heavy, flat and non-breakable would work, like your fists, a rubber mallet, a rolling pin, a flat-bottomed wooden bowl, a cast iron skillet, a pool ball etc. Protect your surfaces and the meat with baking or parchment paper, and place the meat on a cutting board.
Two techniques are considered useful for tenderizing meat: rolling and hitting. For rolling a rolling pin is the tool of choice, but a wine bottle or pool ball are other options. For hitting select from a mallet, cast iron pan or your fist. In all cases the meat should be placed between sheets of plastic or parchment.