How to Peel and Slice Onions for Chicken in a Pot

Onions are crucial to so many dishes like chicken in a pot, but it can be so tempting to just leave them out and save yourself the trouble of trying to peel and cut them through your burning, tearing eyes. Don't deprive yourself of the wonders of the onion. Once you learn the correct way to handle them, you'll be chopping and slicing, mincing and dicing up a storm -- and all without a single tear.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Sharp knife
• Onions
• Cutting board
• Scrap bowl
• Paper towels

1. Use a sharp knife. When an onion tears, it releases the tear gas that leaves your eyes burning and welling. A sharp knife will quickly and cleanly cut through an onion, getting the job done and leaving your eyes pain free.
2. Slice off the ends of the onion. Put them in your scrap bowl to keep your work area clear.
3. Find the outermost full layer of the onion. Don't try to just peel the paper-thin skin, but instead find a full layer. Slide your thumb under it all the way across the onion so that you sever its full length. Quickly pull off that layer to avoid tears, and you now have a completely peeled, clean onion. Discard the peel in your scrap bowl.
4. Turn the onion on end and slice through the center of the onion, from one cut end to the other.
5. Rest one of the onion halves on its long, flat side (from the cut you just made) and begin slicing it across it's fat middle, starting at one cut end and progressing to the other.
6. Break up the slices with your fingers.

Tips & Warnings

• Drying your hands, knife, onion and cutting board with a paper toweling as necessary will keep you safer and everything cleaner.
• Keep the onion odor off your hands by wearing medical exam gloves when chopping onions. The gloves also work great when making hamburger patties and or a meatloaf.