1. Pluck the leaves from the stems

Rinse the herbs and pat dry. For herbs like parsley or cilantro, remove the leaves from the stems by plucking them one at a time.

2. Remove the leaves from the stems
For small-leafed herbs like thyme or woody herbs like rosemary, gently run your thumb and index finger down the stems to remove the leaves. 

3. Coarsely chop the leaves
Gather the leaves on a cutting board. Rest the fingertips of one hand on the tip of a chef’s knife and rock the blade back and forth briefly over the leaves to coarsely chop them.

4. Finely chop or mince the leaves
Continue to regather the leaves and rock the blade over them until they are chopped into small, even pieces (finely chopped), or into pieces as fine as possible (minced).