Sophie Bennett
Learning how to cut up a chicken yourself is a great way to save money and elevate your barbecue dishes. You can choose to cut up a whole chicken with a knife or shears, with the latter being a safer option for beginners. When using a knife, opt for one with a long, thin blade, such as an inexpensive boning knife. Using shears? Go for poultry shears, which are spring-loaded to help you cut through the breastbone with ease. Once you've chosen your tool, you can begin the butchering process. Place the chicken on a flat surface with the breast facing up, and separate the neck with a quick chop. Then, pull the chicken leg away from the breast and cut through the joint to remove the leg. Repeat this process for the other leg, and you've successfully separated the legs from the body. Now, you can choose to further divide the legs into thighs and drumsticks or keep them whole. For a barbecue, it is recommended to cook chicken thighs and legs low and slow to retain moisture, while chicken breasts can be grilled. Don't forget to season your chicken with your favorite barbecue sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs to add flavor to your dish.
Characteristics of cutting up a chicken for BBQ
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Tools | Knife, Shears, Poultry Shears, Chef's Knife, Boning Knife |
| Chicken Parts | Neck, Wings, Thighs, Legs, Drumsticks, Breast |
| Techniques | Pulling, Cutting, Basting, Searing |
| Cooking Time | 1-2 hours |
| Cooking Temperature | 350-375 F (177-190 C) |
| Cooking Methods | Grilling, Barbecuing |
| Seasonings | Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Oregano |
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What You'll Learn
Tools: Knives, shears, or cleavers
When cutting up a chicken, you have two main options: knives or shears. Shears are a great option for beginners as they remove the risk of accidentally cutting your hands as you manoeuvre around the chicken. You can use a regular set of kitchen shears, but poultry shears are spring-loaded to make it easier to get through the tough breastbone.
If you opt for a knife, you'll want one with a long, thin blade. A chef's knife can work, but it might be too wide and get in the way of the delicate cuts around the joints. If you don't plan on processing many chickens, start with an inexpensive boning knife. If you enjoy the process, you can always upgrade to a more expensive knife later.
For cutting through thick bones, a cleaver is recommended. You can use a cleaver to separate the neck with a quick chop, and to cut through the leg joints. You can also use a cleaver to cut the breast in half by cutting through the soft bone that separates the two halves.
When separating the drumstick from the thigh, a sharpened knife can be used to cut through the joint.
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Chicken legs
To cut a whole chicken into legs, you can use a knife or shears. Shears are a good option for beginners as they reduce the risk of accidentally cutting your hands. If you opt for a knife, choose one with a long, thin blade. A chef's knife can work, but it may be too wide for delicate cuts.
- Place the whole chicken on a flat surface with the breast facing up.
- Pull the chicken leg away from the chicken breast. You will notice the joint where the leg is attached to the side of the breast.
- Using your knife, cut through the leg joint to separate the leg from the body. You may need to apply some force for this step.
- Repeat the process on the other side. Now you have two chicken legs, each consisting of the thigh and drumstick.
- If you wish to separate the thigh and drumstick, turn the leg skin-side down.
- Locate the joint that connects the thigh and drumstick by wiggling the drumstick back and forth.
- Cut through this joint to separate the thigh and drumstick into two pieces.
Now that you have your chicken legs, you can season them with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and other herbs and spices. When barbecuing, remember to maintain a low grill temperature for slow cooking, which is ideal for chicken legs.
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Chicken wings
To cut chicken wings into drumettes and wingettes, start by stretching the wing out on a cutting board. You will notice three main parts to the wing: the wing tip (also called the flapper or tip), the middle part or wingette (also called the flap), and the meatiest part, the drum or drumette.
Flip the wing so that the inside portion faces up, making it easier to identify the joints. The joints are the areas where the cartilage is located and are the easiest places to cut through. The first cut will be at the high ridge or joint between the wing tip and the wingette. Cut through this joint and set the wing tip aside; you can choose to discard it or save it for making chicken stock.
Now, you'll separate the drumette from the wingette. Identify the joint that connects these two pieces and place your knife at the high ridge. Push your knife through with a bit of force, and if needed, wiggle the knife slightly to find the path of least resistance. You can also use poultry shears or scissors for this step if you prefer.
Repeat this process for the remaining wings, and you'll end up with three portions from each wing. These smaller pieces will be perfect for barbecuing and will cook more evenly. Remember to handle raw chicken with care and ensure all utensils and surfaces are clean to prevent any cross-contamination.
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Chicken breasts
Preparing the Chicken Breasts:
First, you'll want to place your chicken breasts on a clean surface. If you're using bone-in chicken breasts, you'll need to debone them. Use a sharp knife to carefully trim around the ribs and breastbone, then gently pull the meat away from the bone. Be sure to cut off any tendons or remaining pieces of bone. You can also remove the skin if you prefer, but some people like to leave it on for added flavour.
Cutting Techniques:
There are a few different ways to cut chicken breasts, depending on how you plan to cook them and your desired outcome. You can cut the chicken into strips, cubes, or butterflied halves. Cutting the chicken into uniform shapes and thicknesses will help it cook more evenly and reduce the overall cooking time.
Butterflying:
Butterflying is a great technique to thin out and flatten chicken breasts, especially if they are thick. Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and hold it flat with your non-dominant hand. Identify the grain or muscle fibres of the meat. Using a sharp chef's knife, carefully slice the chicken horizontally, cutting against the grain or perpendicular to the muscle fibres. Try to do this in as few strokes as possible for a smooth cut.
Cutting into Strips:
If you want to cut the chicken into strips, first identify the grain. You can cut with the grain or against it, but cutting against the grain will make your chicken more tender. Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and hold it in place with your non-dominant hand, keeping your fingers raised and curled to protect them from the knife. Using a sharp chef's knife, make long strokes and cut the chicken into strips of your desired thickness.
Cutting into Cubes:
To cut the chicken into cubes, follow the same initial steps as for cutting strips. After you've cut the chicken into strips, simply turn your knife and slice each strip into smaller, cubed pieces.
Tips for Grilling:
When grilling chicken breasts, many people like to butterfly them into thinner pieces to promote more even cooking. You can also pound or tenderize the chicken breasts to make them thinner and more uniform in thickness. This can be done with a meat pounder or the bottom of a sturdy skillet. Go slow and steady to avoid making holes in the meat.
Additionally, marinating the chicken breasts before grilling can add flavour and moisture. You can experiment with different marinades, such as Italian dressing or olive oil.
Remember to handle raw chicken with care and always use a separate cutting board to avoid cross-contamination. Enjoy experimenting with these cutting techniques to elevate your BBQ chicken game!
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Cooking temperatures and timings
When barbecuing chicken, it's important to remember that different cuts of meat require different cooking times and temperatures. Chicken thighs and legs are better suited for long, slow cooking, while chicken breasts can dry out more easily and should be cooked on lower temperatures.
Chicken breasts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F (or 165°F according to another source), while chicken thighs should be cooked to 170°F. You can check this by using a meat thermometer. Alternatively, you can insert the tip of a knife into the middle of the thickest piece of meat, and if the juices run clear, the chicken is done.
If you're using a charcoal grill, make sure there is a cool side to the grill where there are few to no coals. You can also set the coals of the grill all on one side so that there is a cool spot, or put the chicken on the top rack of the grill, further away from the heat. If you're using a gas grill, simply turn the heat to low.
The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces and how cold they are at the start. Smaller pieces of chicken may be done much earlier. As a general rule, chicken breasts will take around 9-10 minutes on a gas grill, flipping them over halfway through. Chicken BBQ typically takes at least an hour, and up to 2 hours.
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