Emily Carter
Learning to cut a chicken into pieces is a basic culinary skill that can save you money and yield more meat. It can be done with a chef's knife or kitchen shears. You can cut a chicken into six, eight, or ten pieces, depending on your preference. The process involves cutting through joints, separating the legs, wings, thighs, and breasts, and removing the backbone. Knowing how to cut up a chicken allows you to control the evenness of the pieces, ensuring more uniform cooking. It also enables you to create multiple meals from a single chicken, such as chicken nuggets, chicken orzo soup, and grilled chicken thighs and legs.
How to cut up a raw chicken into 8 pieces
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cutting surface | Use a plastic cutting board, avoid wood to prevent bacteria seeping into the grain. |
| Chicken placement | Place chicken breast side up. |
| First cut | Run a sharp knife down the middle of the breasts. |
| Wings | Remove the first two joint sections of the wing by cutting through the socket. |
| Legs | Pull the legs away from the body and cut through the skin between the breast and drumstick. Cut through the joint to separate the leg. |
| Thighs | Pull the thigh and separate it from the socket. |
| Drumsticks | Separate the drumsticks from the thighs by cutting between the joints. |
| Breasts | Run the knife from the top of the chicken to the bottom, following the wishbone and breastplate to the wing bone. |
| Storage | Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Use a sharp chef's knife or kitchen shears
To cut a raw chicken into eight pieces, you'll need a sharp chef's knife or kitchen shears. A Western-style boning knife, Japanese-style honesuki (poultry boning knife), or a 10-inch carving knife will also work. Make sure your knife is sharp and that you have a honing steel and know how to use it. You may also use poultry shears or a cleaver for cutting through thicker bones.
Before you begin cutting, place the chicken breast side up on a cutting board. Dry the chicken with paper towels and remove any giblets. You can trim away any excess fat and skin and cut them into small pieces to store in the freezer for making chicken fat.
Now, use your knife to cut where the leg attaches to the breast. Pull the leg away from the breast and cut through the skin. Pull the leg away with a little more force to pop the joint (hip bone) out of its socket, then cut at the joint. Repeat this process for the second leg.
Next, flip the chicken onto its side and locate the joint where the wing is attached to the carcass (not the bone). Pull the wing away and cut through the joint to remove it. Repeat this step for the other wing.
To separate the drumstick from the thigh, place the leg skin side down on your board and use your fingertips to locate the ball joint between the two. Cut through the joint and skin to separate the drumstick and thigh. Repeat this process for the other leg.
Finally, to remove the breasts, run your knife from the top of the chicken to the bottom, making multiple passes down through the wishbone and breastplate to the wing bone. Cut the breast from the wing bone.
Defrosting Chicken in an Air Fryer: Safe or Not?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Cut through the wing joints
To cut through the wing joints, first place the chicken on its side. Pull the wing away from the body and cut through the joint to remove it. Repeat this process for the other wing.
The wings themselves are made up of three parts: the drumette, the wingette (or flat), and the tip. The drumette is the first wing section and is shaped like a miniature drumstick. It is the thickest part of the wing and the easiest to eat. The wingette is the second section, between the first and second joints of the wing. It is smaller and flatter than the drumette and contains meat between two bones. The third section is the tip, which contains the metacarpals and phalanges.
If you want to remove the wing tips, cut them off and save them with the backbone for stock.
Chicken Leg Paralysis: Causes and Prevention
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Separate the legs from the breasts
To separate the legs from the breasts, place the chicken breast side up with the feet facing you. Using a sharp knife, run the blade along the skin between the legs and breasts, cutting the skin and separating the two. Pull the legs back as you cut to see where the joint is. Then, bend each leg back until the thighbone pops out of its socket. Cut through the joint and skin to detach the leg completely. Repeat this process for the other leg.
Before beginning this step, you may want to trim away any excess fat on the chicken and remove any giblets inside.
Chicken Ownership: License Requirements and Rules
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Cut the drumsticks from the thighs
To cut the drumsticks from the thighs, you will need to locate the joint where the drumstick and thigh meet. You can do this by looking for the white line of fat that divides the two. Hold the thigh in one hand and the drumstick in the other, and bend them away from each other until they break apart. This will create a space that makes it easier to cut through the joint.
Now, take your sharp knife and slice into the meat where the two parts separate. If you are in the right spot, you should be able to put your knife in between the bones and cut through the cartilage to separate the leg and thigh. Repeat this process for the other leg.
You can also cut the drumsticks from the thighs by first removing the legs from the chicken. To do this, place the chicken breast side up and pull each leg away from the body, then slice through the skin between the breast and drumstick. Trim away any excess fat or giblets inside the chicken. Turn the chicken on its side and bend each leg back until the thighbone pops out of its socket. Cut through the joint and skin to detach the leg completely. Repeat this process for the other leg.
With the legs removed, you can now separate the drumsticks from the thighs. Locate the joint where the drumstick and thigh meet, and cut through the joint to separate them. You can also slice along the white line of fat that divides the two, being careful to cut between the joint and not the bone. Trim away any excess fat from the thighs, as desired.
Chicken Gravy Gluten-Free Style: From Drippings to Delicious
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Store the leftover carcass for stock
After cutting up a whole chicken, you will be left with a carcass—the bones and cartilage "frame" of the chicken. You can use this to make chicken stock, which can be used as a base for soups, stews, gravies, and creamy sauces.
If you don't have time to make stock right away, you can store the carcass in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.
To make chicken stock, you'll need the leftover carcass, vegetables (such as carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and parsley), and water. Some recipes also call for bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns.
Start by placing the chicken carcass and vegetables in a large stockpot. Cover with water and add any desired spices or herbs. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for several hours. The longer you simmer the stock, the more concentrated and flavourful it will be.
Once your stock is finished cooking, strain it through a fine mesh strainer or sieve to remove any small pieces of bone or vegetable. You can then store your chicken stock in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for 6 to 9 months.
Identifying Barred Rock Chickens: Sex Determination
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Place the chicken breast side up on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut down the middle of the breasts.
Remove the wings by cutting through the socket on each side of the chicken.
Run a knife along the skin between the legs and the breast meat, then cut right between the joints to separate the drumsticks and thighs.
