Lucas Delgado
Whether you're preparing chicken for stew or jerk, the way you cut it can vary depending on your preferences. For stews, some people cut chicken breasts into 0.5-inch cubes and add them to the stew, while others recommend cooking the breasts separately and adding them to the stew at the end to avoid overcooking. For jerk chicken, the chicken is usually cut into pieces before being coated in a seasoning mixture and grilled, baked, or roasted. Cutting up a whole chicken involves separating the breasts, wings, thighs, and drumsticks, which can be done by pulling the legs and wings away from the body and slicing through the joints.
How to Cut Up Chicken for Stew or Jerk
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Benefits of Cutting Up Chicken Yourself | Save money, control over customisation, better-shaped pieces, can trim fat nicely, can save trimmings for stock/bone broth |
| Knife Type | Long, thin blade; boning knife or chef's knife |
| Chicken Orientation | Breast side up |
| First Step | Pull each leg away from the body, then slice through the skin between the breast and drumstick |
| Second Step | Turn chicken on its side. Bend each leg back until the thighbone pops out of its socket. Cut through the joint and skin to detach the leg completely. Repeat for the other leg. |
| Third Step | With the chicken on its side, pull each wing away from the body. Cut through the joint and remove the wing. Repeat for the other wing. |
| Fourth Step | If desired, remove the wing tips by cutting them off each wing. Save them with the backbone for stock. |
| Fifth Step | Turn the chicken breast skin side down. Split the centre bone using a chopping motion, then slice through the meat and skin to separate it into two pieces. |
| Sixth Step | Optional: turn each skin side up and cut in half diagonally through the bone to create breast halves. |
| Seventh Step | Optional: turn each skin side down and cut through the joints (along the white fat line) to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Repeat for the other leg. |
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What You'll Learn
- Cutting up chicken for stew: separate the breast from the back by cutting through the rib cage and shoulder joints
- Cutting up chicken for jerk: coat chicken pieces in a seasoning mixture of spices and chillies
- Cutting up chicken for stew: remove giblets, trim excess fat, and slice between the breast and drumstick
- Cutting up chicken for jerk: marinate chicken pieces in a paste of onion, scallions, chillies, garlic, allspice, and more
- Cutting up chicken for stew: cook chicken breasts separately, then cut and add to the stew before serving
Cutting up chicken for stew: separate the breast from the back by cutting through the rib cage and shoulder joints
Cutting up a whole chicken is a great skill to have, as it allows you to customize the cuts of meat and save money. It is also a basic culinary skill that gives you control over the size and shape of your chicken pieces. You can cut the chicken into six, eight, or ten pieces, depending on your preference.
To separate the breast from the back, start by lifting the chicken and cutting downward through the rib cage and then the shoulder joints. You may find it easier to use kitchen shears for this step. Make sure you have a good, sharp knife or shears that can easily cut through the bones.
After separating the breast from the back, place the breast skin side down. Using a chopping motion, split the center bone and then slice through the meat and skin to divide the breast into two pieces. Some cooks prefer to use shears for this step as well.
Finally, you can further cut the breast halves into quarters. To do this, turn each skin side up and cut in half diagonally through the bone. Repeat this step with the other breast half. Now you have successfully separated the breast from the back and cut the breast into quarters.
You can use the back of the chicken for stock, adding flavour to your stew.
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Cutting up chicken for jerk: coat chicken pieces in a seasoning mixture of spices and chillies
Cutting up chicken for jerk can be a simple process if you follow these steps. First, decide if you want to use drumsticks and thighs or leave the legs whole. If you want to separate the drumsticks and thighs, turn each skin side down and cut through the joints, along the line of white fat, to divide the two.
Next, trim away any excess fat from the chicken thighs and repeat the process on the other leg. Then, turn the chicken so that the cavity opening is away from you and take your knife to cut along one side of the breastbone, dividing the whole chicken breast into two halves. You will need to apply a little more force for this step.
Now, you can cut the breast halves into quarters (this is optional). Turn each skin side up and cut in half diagonally through the bone. Repeat with the other breast half. To remove the wings, pull each wing away from the body and cut through the joint. Repeat for the other wing. If you want to remove the wing tips, cut them off and save them with the backbone for stock.
Finally, coat the chicken pieces in your desired seasoning mixture of spices and chillies. You can make your own jerk seasoning blend with habanero peppers, green onions, spices, and thyme, or use a store-bought jerk seasoning. Don't forget to remove the seeds from the habaneros if you prefer less heat!
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Cutting up chicken for stew: remove giblets, trim excess fat, and slice between the breast and drumstick
Cutting up a whole chicken is a great skill to have and can be very useful when preparing chicken stew. It allows you to customize the size of your chicken pieces, trim excess fat, and save money compared to buying pre-cut chicken. Here is a step-by-step guide focused on the task of cutting up chicken for stew:
Remove Giblets and Trim Excess Fat
Start by removing any giblets that may be inside the chicken cavity. These are sometimes included when purchasing a whole chicken, and the packaging will usually indicate their presence. Before cutting, you can also trim away any excess fat from the chicken, especially around the thighs.
Slice Between the Breast and Drumstick
Place the chicken breast-side up. Pull each leg away from the body, and then slice through the skin between the breast and drumstick. You can use a sharp boning knife or a chef's knife for this step. If you prefer to use the legs whole, skip to the next paragraph.
Separate the Drumstick and Thigh
Turn the chicken on its side. 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. To separate the drumstick and thigh, turn each leg skin-side down. You will see a line of white fat dividing the drumstick from the thigh. Slice along this line, and your knife will easily find the joint, allowing you to separate the drumstick and thigh.
By following these steps, you will have successfully cut up the chicken for your stew, achieving the desired goal of slicing between the breast and drumstick while also removing giblets and trimming excess fat.
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Cutting up chicken for jerk: marinate chicken pieces in a paste of onion, scallions, chillies, garlic, allspice, and more
Cutting up a whole chicken is a basic culinary skill that can save you money. You can control whether your chicken is cut into six, eight, or ten pieces. Here is a step-by-step guide to cutting up a whole chicken for jerk:
Preparing the Chicken
Before cutting, remove any giblets from inside the chicken and trim away any excess fat.
Cutting the Wings
With the chicken breast-side down, pull the wing tip away from the wing flat. Use your fingers to locate the joint and slice through it to remove the tip. Repeat this process on the other side. Then, pull the wing towards you and make a semi-circle cut around the back of the drumette. When the bone is exposed, pull the wing away from the body and pop the joint out of its socket. Repeat this process for the other wing.
Cutting the Legs
Turn the chicken onto its side. 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. If desired, you can further divide the legs by turning each skin side down and cutting through the joints to separate the thighs from the drumsticks.
Separating the Breast
Lift the chicken and cut downward through the rib cage and then shoulder joints to separate the breast from the back. Place the breast skin side down and split the center bone using a chopping motion. Then, slice through the meat and skin to separate it into two pieces. You can optionally cut each breast half into quarters by turning them skin side up and cutting diagonally through the bone.
Marinating the Chicken
Once you have cut up your chicken, you can prepare a jerk marinade. Process onion, scallions, chillies, garlic, allspice, peppercorns, five-spice powder, nutmeg, dried thyme, and salt in a food processor until a coarse paste forms. With the processor running, gradually add soy sauce and oil, and process until combined. Transfer the marinade to a large bowl and add the chicken pieces, tossing until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, although the chicken can marinate for up to 12 hours.
Grilling the Chicken
Preheat your grill to medium (350°F to 400°F). Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Place the chicken, skin side down, on the oiled grill grate. Grill the chicken, turning occasionally, until well browned and cooked to the desired internal temperature.
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Cutting up chicken for stew: cook chicken breasts separately, then cut and add to the stew before serving
Cutting up chicken for stew is a great skill to have, and it gives you the freedom to customise your chicken pieces. It is also less expensive than buying pre-cut chicken breasts, thighs, wings and drumsticks.
If you are making a stew, you may want to cook the chicken breasts separately, especially if you are using other parts of the chicken in your stew, as they may have different cooking times. You can then cut up the cooked chicken breast and add it to the stew before serving.
To cut up a chicken, you will need a good, sharp knife. A long, thin-bladed knife is ideal, and a boning knife is preferable to a chef's knife as it is more manoeuvrable for delicate cuts around joints. You can also use kitchen shears, which some cooks prefer for cutting the breast into two pieces.
- Place the chicken breast-side down on the cutting board. Pull the wing tip away from the wing flat and slice through the joint to remove the tip. Repeat on the other side.
- Pull the wing towards you and make a semi-circle cut around the back of the drumette. When the bone is exposed, pull the wing away from the body and pop the joint out of its socket. Repeat on the other side.
- With the chicken breast-side up, pull each leg away from the body and slice through the skin between the breast and drumstick. Trim away any excess fat and giblets.
- Turn the chicken on its side. Bend each leg back until the thighbone pops out of its socket. Cut through the joint and skin to detach the leg completely. Repeat for the other leg.
- Place the breast skin side down. Split the centre bone with a chopping motion, then slice through the meat and skin to separate it into two pieces. You can also use shears to cut the breast into two pieces.
- To divide the legs, turn each skin side down and cut through the joints, along the white fat line, to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Repeat for the other leg.
- You can further divide the breast halves into quarters by turning each skin side up and cutting in half diagonally through the bone.
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Frequently asked questions
Place the chicken breast-side up and pull each leg away from the body. Slice through the skin between the breast and drumstick. Turn the chicken onto its side and bend each leg back until the thighbone pops out of its socket. Cut through the joint and skin to detach the legs. Repeat on the other side. Pull each wing away from the body and cut through the joint to remove them. You can also remove the wing tips by cutting them off and saving them with the backbone for stock. Finally, lift the chicken and cut downwards through the rib cage and shoulder joints to separate the breast from the back.
Chicken breasts can be cooked separately in the oven and then cut or cubed before being added to the stew. Alternatively, if the breasts are skinless and boneless, they can be poached in white wine. If you want the chicken to cook in the stew, sear the breasts but do not cook them through. Then, shred or cube them before adding them to the stew.
Chicken can be cut into pieces and marinated for jerk chicken. The chicken pieces can then be grilled, baked, or slow-smoked over long sticks of pimento wood.
