Lucas Delgado
There are many reasons why one might want to cut up a chicken, from preparing it for cooking to simply butchering it. The process of cutting up a chicken is sometimes referred to as breaking down a chicken. This involves cutting through the soft natural joints of the bird, separating the wings, thighs, drumsticks, and breasts. The chicken can be further segmented into six, eight, or ten pieces, depending on the desired use. This process can be done with a sharp knife, such as a chef's knife or a boning knife, or with poultry shears or a cleaver for cutting through thicker bones. One can also spatchcock or butterfly a chicken, which involves removing bones to lay the bird flat for faster cooking. Knowing how to cut up a chicken is a basic culinary skill, and it allows home cooks to control the size and number of pieces when preparing meals.
Characteristics of cutting up a chicken:
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Names of the process | Cutting up, jointing, spatchcocking, butterflying, breaking down, carving |
| Tools | Chef's knife, Western-style boning knife, Japanese-style honesuki, poultry shears, cleaver |
| Chicken parts | Breast, wing, thigh, drumstick, leg, backbone, oyster, wishbone |
| Chicken types | Whole, cut-up, precut, cooked |
| Number of pieces | 4, 6, 8, 10 |
| Chicken cuts | Supremes, paillards, ballotines |
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What You'll Learn
Spatchcocking
To spatchcock a chicken, first, pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Then, position the chicken breast-side down and remove the backbone by cutting down either side of it with your scissors or shears. You may need to use a little more force when cutting through the thigh-to-backbone connection. Once the backbone is removed, you can flip the bird over and flatten it. You can press down on the breast of the chicken to flatten it, and you can also cut two small slits on either side of the breast bone to make the chicken even flatter.
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Butchering
To butcher a chicken, you will need a sharp knife, preferably a chef's knife, a Western-style boning knife, or a Japanese-style honesuki (poultry boning knife). Some parts of the chicken, especially where the bones are thicker, may require the use of poultry shears or a cleaver.
The process of butchering a chicken typically involves the following steps:
- Removing any giblets or excess fat from the chicken.
- Separating the legs: Bend each leg back until the thighbone pops out of its socket. Cut through the joint and skin to detach the legs completely.
- Removing the wings: With the chicken on its side, pull each wing away from the body and cut through the joint to remove it.
- Separating the breasts: Place the chicken breast-side down and locate the backbone. Cut through the skin and cartilage between the breast and the back, cutting through the ribs using short, firm strokes.
- Further segmentation: The breasts can be further segmented by placing them skin side down and cutting through the center bone. The legs can also be divided by turning them skin side down and cutting through the joints to separate the thighs from the drumsticks.
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Carving
To start carving a chicken, you will need a chicken and a sharp knife. A chef's knife, Western-style boning knife, or a Japanese-style honesuki (poultry boning knife) will all work. You can also use poultry shears or a cleaver for cutting through thicker bones. Begin by removing any giblets inside the chicken and trimming away any excess fat.
Next, grab the chicken by the drumstick and pull the leg outward from the body until the skin is stretched taut. Cut through the skin between the leg and the body, then twist the leg downward until the ball joint pops out of the socket. Use your knife to completely remove the leg by cutting through the exposed joint, making sure to get the oyster, a nugget of meat closest to the spine. Repeat this process for the other leg.
With the chicken still on its side, pull each wing away from the body and cut through the joint to remove it. You can also choose to remove the wing tips at this stage. Now, lift the chicken and cut downward through the rib cage and shoulder joints to separate the breast from the back. The backbone should be saved for stock.
To split the breast, place it skin side down and use a chopping motion to split the centre bone. Then, slice through the meat and skin to separate it into two pieces. You can further cut each breast half into quarters by turning them skin side up and cutting diagonally through the bone.
Finally, to divide the legs into drumsticks and thighs, turn each skin side down and cut through the joints along the white fat line. And there you have it—you've successfully carved a chicken!
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Jointing
To joint a chicken, you will need a really sharp knife. A chef's knife, Western-style boning knife, or a Japanese-style honesuki (poultry boning knife) will all work. You can also use poultry shears or a cleaver to cut through thicker bones.
First, remove the legs and thighs. Make a cut between the main body and the leg and thigh and pop the joint out. Turn the bird over and cut around the oysters. Then, follow the natural bone structure of the bird to trim the leg and thigh away. Cut through the middle joint of the leg to separate the thigh and drumstick.
Next, remove the wings by finding the natural joint and cutting through it. To separate the wing from the breast, run your knife around the joint until you see the bone, then pull the bone from its socket joint.
Finally, remove the breasts. You can either use a knife to follow the angle of the breastbone, pulling the whole breast away from the carcass, or you can use poultry shears to snip through the breastbone and then snip down the fat line on the other side of the breast. This keeps the bone attached and is preferable if you are roasting the jointed chicken.
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Breaking down
To break down a chicken, you will need a chicken and a sharp knife. A chef's knife, Western-style boning knife, or a Japanese-style honesuki (poultry boning knife) will all work. You can do the entire process with just a good knife, but cutting through thicker bones is easier with a set of poultry shears or a cleaver.
- Remove any giblets inside the chicken and trim away any excess fat.
- Pull out the wishbone by sliding your finger up toward the apex of the wishbone until you can hook your finger behind it, then set it aside for stock.
- Grab the chicken by the drumstick and pull the leg outward from the body until the skin is stretched tight. Cut through the skin between the leg and the body, then twist the leg downward until the ball joint pops out of the socket.
- Use your knife to completely remove the leg by cutting through the exposed joint, making sure to get the oyster (a small nugget of meat closest to the spine).
- Repeat on the other side to remove the second leg.
- With the chicken on its side, pull each wing away from the body and cut through the joint to remove it. Repeat on the other side. If desired, cut off the wing tips and save them with the backbone for stock.
- Hold the chicken by the backbone and position it vertically on your cutting board with the butt end pointing up.
- Use your knife to cut through the skin and cartilage between the breast and the back, cutting through the first or second ribs.
- Continue cutting through the ribs using short, firm strokes. Alternatively, use poultry shears to cut through the ribs on both sides.
- Use your knife or poultry shears to cut through the shoulder bones on either side. The backbone should now be completely separated from the breast.
- To split the breast, place it skin side down on your board to create a flat surface for cutting.
- Cut through the center bone using a chopping motion, then slice through the meat and skin to separate the breast into two pieces.
- If desired, cut each breast half into quarters by turning them skin side up and cutting in half diagonally through the bone.
- If you want to divide the legs into thighs and drumsticks, turn each skin side down and cut through the joints along the white fat line.
Depending on your preferences, you should now have a chicken that is broken down into six to ten pieces.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several terms used to describe the process of cutting up a chicken, including “breaking down”, “butchering”, “carving”, “cutting up”, “jointing”, “spatchcocking”, and “butterflying”.
Here is a basic overview of the steps to cut up a whole chicken:
- Remove giblets and trim excess fat.
- Pull out the wishbone.
- Cut through the skin between the legs and the body, then twist the legs downward and outward to pop the ball joint out of the socket.
- Cut through the joint to remove the legs.
- Pull each wing away from the body and cut through the joint to remove them.
- Cut downward through the rib cage and shoulder joints to separate the breast from the back.
- Split the breast by placing it skin side down and cutting through the center bone.
- Cut the breast halves into quarters by turning them skin side up and cutting diagonally through the bone.
- Divide the legs by turning them skin side down and cutting through the joints to separate the thighs from the drumsticks.
The front quarter of the chicken contains the breast and wing meats, while the hindquarter contains the legs. The legs can be further divided into the thigh and drumstick. The breast can also be broken down into fillets or tenderloins, with the remaining portion pounded into a thin cutlet called a paillard.
Cutting up a whole chicken is a basic culinary skill that allows home cooks to control how the chicken is cut, whether into six, eight, or ten pieces. It also enables cooks to use the chicken for a variety of dishes, such as braises, stews, or fried chicken, rather than just roasting the whole bird.
When cutting up a chicken, it is important to use a sharp knife, such as a chef's knife, Western-style boning knife, or Japanese-style honesuki (poultry boning knife). Poultry shears or a cleaver can also be useful for cutting through thicker bones. Always use a separate cutting board for meat to avoid cross-contamination.
