How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken

Cutting up a whole chicken is only as complicated as you make it. Work carefully, and with confidence, and you’ll be just fine. The basic theory behind breaking down a chicken, (or any animal really) is to remove the outermost parts first and work inwards. For a chicken, that means removing the wings and the legs so that you gain access to the breasts.

The Knife

If you’re going to be performing chicken surgery, we recommend using a sharp knife. Really any sharp knife will do. We have a boning knife that is designed to be used for the very purpose of separating meat from bones, but a fillet knife or a regular chef knife will do just fine as well. Just don’t use a serrated knife — it will tear up and destroy the meat.

Step 1: Wings

The wings are probably the easiest part of the chicken to remove. Grab one of the wings and feel where it connects to the body. That’s the joint that you’re going to be cutting through. Take your knife and cut through the joint. You should feel a little resistance, but not much. If you’re using too much force, you’re cutting in the wrong spot. The wing should separate easily.

Step 2: Legs & Thighs

This is very similar to the wings. First, try to feel where the leg attaches to the body. Slice the skin in the leg crease to allow the leg to move freely away from the body. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to pop the joint right out. If not, use you knife to keep separating the meat. Then cut straight down and you should have yourself a chicken leg.

To remove the thigh from the drumstick, you’re going to need to locate the joint. Apparently there is a fat line that marks it, but if you can’t find this magical line, then you’re going to have to feel for the joint. Place your fingers where you think it is, and with your other hand start rocking the leg — you should be able to feel the movement of the joint in your fingers. To separate the two parts, you want to cut where the joint is!

Step 3: Breasts

Now that the wings, legs, and thighs are removed, the last part to cut is the breasts! The breasts are separated by the spine — you want to run your knife as close to the bone as possible to ensure that you removing the entire breast from the carcass. You should hear the sound of your knife scraping against the carcass (that means you’re getting the maximal amount of meat).