Servings 8 pieces from a whole chicken
Equipment
- Sharp chef's knife
- Kitchen shears
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- Whole chicken
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels.
- Remove the wings. Stretch each wing away from the body and feel for the joint beneath the breast. Slice downward through the joint to remove the wing. To make 12 pieces, separate the wings into flats and drumettes using your knife or shears.
- Remove the legs. With the chicken breast-side up, pull one leg away from the body and slice through the skin between the leg and body. Bend the leg back until the joint pops, then cut through the joint to remove the leg. Repeat on the other side.
- Separate drumsticks from thighs. Flip the leg over, skin side down. Cut along the natural fat line between the drumstick and thigh to separate the two. Repeat with the other leg. (Pro Tip: Be sure to cut around the oyster—the tender nugget of meat near the backbone!)
- Cut out the backbone. With the chicken breast-side down, use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut along both sides of the backbone. Save this for making stock!
- Separate the breasts. Flip the chicken breast-side up. Slice down the center of the breastbone, pressing firmly to cut through the bone, and divide the breasts into two halves.
- Break down further (optional). If desired, cut the wing tips off or further divide the breast halves for smaller pieces.
Notes
- Following my simple steps, you'll end up with 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings and 2 breast pieces.
- Save any extra parts like the wing tips or backbone to make homemade chicken stock. This ensures no part of the chicken goes to waste!