How to Piece a Chicken

Wings:

Pull the wing up & back expose the “arm pit”. First cut straight down (A), keeping tension on the wing until it pops free. Then turn the blade 90° (B) and cut upward to remove the wing but conserve the breast meat.

A

B

Legs & thighs:

With the bird on its back, spread the leg & thighs and cut only the skin between them and the breast meat (C).  Flip the bird over and extend the legs & thighs back further until disjointed – a pop (D). Using the tip of your knife, score the skin on the back as shown to include the “oyster”, a succulent bit of meat attached to the thigh (E). Return the bird to its back and cut free the thigh starting at the tail and moving the knife slowly upward around the joint. With the joint free, there should be little resistance.

C

D

E

Boneless breast:

Find the natural line of white fat that begins on the side of the bird (F). Use the line to cut into the side of the breast meat to find the ribs and sternum, and follow these to fillet the breast meat. As you cut, gently peel the breast meat just ahead of your knife (G). Cut each half breast to the keel in the center of the chest. One final slice here will remove meat, leaving the two halves intact (H).

F

G

H

To cut the leg and thigh apart, take them in one hand and apply some tension to see and feel the exposed joint (I).  A swift slice here will separate the leg and thigh. If you strike bone, try a slightly different angle to get into the joint. To debone the thigh, make a slice with the tip of your knife along the bone to expose it. Work your knife between the bone and meat to fillet the bone out.

I

Tips:

• Seek the void of natural spaces; guide your knife between muscle groups and joints. Neither your chicken parts nor knife’s edge will win if you fight the bones.

• Learn to read the “map” of the chicken: lines of fat, boundaries of white & dark meat and creases. This map will guide your cuts.

• Use the carcass to make beautifully gelatinous stock (roast the bones first).