How to Cut a Whole Chicken

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Learn How to Cut a Whole Chicken with these easy step by step instructions! All you need is a cutting board, knife, kitchen shears and about 10 minutes of time. Cutting a chicken yourself is so much more cost effective and it can be portioned out to use in a variety of recipes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Total Time10

Course: Cooking Techniques and Tips

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 205kcal

Author: Marcie

Equipment

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

Instructions

Place the chicken breast side up on a cutting board. Remove the giblets packet and neck inside the cavity, if applicable, and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
1 whole chicken
Remove the legs. Cut through the skin between the chicken breast and drumstick and pull the leg slightly away from the body to expose the joint. Cut through the joint and through the bottom to release the leg. Repeat on the other side.
Separate the drumstick and thigh. Place the leg and thigh on a cutting board skin side down. Find the joint where the top of the drumstick meets the thigh and cut right through the joint to separate the drumstick and thigh. Repeat the process for the second leg.
Remove the wings. Locate the joint where the wing meets the breast. Pull the wing away from the body to expose the joint and cut through the joint with your knife or kitchen shears. Locating the joint is even easier if you turn the chicken breast side down on the cutting board...the entire wing can be removed using your kitchen shears, which gives you a bit more control if you lack experience. Repeat for the second wing. Remove the wing tips if desired and save for stock.
Separate the breast and backbone. Turn the chicken on its side and using kitchen shears, cut through the ribs to separate on one side. Repeat on the other side and save the backbone for stock.
Split the breast. Place the chicken breast breast side down on a cutting board and make a shallow cut along the breast bone with a knife or paring knife to help loosen it. Turn the chicken over breast side up and press down to crack it. From there, cut through the middle of the breast to separate. You can also use kitchen shears to cut through the skin and breast to separate, then use the knife to cut through the breastbone.
Cut the breasts in half (optional). Place the breasts skin side up on the cutting board and remove the bones if desired, then cut width-wise. You can also remove the bones for boneless chicken breasts and even remove the chicken tenders to save for another use.
Store your cut chicken in an air tight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Pro tip: Use a very sharp knife for best results. If you're not comfortable using a knife, kitchen shears are a great option as well!
Locating the various joints are essential to cutting through the chicken parts quick and easy. If it's difficult to cut through, you are not cutting through the joint.
Consider purchasing a double pack of organic whole chickens at Costco and break them down at the same time. This saves money and time, and you can portion the chicken out for upcoming recipes.
Save the neck and backbone to make homemade chicken stock. Store them in zip top bags in the freezer for up to 3 months until you're ready to make stock!

Nutrition