How to Butcher a raw Chicken

Tired of paying extra at the meat counter for a cut chicken? Here's how to save your money by doing it yourself.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 Whole Chicken
• A Very Sharp Chef's Knife
• A clean cutting board
• Clean Rubber Gloves (optional)

1. Rinse the chicken to remove any fluid that may cause it to be slick or difficult to hold on to. Also rinse out the body cavity to remove and small bits that may have been missed during processing. Pat dry with paper towels and place on your cutting board with the breast up and legs and wings spread wide.

2. Starting with the breast place the knife on the center line just to one side of the breast bone. Slowly slide the knife starting from the wishbone down to the point at the cavity opening. Repeat as necessary until the breast meat is separated from the rib-cage. Repeat the same process on the other side. Set the meat aside in a clean container.

3. Grab the wing tip and fully extend the wing. At the first joint, push against the natural movement of the joint until it "pops". Use the knife to cut through the joint and discard the tip. Use the same "popping" method at the second joint to separate the main wing from the drumette. Cut at the joint. Repeat the pop motion again at the shoulder to remove the drumette. Make sure to cut as much of the back meat away with the drumette to maximize the amount of meat on the piece. Repeat on the other side.

4. Firmly hold the end of the drumstick and pull away from the body of the chicken. Again force the joint to pop out of socket and cut through the joint. At the hip joint, press into the body of the chicken and dislocate that joint as well. Cut at this point again making sure to get into the back meat of the body. This produces the "Oyster" portion of the thigh meat. Repeat on the other side.

5. At this point you pretty much have a clean carcass left over. Most people discard this but it is actually very useful. Store the carcass in a freezer bag and use it to make chicken stock whenever a recipe calls for it.

6. At this point you can either store or cook your chicken as you please.

Tips & Warnings

• This is a process that takes practice. The more often you do it the better off you will be at it. Patience is key.
• Be careful of your knife. Always cut away from your hand and fingers. You definitely don't want to cut yourself when messing around with raw chicken.
• Surgical gloves are optional but highly recommended.
• Make sure your knife is sharp. The duller a knife is the more often you are likely to cut yourself.
• Thoroughly clean your work surface when you are done.
• Immediately store your chicken in a good freezer safe container if you are not going to cook it.

[LAURA7088]

on 7/18/2008 Thanks for the instructions! I'll try again!