How to Cut up a Fresh Chicken for Frying

Chicken is healthy and inexpensive.

Serving chicken has several advantages. It is healthy and less expensive than other meat, and you can make a wide variety of dishes with chicken. One of the ways to reduce the cost of chicken even more is to buy whole fresh chickens and cut them up yourself.

Things You'll Need

• 1 whole chicken
• Plastic cutting board
• Kitchen shears
• Sharp butcher knife

Instructions

1. Remove the gizzard and liver packet from the chicken and discard. Place the bird breast side down on a plastic cutting board. Use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone. Either discard the backbone or freeze it for broth.

2. Turn the chicken over and grasp one of the leg-thigh combinations. With a sharp butcher knife, find the joint between the thigh and the body of the bird. Cut along this joint. This leaves you with a leg and thigh quarter. Repeat with the other side of the bird.

3. Take the leg quarters and locate the joint between the thigh and leg. Using a sharp knife, cut along this joint.

4. Pull one of the wing portions from the breast. Find the joint and cut at the joint next to the breast. Repeat the procedure with the other wing.

5. Turn the breast portion over and find the center. Take the point of the knife and push it through the center point of the breast. Gently push the knife down toward you, splitting the bottom half of the breast. Turn the breast around and do the same with the top portion.

Tips & Warnings

• The knife needs to be sharp. You can cut yourself more easily with a dull knife.