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Simple Joyful Food

Kitchen confidence made simple.

chicken

How to cut up a whole chicken.

March 24, 2020 6 Comments
How-to-cut-up-a-whole-chicken-8-pieces

Have you ever wondered how to cut up a whole chicken? We ate a lot of chicken backs when we were a kid. Yes, chicken backs… I often wonder why you can’t purchase them in the grocery stores anymore. Back then they were plentiful and economical and that little nested oyster spot was my absolute favorite part. 

The first time I remember cutting up a whole chicken was during Food Lab at college. This class was a companion class to Nutrition 101 and I remember being surprised how easy it was to learn how to cut up a whole chicken and how inexpensive it was to cook with all the pieces instead of buying them separately.

Let’s get started!

If you have ever been intimidated by cutting up a whole chicken, don’t be. It really is quite simple. Just follow the following five steps in the photos and you will be good to go.

Use a sharp knife and take caution when cutting through bones. Please let me know if you have any questions as you work through the steps. After the first one, you’ll most likely be an expert and quite proud of yourself.

Step 1: Cut the chicken in half.

How-to-cut-up-a-whole-chicken-Step-One-cthejoyofeatingwell

Step 2: Remove the back.

How to cut up a whole chicken - Step Two

Step 3: Separate Thigh/leg and Breast/wing.

How-to-cut-up-a-whole-chicken-Step-Three

Step 4: Separate Thigh from Leg.

How-to-cut-up-a-whole-chicken-Step-Four

Step 5: Separate Breast from Wing.

How-to-cut-up-a-whole-chicken-Step-Five

Get ready to cook!

You will now have eight chicken pieces to either roast together, cook separately, or freeze for later. Curious what to do with that neck? It’s perfect for making broth because it has meat and bones. An excellent combination.

How-to-cut-up-a-whole-chicken-8-pieces

Here are ten recipes that you may be interested in now that you have parts and pieces to work with. Is there one that you are ready to try for dinner tonight?

1. Perfectly-browned roasted chicken and root vegetables.

Use any cut up chicken part for this recipe: Jump to recipe

roasted-chicken-and-root-veggies (c)thejoyofeatingwell

2. Chicken and beef teriyaki sushi rolls.

Use white or dark meat for this recipe: Jump to recipe

chicken and beef teriyaki sushi rolls (c)thejoyofeatingwell

3. The best cashew chicken noodle soup.

Use breast meat or thigh meat for this recipe: Jump to recipe

cashew-chicken-noodle-soup-combine-with-noodles-cthejoyofeatingwell

4. Delicious baked balsamic chicken wings.

Use wings and dummies for this recipe: Jump to recipe

balsamic chicken wings (c)thejoyofeatingwell

5. Buttery instant pot lemon chicken breasts.

Use chicken breasts or chicken thighs for this recipe: Jump to recipe

buttery instant Pot Lemon Chicken Breasts (c)thejoyofeatingwell

6. Grilled honey-glazed chicken breasts.

Use chicken breasts for this recipe: Jump to recipe

grilledhoneyglazedchickenbreasts-upclose (c)thejoyofeatingwell

7. Better than Whole Foods chicken tortilla soup.

Use white meat or dark meat for this recipe: Jump to recipe

BTWF-chicken-tortilla-soup-close-up (c)thejoyofeatingwell

8. Grilled chicken breast with fresh jalapeno-cilantro tomato relish.

Use chicken breasts for this recipe: Jump to recipe

grilled-chicken-with-jalapeno-cilantro-relish (c)thejoyofeatingwell

9. Don’t pound your chicken breasts. Make cutlets.

This is a quick tip for chicken breasts. Jump to how-to

make chicken cutlets (c)thejoyofeatingwell

10. How to perfectly roast a whole chicken with simple techniques.

For those times you want to cook a whole chicken and cut it up afterwards. Jump to recipe

Ad. #DeNigris1889 #DrizzleFlavor #ItalianVinegar - Perfectly roasted whole chicken – main ©nwafoodie

It is my sincerest desire that we all master the art of cutting up a whole chicken and that we pass this skill down to the next generations.

Have you ever tackled cutting up a whole chicken? How were you taught how to do it?

Happy cutting!

Eat well, my friends.

Lyndi

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How to cut up a whole chicken - Pinterest 2 (c)thejoyofeatingwell

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Recipe Rating




  1. Heather W says

    March 23, 2016 at 2:50 am

    Love your blog! And thank you for the how-to. I love to cook, but cutting up a whole chicken always intimidates me ;).

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      July 4, 2016 at 7:42 pm

      Thank you so much, Heather! I totally get it… same thing for cooking a whole fish! But once we do it, it's so much easier than we think!

      Reply
  2. Julie Rowland says

    July 30, 2019 at 7:02 am

    It’s so hard for me to find good bones to make bone broth now days, that I actually am considering cutting up my own chicken just so I have the bones! Thanks for the guide. It’s a different way to cut up a chicken than I was taught. I’m going to try it and see if it’s better!

    Reply
    • Lyndi Fultz says

      August 13, 2019 at 1:02 pm

      Tell me what you think! I’m loving buying chicken breast on the bone and then removing the breast and saving the rest just for broth!

      Reply
  3. Laura K. says

    March 25, 2020 at 11:55 am

    Ah the back is the best part! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lyndi Fultz says

      April 13, 2020 at 10:44 am

      Laura, you are SO RIGHT!!!

      Reply

welcome

author image of thejoyofeatingwell blogHi, I’m Lyndi Fultz and I have a passion for the simple.

I believe that planning, prepping, and cooking meals can be a joy and not a daily dreaded chore.

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