How to Cut a Whole Chicken into pieces in 10 minutes. You will save money, have chicken pieces enough for 2 dinners and make the most delicious chicken bone broth.
And did I say it is so easy with our step by step tutorial?!
Cutting a whole chicken into pieces is easier than you think. I just figured it out one day just by using common sense. You can do it too!
Growing up in Ukraine my grandma always made 3 meals from a whole chicken. Money were tight and grocery stores did not sell chicken pieces. Whole chicken, often from your own chicken coop, were the way to survive.
Why cut up a whole chicken in 2019? I prefer to buy organic meat and it is not cheap in Canada. And anyways, I am always on a budget because it is a smart way to live.
My favorite way to save on organic poultry is to buy a 2 pack for $30 at Costco and cut them up. Or use whole to make Instant Pot chicken noodle soup and more broth.
Organic whole chicken costs $2.49/lb vs. chicken breasts at $5.99/lb – that’s twice the savings!
How to Cut up a Whole Chicken Step by Step Tutorial
You will need a sharp knife and a stable cutting board. Quality knife is a lifetime investment. Just like a cedar hedge on your property. 🙂
Make sure your chicken is not frozen. We can cut up only fresh or thawed chicken.
- Lay chicken on its back breasts side up. Remove bag with giblets if any.
- Trim fat and skin on both sides of the opening.
- Remove the tail or I like to call it “butt”. Sharp kitchen shears are great for this step as well.
- Cut each leg between the leg bone and the bone that is attached to the body. It helps to start cutting and then snap the leg. You will hear a crack, so cut the muscle between 2 joints.
- Cut the wings the same way as legs.
- Pull the skin from the breasts using your hands and help it separate from meat with the knife along the way. It should come off very easily. Or leave it on.
- Flip the chicken and trim skin the same way on the back. There will be more fat attached to the carcass under the skin. Trim it as well.
- Flip chicken on its back again and remove the breasts. Cut each breast in the middle close to the center bone and along the ribs.
- That’s it.
Recipes to Use Cut Up Chicken In
Use chicken legs and wings in these recipes:
Use chicken breasts to make these recipes:
Carcass is great for making soups like:
Cutting a Whole Chicken Video
This video will show you how I cut up chicken first 30 seconds. Very quick version. 🙂 It is from this post.
I just wanted to share a general idea how you can stretch a whole chicken and use in variety of recipes.
PrintHow to Cut a Whole Chicken
How to Cut a Whole Chicken into pieces in 10 minutes. By cutting a whole chicken you will save money, have chicken pieces enough for 2 dinners and make the most delicious chicken bone broth.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 breasts, 2 wings, 2 legs, carcass
- Category: Dinner
- Method: No Cook + Cut
- Cuisine: Ukrainian
Ingredients
- Whole chicken
Instructions
- Lay chicken on its back breasts side up. Remove bag with giblets if any.
- Trim fat and skin on both sides of the opening.
- Remove the tail or I like to call it “butt”. Sharp kitchen shears are great for this too.
- Cut each leg between the leg bone and the bone that is attached to the body. It helps to start cutting and then snap the leg. You will hear a crack, so cut the muscle between 2 joints.
- Cut the wings the same way as legs.
- Pull the skin from the breasts using your hands and help it separate from meat with the knife along the way. It should come off very easily. Or leave it on.
- Flip the chicken and trim skin the same way on the back. There will be more fat attached to the carcass under the skin. Trim it as well.
- Flip chicken on its back again and remove the breasts. Cut each breast in the middle close to the center bone and along the ribs.
- That’s it.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
What a simple way, I love it!
★★★★★