How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken - Pressure Cooker Knowledge Return to Meat Menu Page Related Files Diagram of Beef Cuts Diagram of Pork Cuts Diagram of Lamb Cuts Diagram of Poultry Cuts Buying a whole chicken is cheaper than buying pieces, and the leftover parts of a deboned chicken are ideal for making soup stocks. Chicken is so versatile that almost every part is useful. Packaged, ready-to-cookchicken pieces are widely available and a great convenience, but cutting up a whole chicken yourself is not the daunting or time-consuming task some view it to be. In fact, it is easily learned, quickly accomplished, and is such a basic technique for working with poultry that it should be part of every cook’s repertoire, even if used only occasionally. This section will take you step by step through cutting up a whole bird. Another name for this technique is disjointing, because you cut through the elastic tendons and cartilage that surround the joint rather than through solid bone. With practice, you will be able to locate this soft tissue by touch, and the process will go that much faster. What You Will Need Very little specialized equipment is required to cut up a chicken other than a sharp, good-quality knife, poultry shears or kitchen scissors, and a dishwasher-safe acrylic cutting board or wooden board. Always wash your hands, your tools, and the cutting surface with hot soapy water after working with raw poultry to keep them free of bacteria. Better - if you own boning knives, which are typically 10 inches long, with thin, tapered, flexible blades that let you maneuver around the curves and indentations of meat and bone. Keep your boning knife (or any knife) properly honed so it will slice cleanly without slipping. The safest knife is a sharp knife. Related Files Diagram of Beef Cuts Diagram of Pork Cuts Diagram of Lamb Cuts Diagram of Poultry Cuts Step 1 Place chicken, breast side up, on a cutting board. Cut skin between thighs and body. Step 2 Grasping one leg in each hand, lift chicken and bend back legs until bones break at hip joints. Step 3 Remove leg and thigh from body by cutting (from tail toward shoulder) between the joints, close to bones in back of bird. Repeat for other side. Step 4 To separate thighs and drumsticks, locate knee joint by bending thigh and leg together. With skin side down, cut through joint of each leg. Step 5 With chicken on back, remove wings by cutting inside of each wing just over joint. Pull wing away from body and cut from top down through joint. Step 6 Separate breast and back by placing chicken on neck end or back and cutting (toward board) through joints along each side of rib cage. Step 7 To cut breast into halves, place skin side down on board and cut wishbone in two at V of bone. Congratulations! The picture on the left shows a whole chicken cut in 10 pieces. a. Legs, b. thighs, c. wings, d. part of back portion. e. tail end of back portion. f. breasts, and c. wings. Now that you've cut up the chicken you'll need some recipes., or check the Cooking Time Charts. Also look at the Temperature Time Charts to be sure chicken is fully cooked. To find more recipes on how to cook a whole chicken click here.