Mastering how to break down a whole chicken is an essential chef technique that saves you money compared to purchasing pre-cut parts. By learning the anatomy of the bird, you gain total control over your cuts while gaining the bones necessary for high-quality homemade stock.
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Before we pick up the knife, it's important to have your mise en place ready. To get the cleanest cuts and ensure safety, make sure you've mastered your basic knife skills and have a properly sharpened chef's knife or boning knife.
Once the bird is broken down, you'll be able to transform these cuts into endless recipes. Please remember to save the chicken bones and follow my guide on how to make roasted chicken stock.
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Kitchen Tools
In a professional kitchen it's important to have the right tools for the job. Below is all the equipment you'll need to break this chicken down.
How To Break Down A Chicken Into 8 Pieces
There will be times when you want to break a chicken down into eight pieces while keeping the breast whole. This allows you to butterfly the breast into cutlets, perfect for recipes like my Air Fryer Chicken Schnitzel.
Steps 1-4: Remove the Leg and Thigh Meat
Slice the Skin: Place the chicken on its back. Pull the leg away from the body and slice through the skin connecting the breast and the thigh. Note: Only cut the skin, not the meat.
Pop the Joint: Hold the leg and thighs in each hand. Bend the leg back away from the breast until the ball of the thigh bone pops out of the hip socket.
Find the Oyster: Flip the bird onto its breast. Locate the "oyster"-the small, thumb-sized muscle sitting next to the backbone.
Remove the Leg and Thigh: Run your boning knife around the oyster and down the spine to get the prized part of the meat.
Steps 5 & 6: Removing the chicken back
I like to keep the rib cage intact because it helps keep the chicken skin in place. Make a small incision to separate the chicken back and the breast from each other.
Use the tip of your knife to make a "V" cut on each side of the neck to release the chicken back and save for chicken stock.
Step 7 and 8: Remove wings and split the chicken breast
Remove the wings: Pull the wing away from the breast to tighten the skin. Use your fingers to find the joint where the wing meets the body. Angle your knife and slide it right into that sweet spot. If you're in the right place, the wing will come off clean.
Splitting the breast: Make a small cut on the keel bone then cut straight through using a sharp chef knife or clever.
Step 9 & 10: Separate Drumstick and Thigh
Find the fat line that separates the drumstick from the thigh and run your knife straight through.
How to Break Down a Chicken Into 10 Pieces
Want to turn this into a 10-piece cut? Simply cut each breast in half and there you go. Since these are bone-in chicken pieces I highly recommend turning them into fried chicken.
Steps 11 & 12: Cutting Chicken Breast in Half
Instead of cutting straight across, position your knife at a 45-degree angle across the breast. Aim for the upper third of the breast-the thickest part near where the wing was attached.
Chef Tip!
Breaking down poultry isn't about strength but knowledge of anatomy. Use the visible fat lines as your cutting guide. They mark the natural separations in the bird and show you where to place your knife.
FAQ's
I recommend using a flexible boning knife to cut through joints, or a sharp chef's knife for clean cuts throughout the bird.
No, on the USDA website in the article To Wash or Not Wash they recommend not rinsing poultry or meat in the sink, as it can contaminate areas around your sink, utensils, rags, and you. The best way to kill the bacteria is to cook the chicken to the right temperature.
Yes, in fact thats what I do! Fill up a gallon freezer bag with chicken bones and freeze until you have enough for stock.
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