How to break down a whole chicken

Chef knife

Boning knife

Paper towels

Sheet pans

1. Prepare the chicken. Clean out the inside of the bird, removing any giblets. Pat the entire chicken dry with paper towels; a slippery chicken is hard to cut. Place chicken breast-side-up on a sturdy cutting board, and have a sheet pan handy to place pieces on as you go. Massage the meat and work the joints with your hands to loosen.

2. Remove the legs. Slice carefully through the skin where the thigh meets the body to allow you to access the joint. Pressing from the back with your fingers, push the thigh bone toward yourself until you feel the joint pop. Cut through the joint with a chef knife or boning knife and separate. Repeat with the other thigh. To cut the leg (drumstick) from the thigh, flip the thigh piece over to the non-skin side to help find the joint, then use one firm cut with a chef knife to separate the leg piece.

3. Remove the wings. Similar to the thigh joint, cut gently through the skin on the wings to access the joints between the wing and the wingtip as well as the wing and the breast, popping the joint out of place if necessary/possible. Cut through the joints with your chef or boning knife to separate the pieces. Be sure to inspect the pieces after making each cut to ensure you haven’t cut through a bone and left a shard in the meat.

4. Remove the breasts. With the tip of your chef knife, carefully slice down the length of the breastbone, cutting only through the skin to expose the meat. Using your fingers to feel for the bone, make a slice down one side. Using careful but deliberate cuts, follow the rib cage to cut the breast away until freed from the bones. You may leave behind some meat the first time you do this step, but the waste will reduce each time you practice. After cutting the breast away, you should be able to separate the tenderloin from the breast with your hands. Repeat with the other side.

5. Keep the carcass. The bones left behind can immediately be thrown into a pot with veggies and a sachet to make your own chicken stock. Store the chicken pieces in the freezer if not cooking within 3 days.