Chicken: how to portion a whole chicken into pieces

As I have three kids to cook for, I like to take a whole chicken and split it into different cuts, which gives me the opportunity to create additional meals from just one chook. It’s cheaper to buy whole chickens and cut them into pieces yourself. Store the pieces in the freezer in zip lock bags for later use. Your knife needs to be sharp. You can achieve this by using a steel, but do not let this put you off having a go.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1:

Pat the chicken dry. Place on a chopping board, breast side up.

Step 2:

Hold both drumsticks and twist backwards to loosen the sockets.

Step 3:

With your fingers locate where the sockets connect the thigh to the carcass. Cut though here to sever the thigh and drum from the carcass. You should not have to cut through the bone.

Step 4:

Locate the joint that connects the drum to the thigh and cut through.

Step 5:

For the breasts, you need to slice along the breast bone close to the ribs, then work your way down the rib cage to remove the breast. If you do not want to keep the skin, it will easily lift off.

Step 6:

Cut off the wings.

Food safety tips

Raw and under-cooked chickens are a potent source of bacteria such as salmonella. Whenever you are handling raw chicken you must always wash your hands afterwards. It is equally important to scrub down the chopping board and wash your knives before using them for any other purpose.