How to Cut up a Chicken First, two days before cooking, thaw your chicken in the refrigerator. From the cavity of the chicken, remove the neck, liver, gizzard, and heart, set aside. Rinse the chicken. Using either a sharp knife or kitchen shears trim away excess fat at the neck and body cavity. Place chicken on its back, legs toward you.
Cut through the skin that attaches the breast to the thigh, exposing the meat beneath.
Pop out the thigh joint by bending the leg backward, away from the body; then cut around the bone to release the thigh and leg quarter. Repeat on the other side.
Hold the drumstick at a 45-degree angle with the bone pointing toward you, and cut down through the joint to separate the leg from the thigh. Finding the joint can be a bit tricky. Hold the thigh in one hand and bend the leg with the other. Feel for where the hinge is, that is where you want to cut.
Turn the bird onto its breast, and cut along each side of the spine to free the backbone. Set aside.
Leaving the chicken on its breast, cut straight through the breastplate to make two halves.
You will cut through the small "wishbone" and the cartilage that divides the breast in half. 6. Turn the breast halves skin side up. Make a diagonal cut about 1 inch in from where the wing joint meets the breast to remove the wings. Cut off the tips of the wing and set aside. You will have 8 pieces of chicken ready for grilling, baking, roasting or frying. If you want to make a quick broth, place the neck, wing tips, and back in 2 quarts of water. Add some celery tops, half an onion and carrots. Bring to boil and then simmer for an hour or so. Season with salt and pepper, add herbs. Strain and use broth instead of water in sauces, rice, or as a soup. Freezes well for later use.
