Best way to cut up a chicken?

[mretzloff]

A few weeks ago, Whole Foods had organic chicken on sale, so I bought 21

I need to start eating them now. Would you suggest getting a boning knife (if so, please suggest one), or is a chef's knife good enough? I plan on cutting the chickens up before cooking them.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[coyotewhisper]

Are you referring to a whole chicken? What do you want to use for quarters or ?

 

[SmoovD]

A chef's knife will do the trick. Most of breaking down a chicken is cutting some skin and manipulating the joints. Once you know where to twist you will be half way there. Really only need to hack through the back and the keel bone. I bet there are plenty of vids on the Tube to show the basics.

One tip- try spatchcocking a bird or two. Really helps achieve an even cook.

 

[SmoovD]

here you go

breakdown:

 

[pejay66]

Last year my wife and I attended a cooking school in Paris. We spent over an hour learning how to debone a chicken. It is like wet shaving; go slow, easy, and light, have a sharp knife, no nicks or cuts in the skin allowed, prep is everything.

 

[global_dev]

Nice poultry shears

 

[mretzloff]

Are you referring to a whole chicken? What do you want to use for quarters or ?

Yes, a whole chicken. I have no planned recipes for the quarters, but prefer cutting up the bird before cooking with it.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Last year my wife and I attended a cooking school in Paris. We spent over an hour learning how to debone a chicken. It is like wet shaving; go slow, easy, and light, have a sharp knife, no nicks or cuts in the skin allowed, prep is everything.

Wow, I would live to do that with my wife.

 

[khuzdul]

As others have said, with technique any sharp knife will work well. This video from America's Test Kitchen is good and covers the basics for cutting up a chicken before cooking it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW5BFvCmV7k

The part he uses the shears to separate the back from the breast, I usually use a chefs knife. Once you get used to it on a raw chicken that you can flip back and fourth, (I figure 21 should be enough to do the trick!), you get to learn how to do it well enough to not need to flip the chicken to get the legs and wings off. This comes in handy when carving turkey for Thanksgiving day. Then all you need is to have the trick of removing the wishbone before roasting, and you have unobstructed access to carve the turkey breast very cleanly and evenly...

 

[pejay66]

We got to the school (right on the Seine near Notre Dame) about five pm. There were three couple and two dongle ladies. We went over use of knives, how to peel mushrooms, and make onion soup the French way. After demoing the chicken we wrapped it in a material found surrounding cow stomach. We stuffed it with a mushroom, cheese, basil, mushroom mix. Then we sautéed them before baking them.When we got everything done we took off our aprons and sat at a large table facing full length windows overlooking the river. The wine and meal were wonderful...

P.S. We made salted Carmel sauce for prepared French vanilla ice cream

 

[Alacrity59]

There are a few different videos of Jacques Pepin de-boning chickens. Watch and see an artist at work.

 

[rockviper]

There are a few different videos of Jacques Pepin de-boning chickens. Watch and see an artist at work.

That's how I learned how to do it. Even did a turkey like it for Christmas in 2012. (see here)

 

[Hirsute]

There are a few different videos of Jacques Pepin de-boning chickens. Watch and see an artist at work.

Exactly. He did a great series of technique videos that I still watch from time to time when I need to do something technical that I don't do frequently. His technique book is great too.

 

[MrSpeedy]

One tip- try spatchcocking a bird or two. Really helps achieve an even cook.

+1. It's my favorite way to cook a whole chicken. If you want crispy skin, cook it in a cold oven (don't pre-heat it before putting the chicken in. Turn it on when you put the chicken in.)

 

[Edcculus]

When in doubt, ask Alton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ9OLPC-dkE

 

[SmoovD]

+1. It's my favorite way to cook a whole chicken. If you want crispy skin, cook it in a cold oven (don't pre-heat it before putting the chicken in. Turn it on when you put the chicken in.)

For crispy skin you can always salt under the skin then refrigerate overnight. There is a word for the result but can't remember it. Essential the salt dries out the skin.

 

[Chef Bill]

Here's how to butterfly ("spatchcock") a chicken for roasting or grilling.

I learned this technique from Jacques Pepin when I was a student, and later a chef-instructor, at the French Culinary Institute in New York.

 

[l0pht]

We got to the school (right on the Seine near Notre Dame) about five pm. There were three couple and two dongle ladies. We went over use of knives, how to peel mushrooms, and make onion soup the French way. After demoing the chicken we wrapped it in a material found surrounding cow stomach. We stuffed it with a mushroom, cheese, basil, mushroom mix. Then we sautéed them before baking them.When we got everything done we took off our aprons and sat at a large table facing full length windows overlooking the river. The wine and meal were wonderful...

P.S. We made salted Carmel sauce for prepared French vanilla ice cream

Where did you do this. I'm only 2.5 hr away from Paris and have a place to stay about 5 min from Notre Dame. PM if you want.

 

[oc_in_fw]

We got to the school (right on the Seine near Notre Dame) about five pm. There were three couple and two dongle ladies. We went over use of knives, how to peel mushrooms, and make onion soup the French way. After demoing the chicken we wrapped it in a material found surrounding cow stomach. We stuffed it with a mushroom, cheese, basil, mushroom mix. Then we sautéed them before baking them.When we got everything done we took off our aprons and sat at a large table facing full length windows overlooking the river. The wine and meal were wonderful...

P.S. We made salted Carmel sauce for prepared French vanilla ice cream

You lost me at mushrooms. The things make me retch. I could eat them up to he age of 5 or so, now I can not stand even the smell of them.

 

[pejay66]

School is called La Cuisine Paris

80 Quai de l'Hotel de Ville, Paris, France

+ 33 1 40 51 78 18