How to Butcher a Chicken With a Pair of Scissors
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone1/8The Right Tool for the Job
Butchering a chicken at home has endless benefits (bones for stock, a cheaper pound-for-pound price) and exactly one drawback: the actual butchering. Fear of, um, butchering the butchering is enough for many home cooks to avoid wielding a knife altogether. But what if a knife never got involved? Our fearless food editor, Rhoda Boone, uses a sharp pair of kitchen shears to break down her chickens. "It's easier to feel your way around with scissors, and you don't risk having the knife slip and cutting yourself," she says. "Plus, the shears do a nice job of cleanly cutting the skin." Easier, safer, and better-looking? Let's do this.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone2/8First, Cut Off the Wings
The key to successfully butchering a chicken is to cut through the joints, not the bone. Snip a little of the flesh away at the joint, then forcefully bend the bone back away from each other to snap the joint out of the socket. Start with one of the wings: Snip the flesh, then twist the wing towards you until you feel the joint pop. Then commence cutting, separating the wing from the breast.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone3/8But Don't Throw the Wings Away!
Repeat with the other wing and set both wings aside. You don't want to roast the wings with the rest of the bird (they'll overcook and burn), but you also don't throw them away. Instead, seal them in a plastic bag and freeze until you can use them in a pot of broth.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone4/8Now Pop the Leg Joint...
Next, start the process of removing the legs; you're going to remove the thigh and drumstick in one piece. Lift the leg with one hand. With the other hand, press on the area between the leg and body of the bird until you feel the joint pop. A bit of force is required here—don't be shy.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone5/8...And Cut the Leg Off
With the joint popped, use your shears to cleanly cut the thigh away from the body. Repeat the popping-and-cutting with the other leg.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone6/8Get Rid of the Backbone
Set the bird upright on the cutting board, neck-side down. Use the shears to cut through the natural space between the backbone and the ribs. Repeat the process on the other side of the bird. Throw the backbone into the same bag as the wings—you're going to use that for stock, too.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone7/8Separate the Breasts—Twice
Set the breast on the cutting board skin-side up. Separate the breast with two passes of the shears. The first pass will be a shallow cut that slices through the skin and just a little bit of the flesh (this ensures that you get an even piece of skin for each breast half). The second pass finishes the job, cutting through the remaining flesh and bone.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone8/8Eat!
Mazel tov—your chicken is quartered! Now all you have to do is cook the thing.
