Poultry: Learn How to Joint a Chicken

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[Instructor] Jointing a chicken.

Jointing a chicken means cutting it into eight parts.

You can buy the parts already cut

but it's a lot less expensive to buy a whole chicken

and joint it yourself.

All you need for this process are a sharp boning knife

and a pair of poultry shears.

First, place the chicken breast-side up

on the cutting board and make shallow incisions

on either side of the wishbone.

Snap the wishbone out and remove it.

Next, use your poultry shears

to cut down through the breastbone.

It should cut relatively easily.

Open up the chicken like a book

and then turn it over and flatten it on the board,

pressing down to crack the spine.

Turn the chicken back over

and use the knife to cut down each side of the spine.

You may have to press firmly to cut through the bone.

Remove the backbone and save it for making stock.

Now you've got two chicken halves

and you need to separate each thigh from the breast.

Turn one half right-side up and slice through the skin

all the way to the bone at the crease of the drumstick.

Once you've cut through the skin and flesh,

you should be able to feel where the joint is.

Pressing down firmly cut through the joint.

The knife should go through relatively easily.

If it doesn't you're not at the joint.

If this happens stop trying to cut

and move your knife down the bone slightly

until you find the joint.

Next trim away any excess fat and skin

and cut away the wing from the breast.

Again, use the blade of your knife to feel for the joint.

It should be an easy cut.

Finally, cut the drumstick away from the thigh,

also at the joint.

Repeat with the other half of the chicken.

Now we've separated our chicken into eight parts.

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