Got a whole chicken you want to cut into pieces? Breaking down a whole chicken can sound intimidating but with poultry scissors, you can get it done in no time.
Today I will show you how to break down a whole chicken with poultry shears. While grocery stores do sell wings, thighs, drumsticks, chicken tenders, and chicken breasts separately, they also sell whole chickens! So, I started buying whole chickens because the whole chickens I got were SOOO delicious. They didn't sell them in separate parts, so I started breaking down the chickens. Also, I like to buy a whole chicken because it fits our culinary needs. One whole chicken provides the perfect amount of meat for Vietnamese Chicken Curry, cà ri gà.
If you ever need to break down a chicken using poultry shears is the way to go. Cutting a chicken with a knife works but I've found that using poultry scissors is more precise and safe to do. These Fiskar poultry shears (affiliate) are highly rated! But my pair were $6.99 from the Asian grocery store. I haven't seen them lately but if you're lucky enough they might be in stock at your local store. Quality matters so make sure you purchase a pair that will do it's job. The curve-shaped scissors are the best. I have also been able to tear down a chicken with the straight scissors, but the curved edges were easier for me to use. You can visit my Amazon storefront and check out the different shears with different price points that might suit your budget.
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❤️Why this Guide Works
- With experience, you can break down your chicken in less than 10 minutes.
- This guide shows you step by step how to cut a chicken with scissors safely.
- Cutting with scissors you have more control than compared to using a knife.
- Easy clean-up.
🥄Equipment and tools
👩🏫 Step by Step Instructions on How to Break Down a Chicken
Step 1: Start with the chicken's back facing up and the neck in front of you. Locate the backbone and cut down towards the tailbone with the scissors. This will open the chicken's back.
Step 2: Use the scissors to cut along the opposite side of the chicken's backbone. Cut down towards the tailbone.
Step 3: Remove the chicken's backbone. You can keep this backbone to make chicken stock.
Step 4: To further flatten your chicken out, cut the top of the breastbone. The process of removing the backbone and splitting the chicken open is called spatchcocking a chicken. You can stop here if all you need is flattened chicken.
Step 5: To half the chicken, use the scissors to cut through the skin, meat, cartilage, and bones of the breastbone to split it in 2.
If all you need are 2 chicken halves, stop here.
Step 6: To get chicken thighs cut on the side through the skin and into the upper thigh.
Step 7: Locate the wings. Cut through the cartilage and separate the bones between the breast and wings.
Now you have 3 pieces, thighs with a leg attached, breast, and wing.
Step 8: Cut the chicken leg from the thigh. Start from the bottom of the skin of the thigh that connects to the leg and cut through it. Detached the chicken leg bone from the thigh bone with the scissor.
Step 9: Repeat on the other side.
Step 10: For small breast pieces cut the breast in half horizontally or vertically for chicken tenders.
Step 11: Repeat on the other side.
The whole chicken is broken down into 11 pieces. The backbone can be used to make chicken stock. These chicken pieces are ready to be fried, grilled, air-fried, or cooked any way you want. I recommend using the chicken as soon as possible for freshness.
Expert Tips
- Wash counters afterward.
- Use chicken immediately! Do not leave chicken out.
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
Yes, absolutely. Cooked chicken is very hot so be very careful of the heat so you don't burn your fingers. Depending on how cooked the chicken is, the meat can be incredibly tender and fall apart as you cut it down.
This is up to you, but I wash my chicken before I cut it down.
❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- Refrigerator - store in refrigerator covered and tightly sealed for up to 2 days
- Freezer - freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Did you try this guide?
Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @teerangathome on Instagram!
📖How To Guide
How to Break Down a Whole Chicken with Scissors
Equipment
- 1 Pair of poultry scissors
Instructions
- Start with the chicken's back facing up and the neck in front of you. Locate the backbone and cut down towards the tailbone with the scissors. This will open the chicken's back.
- Use the scissors to cut along the opposite side of the chicken's backbone. Cut down towards the tailbone.
- Remove the chicken's backbone. You can keep this backbone to make chicken stock.
- To further flatten your chicken out, cut the top of the breastbone. The process of removing the backbone and splitting the chicken open is called spatchcocking a chicken. You can stop here if all you need is flattened chicken.
- Cut down the front breast of the chicken to split it in two. If all you need are 2 chicken halves, stop here.
- To get chicken thighs cut on the side through the skin and into the upper thigh.
- Locate the wings. Cut through the cartilage and separate the bones between the breast and wings. Now you have 3 pieces, thighs with a leg attached, breast, and wing.
- Now we will cut the chicken leg from the thigh. Start from the bottom of the skin of the thigh that connects to the leg and cut through it. Detached the chicken leg bone from the thigh bone with the scissor.Repeat on the other side.
- For small breast pieces cut the breast in half horizontally or vertically for chicken tenders. Repeat on other side.
- You should have 11 pieces to use and cook now!
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