Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))

Content

Poultry is traditionally considered one of the most popular dishes in many national cuisines, and each person knows exactly his favorite piece: wing, leg, thigh or breast fillet. In order for everyone to be satisfied at the table, the hostess needs to be able to process the carcass quickly and deftly.

How to butcher a chicken

It is customary to cut the bird into six, eight or ten parts - the exact amount depends on how large portioned fragments you want to serve. If it was baked or fried whole, then the legs and thighs can be served as single legs, and the breast can be cut into two or four pieces. Not the last role is played by the size of the chicken, because a tiny gherkin can only be cut into quarters.

How to cut a chicken into portions? If you accurately determine the places of articulation of the bones (joints), then it will not be difficult to separate the legs and wings from the ridge. To learn how to properly cut a chicken into portions, it is best to work with a sharp knife with a large blade. Some housewives prefer special culinary scissors: if you cut along the joint, then you do not need to apply physical force.

Chicken cutting for barbecue

Chicken kebab is less popular than pork kebab, but is popular with those who prefer more tender meat. Butchering a bird to prepare such a dish takes time and skill. How to cut a chicken into portions? Do this:

1. Rinse the carcass.
2. Lay on your back.
3. Separate the wings with a sharp knife. The last, extreme phalanx, can be chopped off and thrown away.
4. Chop off the leg. Cut the drumstick from the thigh (if the leg is large, you can cut it into four parts).
5. Separate the breast from the ridge and cut into 4 pieces. The back and throat are not used for barbecue.
6. Pierce the pieces with a skewer carefully, parallel to the bone, and string tightly to each other.

How to cut fried or boiled chicken

A cooked whole bird is considered festive dish. So that everyone can choose whether to taste a wing, white chicken meat or chicken legs, the owners must know how to properly cut the chicken. The algorithm will be simple:

1. Lay the finished carcass on the back.
2. Use sharp kitchen scissors (or a knife) to cut along the center of the breast. You can immediately cut crosswise to get four ready-made servings of white meat.
3. Carefully cut off the stem. The thighs from the lower leg are easier to separate with your hands.
4. Cut off the wings last. You can leave on them part of the shoulder - white fillet.

How to cut a chicken into pieces for pots

Many recipes involve cooking poultry or meat in a pot, such dishes with the addition of vegetables are especially flavorful. So that all guests can enjoy hot, you need to cook in small pieces. Each hostess can choose whether to buy separately prepared thighs or breasts, or learn how to properly butcher a whole chicken. The specificity of dishes in a pot involves very small fragments, so you will need to cut the bone with a special hatchet. The process is quite simple.

Chicken legs are one of the most democratic products, they are affordable, cheap and tasty.
Usually they are just fried. But, it is possible, having spent just a few minutes, to cut out the bones from the legs, and then the range of dishes prepared from this product will expand significantly. From the resulting chicken fillet, it will be possible to make chops, rolls, stuff them with some kind of filling. Yes, even just a fried leg fillet is much tastier than a regular chicken leg.

It is not difficult to get fillet from chicken legs.
First of all, we cut off the spinal part. It is almost always present in chicken leg. There is little meat on it and you should not spend time trimming it, it is better to cook soup from these bones. Or give it to a dog.

Cut off the meat from the lower joint

And completely cut out the bones

As a result, we get a piece of chicken fillet and an almost bare bone

You just need to feel the meat for the presence of the remaining small bones and cut them out.

From the resulting semi-finished product, you can make a bunch of dishes. Here are some chicken recipes:

He is from whole chicken, but in the same way you can make rolls with mushrooms from legs. It will turn out no less tasty, but less fuss.

Here, for taste, instead of wings, we put a piece of the spinal bone, cut off at the very beginning of the cut.

For the preparation of this dish, just cut legs in a similar way.

Also, leg fillets are suitable for cooking pilaf, stews, barbecue, various different dishes in pots. You can not invent anything, but fry the fillet just like that, with a minimum addition of seasonings.

And it will be much more appetizing and festive than ordinary, not cut, legs. I don't know what's the matter, but removed from chicken legs meat is much tastier than the same meat cooked with bone. So do not be afraid to spend a little time and effort on cutting, I assure you, you will not regret it.

Chicken meat is an excellent product for preparing numerous dishes, such as: soups, snacks, meatballs, etc. It is nutritious and cooks in minutes, unlike other types of meat. Often we buy separate parts of the entire chicken carcass that we are going to cook: drumsticks, wings, fillets, etc., but if you buy the whole chicken, you can save a lot on this, because by properly undressing it, you will get great ingredients for different meals! If you do not know how to cut a chicken, then our recipe will help you with this.

Ingredients

• chilled chicken carcass of any weight

How to properly carve a chicken

1. Before carving, rinse the chicken in water both inside and out. Then pull back the leg and make a deep incision with a knife on the stretched skin. Thus, you will separate half the legs from the carcass. Cut further and completely cut off the leg, laying it on a dish. Do the same with the second leg.

2. Then proceed to the separation of the fillet. To do this, stick a knife under the skin on the brisket and cut it in half.

3. Pull it slightly to both sides, exposing a beautiful and even fillet.

4. There is a keel bone in the middle of the brisket - exactly along it and make a deep incision. Pull off one fillet and, cutting its base with a knife, remove it from the ribs, being careful not to damage it. Do the same with the second piece of fillet.

5. As a result, you will get two even and crisp chicken fillets and a completely stripped chicken breast to the ribs.

6. Next, separate the wings from the carcass, winding them behind your back to find the junction. Just make a deep incision, separating them.

7. Since the upper phalanx of the wings is not suitable for food (there is neither meat nor skin on it and it always burns when baked), it is best to cut it off immediately.

8. Then cut the remaining core along the sides, dividing it into the front and back. The front part, together with the upper phalanges, can be removed - neither fat nor meat will remain on them. Chicken back is ideal for broths, soups and borscht - almost all skin with subcutaneous fat, pulp and entrails will remain on it.

9. The whole cutting of the carcass will take a maximum of 20-25 minutes of free time! Rinse the separated parts again and put them in bags, freezing until cooked.

10. Now you know exactly how to cut a chicken correctly and without loss!

Note to the owner

1. The ability to read and write, it turns out, comes in handy not only at work, but also in everyday life. It is easier to get a bag with some fragment of a chicken carcass and read what it contains - a backbone for a broth or a drumstick for a roast than to tear the film or feel it with your fingers, examining the curves of the frozen meat. Conclusion: you need to take stationery stickers, a pen and provide all portioned bundles with the appropriate labels. Hostesses who plan the family menu for the future attribute the date and name of the dish that is supposed to be cooked on a given day to the name.

2. Every living being has delicate, intimate areas. Culinary experts refer to them as chicken tail. Theoretically, it can be eaten, but why? The spicy triangle, located under the tail of a poultry, includes an actively functioning gland, which provides excrement to the outside. It is difficult to call it a tasty part. A sharp knife will help remove this unappetizing area. It is advisable to make an incision not at its very base. Otherwise, the contents of the organ will open to the eye, and the lower edge of the back will also get dirty.

3. The skeleton of a large chicken may contain hard, dense bones. It is more convenient to cut them with a kitchen cleaver, and not saw with a knife. Before cooking or stewing, you need to feel the flesh and, having found sharp fragments of bone tissue, remove them.

We all often cook chicken dishes. Moreover, the meat of this bird is suitable for first and second courses, and for salads, and for baking, and for barbecue. Just let your imagination run wild using different pieces. But few people risk buying whole carcasses. And in vain. Having learned how to cut them correctly, everyone will easily get the ingredients for preparing a variety of dishes. How to butcher a carcass, we will tell below.

How to choose a chicken carcass

It is best to choose chilled carcasses. In this case, you will pay only for the meat itself: negligent suppliers pump the bird with water before freezing to increase the weight. In addition, the quality of chilled meat is easier to establish.

Did you know? Chicken is the main meat consumed in Israel (67.9 kg per person), Antigua (58 kg per person) and Saint Lucia (56.9 kg per person).

Express diagnostics of the chilled product:

1. Examine the carcass. If wounds or bruises are visible on it, there are damages or dark yellow spots on the skin, it is better not to buy such a chicken.
2. Focus on hue. The age of the bird is determined by the color of the skin. In young hens, it is pale pink, with clear streaks. Adult chickens have thick, yellowish skin.
3. Feel the chicken. After pressing a finger on the breast, the flesh will quickly return to its original shape. If, as a result of touching, a hole remains, this is an indicator of a poor-quality product.
4. Smell it. Fresh chicken smells like normal raw meat. Those carcasses that emit the aroma of medicines or other side odors should not be chosen.

Video: how to choose a chicken carcass

How to butcher a chicken

To quickly and easily cut the carcass into pieces, you should adhere to the following plan:

1. First cut off the wings. The carcass is placed with the brisket up and the place where the wing fits is felt. An incision is made here with a knife and the cartilage that binds the bones is located. Knowing this secret, butchering a chicken will be much easier. The other wing is separated in the same way. If this part of the chicken is going to be fried, then the wing tips are cut off and used for broths. And the wings themselves are divided by membranes.
   
2. When the wings are separated, you can proceed to the legs. To do this, easily, without pressing, the skin is cut through in the area where the leg connects to the brisket.
   
3. Putting the knife aside, twist the leg with your hands and break it. This is done only until the tip of the thigh bone appears. As soon as the bone is separated from the breast, the meat is cut to the end with a knife.
   
4. The same manipulation is done with the second leg. Now we have separate pieces for preparing delicious dishes.

   Did you know? For the first time, about three thousand years ago, a chicken was domesticated in the territory of modern Ethiopia.

5. If there is a desire, the leg can be divided into a lower leg and a thigh. To do this correctly, the leg is placed in such a way that its front side (it has more skin on it) is turned down. On the inside legs, a shallow depression is noticeable, which divides the two muscles of the leg - the tibia and the femur. It is along this line that the incision is made - the bones are connected there.
   
6. Next, cut the breast. An incision is made along the thoracic spine, pressing the knife against the frame. Using your fingers, carefully cut the meat from the bones. First on one side, and then on the other.
   
7. The frame can be broken apart for easy storage.

Important! When you fill your hand, the process of cutting the carcass will take 5-10 minutes.

As a result, we get the components for various dishes:

• fillet, thighs, drumsticks, wings - for cooking, frying, baking, stewing;
• ribs, back, wingtips - for soups;
• fat - can be left for frying.

How to cut chicken fillet

The fillet is the best part of the chicken. The process of its separation at first glance seems complicated. Many people think that getting a beautiful piece is quite difficult. However, the instructions for separating the fillet will help in this difficult matter. And if you fill your hand, then the process itself will take a little time.

So, take the breast and do the following:

If the fillet is needed for stuffing, cut off excess pieces of meat, leaving only smooth flesh.

How to separate a chicken from the bones

Chicken roll rightfully considered a real decoration holiday table. By adding branded ingredients to this dish, you can amaze guests and loved ones with culinary talents. However, many inexperienced housewives are afraid of the separation of the chicken from the bones. Indeed, in order to leave the carcass intact, you need to have skills, make a lot of effort and show skill.

An important condition for obtaining the desired result is a sharp knife. When cutting, you will have to make numerous cuts, therefore, with an insufficiently sharpened tool, a lot of strength and nerves will be spent.

So, the process of separating the bones is as follows:

The frame can be left for broths, and the chopped chicken can be stuffed or put on rolls.

Video: cutting chicken into a roll