Be a Successful Cook

Portioning or cutting up a chicken is a very different process to actually deboning it. The idea here is to have the chicken in pieces that are neither too small or too big. It should be cut up so that each person has a full portion.

You do not need any special equipment to portion a chicken, a sharp knife or even a pair of kitchen scissors is enough.

Just below the video showing a professional chef portioning a chicken, I have written very simple instructions that you can follow.

Portioning a Chicken

Step 1

The chicken should be placed on a flat cutting surface with the breastbone on the bottom. The legs, or drumsticks should be removed first. First you need to cut the skin that runs between the breast and the legs.

Step 2

You should now be able to bend the legs backwards until the backbone of the chicken breaks. The backbone is very soft and should break very easily. Separate the two legs by breaking them in half.

Step 3

Chicken wings are generally not used for everyday cooking, but are excellent for stock. These should now be cut off.

Step 4

Lay the chicken with the breast at the top. Down the center of the breast is a long bone with a cartilage at the end. You should run the knife along this bone and make a shallow cut. You can then deepen this cut until the knife reaches the rib cage. Gently break away the meat from the breastbone and the rib cage.

Step 5

Just beneath the wishbone the is where the wings meet the ribs. The cartilage for the wings is very soft and you can cut it with your knife. If you slice through the joint until your knife reaches the cutting surface, you will have almost removed all the breast meat from the chicken.

Step 6

You need to cut the skin from around the edge of the chicken. Cut from the tail end of the chicken until the part where the leg meets the breast. You should now be able to remove all the breast meat by pulling outwards, away from the chicken, being very careful not to rip or tear the flesh.