How to Cut a Chicken Into 8 Pieces in 5 Steps

There are two reasons someone, perhaps you included, might buy a whole chicken. First, you plan to make roast chicken. Second, it is cheaper, and you know how to break down a chicken yourself. Chicken carcass cutting simply means dividing the bird into several pieces before cooking.

Cutting a chicken into 8 pieces gives the ideal portion size for individual servings. The 8 pieces are 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks (lower thighs) and 2 wings. The 8-piece cut is the one chicken butchers use most often. In fact, you can cut up a chicken yourself by following the 5 steps below.

Step 1

First, prepare the chicken you are going to cut. Place it on a plastic cutting board with its back against the board. Spread out a wing to find the joint between the wing and the breast. Use a sharp knife to cut through that joint so the wing separates from the breast. Then repeat on the other wing.

Step 2

Find the joint where the thigh attaches by pulling the leg away from the body. Separate the whole leg by cutting through the skin between the breast and the thigh. Keep pulling the thigh outward as you cut through the skin. Next, wiggle the thigh slightly to find where it meets the hip socket at the back. Use a boning or paring knife to cut through so the thigh joint separates from the body.

Step 3

Place the leg skin side down on the cutting board. Bend the leg to find where the joint between the thigh and the drumstick is. Look for the line of fat that runs perpendicular to the leg. Cut along that line of fat to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Finally, flex the joint as needed to confirm its position.

Also read How to Cut Up a Chicken for Fried Chicken the Right Way

Step 4

The fourth step in cutting a chicken into 8 pieces is removing the backbone. Start at the neck end of the chicken. Use a sharp knife to cut through the ribs along one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side of the backbone to free it completely. If you like, set the neck and backbone aside to make stock.

Step 5

The last step in cutting a chicken into 8 pieces is splitting the breast in two. Place the breast skin side down. To protect your hand while cutting, pad the spine of the knife with a folded towel. A meat cleaver is the recommended tool.

Press down fairly hard to cut through the reddish part of the breast. Next, cut through the whitish cartilage in the center of the breast as well.

You now have two breast halves. You can cut each one crosswise into 2 more pieces so the pieces are much smaller. Now you have 8 chicken pieces ready to cook.

Also read How to Choose a Good Chicken Carcass and Spot Spoiled or Reconditioned Meat

Cutting a chicken into 8 pieces is what chicken butchers do most often. This cut is also very popular with shoppers, you included, because when a chicken is cut into eight, every piece can be cooked into a different dish.