Super Quick Video Tips: How to Break Down a Chicken for Parts

Why buy uneven pieces at the store when you can make them yourself?

Watch more Super Quick Video Tips at

America's Test Kitchen is a real 2,500 square foot test kitchen located just outside of Boston that is home to more than three dozen full-time cooks and product testers. Our mission is simple: to develop the absolute best recipes for all of your favorite foods. To do this, we test each recipe 30, 40, sometimes as many as 70 times, until we arrive at the combination of ingredients, technique, temperature, cooking time, and equipment that yields the best, most-foolproof recipe.

Each week, the cast of America's Test Kitchen brings the recipes, testings, and tastings from Cook's Illustrated magazine to life on our public television series. With more than 2 million viewers per episode, we are the most-watched cooking show on public television.

More than 1.3 million home cooks rely on Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines to provide trusted recipes that work, honest ratings of equipment and supermarket ingredients, and kitchen tips.

[dayveo]

The only problem is watching (and pausing) the video while my hands are covered in raw chicken

[scubamage]

This is probably the clearest, most concise, least "fluff" video I have found for breaking down a bird. A lot of other videos on youtube make it into a 10+ minute process, so it's hard to find exactly what you're looking for. Usually I remove the breast without the bone, and I couldn't remember whether you are supposed to cut through the center or off to the side of the keel bone. This was exactly the reminder I needed without having to scan around a 10 minute video. Thanks!

[gideon]

Thank you for the video - I'm a college student, and buying + breaking down a whole chicken is a lot cheaper than buying a pack of breasts or anything else

[trevorpinnocky]

using the shears makes this super simple.  you can do the same with your knife, but shears are way easier....

[xanderbearwoof]

Worked like a charm! Dang! Great video!

[SuperFlashDelirium]

Thank you so much for this. I just successfully cut up my chicken into pieces! 😁 It's now currently sat in the fridge seasoned with salt ready to be fried up in 24 hours time

[kevink]

Thabk you for not making a 10 minute introduction outlying the chicken's social security benefits before actually cutting the bird

[AntoineThisdale]

Can you guys post the same with Roasted Chicken? :) While it's still hot and you need to carve quickly for service.

[doctronfour]

What’s it called when you cut vertical / slightly diagonal lines into the chicken -let’s say on a breast or whole chicken leg so it cooks through or cooks faster?

[eugene]

the part i'm having trouble with is the rib bone in the breast/tenderloin area. the rest is easy but that rib bone on the breast removal is time consuming

[chefduqueroix]

This is a very useful video but in the kitchens it’s proper to cut the breasts without the bone. This video is for amateurs.

With more experience you’ll be a le to cut the along the breast line (and leave the partial wing tip for a supreme cut) and keep the carcass intact (the breast line bone intact with the back bone). You’ll have a boneless breast, chicken breasts, and thighs. If you’re not eating the wings you can add those to the pot to make poulet (a thick gelatinous base) made from chicken carcasses and the wings.

[tomwillmore]

How come my Mama got ten +pieces from one chicken, and these "chefs" only get eight. Did chickens get smaller?

[windymcgee]

No pulley bone which is the best part of the chicken. Thumbs down

[diegocadei]

What a weird method, you are left with a breast full of bones