How to cut chicken for soup. Gutting and cutting up chicken at home

Do you raise chickens and constantly deal with their slaughter, plucking and other not very pleasant things? Do you know that the quality of chicken meat depends on how well you process the carcass? No?! Then read all about how to gut and cut a chicken correctly further in the article and watch thematic photos and videos.

What comes before cutting?

Chicken cutting involves the final division of the bird carcass into portioned pieces. Depending on the size of the pieces you need, there are two methods. According to the first method, you need to cut it sparingly into smaller pieces and in common people it is called “waste-free.” The second method is to cut the chicken into equal parts. Both methods will be discussed step by step in the diagram, photo and video later in the article.

Now let's talk about the stages that precede chicken cutting, namely slaughter, plucking and gutting the carcass. Methods of slaughter and plucking will be discussed in other articles. But let us remember the main nuance that will make all further work easier. So, the most important thing is to properly prepare the bird for slaughter, namely a strict diet for at least half a day. Then the chicken's crop and cloaca will be emptied and there will be no unnecessary fuss with them during gutting.

Gutting

So, we have a killed and plucked chicken that needs to be cut, and to do this, it first needs to be gutted. All you need is knowledge of what and how to do, a sharp knife and steady hands. If you are not sure that you can handle it, it is better not to take it on. Since in case of damage to the intestines or something else, you risk spoiling the delicious chicken meat. Below is a short video on how to gut a chicken at home.

1. First you need to cut out the anus. To do this, take a knife and cut it in a circle. The main thing is not to pierce anything unnecessary.
2. Now we make a shallow incision from the cut out anus to the keel of the bird. Again, the main thing is not to hurt the intestines. If you are afraid of touching it, then the skin can only be cut near the anus towards the keel, after which it can easily be torn further by hand.
3. Now we prepare the dishes for waste and internal organs.
4. Carefully pay attention to the intestines and anus. At the same time, we cut out the stomach and liver. With the liver you also need to be very careful not to touch the spleen. We remove it from the already cut liver.
5. Now you need to pull out the goiter. If you prepared the chicken for slaughter correctly, the crop will be empty and pulling it out will not be a problem. Otherwise, before gutting, we cut the skin on the neck and empty the bird's crop. You also need to cut the skin if the crop does not want to be pulled out or when using a slaughter method that does not involve cutting off the head.
6. Now you can cut out the genitals (ovaries in hens or testes in cockerels) and the heart.
7. The final stage of gutting will be a thorough rinsing of the carcass with cold water.

How to disassemble a bird?

If you don’t know how to properly cut a chicken, then, as mentioned above, two methods are perfect for this. Both the first and second methods of cutting chicken will not pose any difficulties when doing it at home. As for which option to choose for you, we can’t advise you here. Both methods are good and quick to implement, so give preference yourself, and below are cutting diagrams for both options.

Option one

This method will allow you to quickly and economically cut a whole chicken carcass into pieces. At the same time, the work can be easily done at home with an ordinary kitchen knife. Below is a detailed description of the process with thematic photos and videos.

1. First, separate the chicken legs. To do this, we place the carcass on its back, pull back the leg and cut the skin between it and the body. As soon as you reach the joint, you need to stop, grab your leg with one hand and turn the joint outward. Next, we separate it with a knife and completely cut off the leg. We do the same with the second leg.
2. Now we divide each leg into two parts: the lower leg and the thigh. We place the leg with the skin on the table and separate it along the flexion joint with sharp pressure from the knife. We do the same with the second leg.
3. Cut off the wings at the shoulder joint.
4. Next, you need to cut the carcass into breast and back. To do this, we insert a knife inside the carcass and pierce it. Now, slowly, towards ourselves, parallel to the spine, we divide the carcass in half.
5. Now completely separate the back from the breast. Then we additionally cut the back and breast in half.

Option two

This method will be useful to you if you need to cut a whole chicken into pieces that are approximately equal in the amount of meat. It is also easy to do at home using improvised means, and thematic photos and videos will help you with this.

1. First you need to prepare to cut out the legs. To do this, we make cuts on the back of the chicken, below the shoulder blades. Then on both sides along the ridge towards the tail we make 2 more cuts. This will help us easily remove the meat from the bone, which is called an “oyster”.
2. The “oyster” bones are located in small depressions along the ridge on the back side. Carefully separate them with a knife. When they stick to only the skin, cut off the legs.
3. The legs are cut out as in the first option, but in addition the “oyster” is captured.
4. Let's start cutting out the wings. To do this, turn the carcass upside down and make an incision between the spine and one of the shoulder blades. Now the blade is separated, and then everything is repeated with the second wing. Upon completion, the spine is completely separated.
5. At this stage you need to separate the breast and wings from the skeleton. To do this, we cut the carcass from the inside along the spine.
6. Now we cut off the wings from the breast so that we get 3 equal pieces - 2 wings and a piece of breast.

The final stage of any cutting method is thoroughly washing the resulting parts. These options for disassembling chicken are the main ones. But no one forbade you to come up with your own version based on the above and your own needs.

Photo gallery

Video “Cutting a carcass into 8 parts”

The taste of chicken depends on how it was processed and gutted. Depending on the size of the pieces needed for cooking, there are two ways to cut a carcass. The first option allows you to get eight equal parts. Using the second, “waste-free” method, you can cut the carcass more economically into small pieces.

For cutting a carcass, there are special scissors in the form of pruning shears or a large sharp knife.

Gutting

Before cutting the carcass, you need to prepare it for gutting. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. 1. Cut off the head of the chicken.
2. 2. Cut off the beak.
3. 3. Remove the eyeball.
4. 4. Remove the throat tube from the neck and discard.
5. 5. Cut off the paws with a knife along the folds.

The skin from the paws comes off easily after firing.

You should prepare a bowl for waste and internal organs in advance. Then you can proceed directly to gutting:

1. 1. In the back section of the chicken carcass, cut off the protrusion and make a small cut in the skin on the abdomen, pull out the entrails through it.
2. 2. Separate the intestines, cut off the spleen from the liver without damaging it, then cut out the stomach. You need to act very carefully so as not to hurt the intestines and gall bladder, otherwise the taste of the offal will be spoiled by the bitterness of the bile. Select edible parts: heart, liver, stomach, discard the rest.
3. 3. Remove the heart from the carcass.
4. 4. Pull out the bird’s crop.
5. 5. Cleanse the stomach. Cut it lengthwise, discard the contents, pry the inner shell along the edge with the tip of a knife and disconnect.
6. 6. After gutting, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the carcass in cold water.

If the chicken is properly prepared for slaughter, the crop will be empty and easy to remove. Otherwise, before gutting, you should cut the skin on the neck and clean the crop.

If the chicken is not subject to further cooking, then all internal organs should be put back into the bird carcass and placed in the cold.

The bird's skin is cleaned with a soft brush.

Cutting

The chicken is cut step by step into 8 parts:

• 2 drumsticks;
• 2 hips;
• 2 wings;
• 2 breast halves.

The work must be performed strictly following a certain sequence:

1. 1. Place the carcass on its back, breast side up.
2. 2. Using scissors, make a cut from the bottom in the middle of the breast to the top.
3. 3. Unfold the chicken to make it easier to cut out the spinal column.
4. 4. Insert a kitchen knife into the carcass and slowly, parallel to the spinal column, divide the carcass in half towards you.

Wings and legs separation

Then you need to cut the chicken into pieces. First you need to separate the legs:

1. 1. Pulling the limb to the side, cut the skin between it and the body.
2. 2. Hold the chicken thigh with one hand and hold the carcass with the other.
3. 3. Forcefully twist the hip joint outward and upward - the ligaments will tear and the thigh can be easily disconnected from the body.
4. 4. Separate the drumstick from the thigh.
5. 5. Leave the leg on the table, skin side down, sharply lower the knife along the fold, dividing it into two halves.

1. 1. Find the connection between the wing and the carcass.
2. 2. Determine the location where the wing bone enters the connecting joint.
3. 3. Cut with a sharp knife along the tendons of the joint

Separation of bone with cartilage from the breast

The next step requires:

1. 1. Separate the breast from the back along the line of fatty tissue. It creates a white stripe, determines the direction of the cut, along which the cartilage tissue connects the sternum to the ribs.
2. 2. Pull out the cartilage. They are located on both sides of the bone, which runs down the center of the breast along its entire length. Cut the upper part of the breast at the location of the two bones exactly between them to the bone that has a darker color.
3. 3. Remove the cartilage; you need to pry it up with the thumbs of both hands, as if breaking the breast in half. Apply force and try to push up the bone that holds the long cartilage. Without removing the ribs, squeeze the bone and cartilage out of the breast. When the latter are freed from meat, grab the bone and pull until it slips out of the soft tissue.
4. 4. Divide the breast in half and remove the ribs from inside, removing them with a sharp knife. It turned out to be a separate chicken fillet. If necessary, it should be cut into pieces or left in one piece.

All pieces should be washed under running water and dried with a waffle towel. Meat can be used to prepare a roll, and the bones, back and cartilage can be used for soup.

2018-12-12

Hello my dear readers! Recently I was very excited about the idea of ​​​​creating a small culinary guide for you. I want to collect articles in it that can be combined under the general title “How to make or cook something.” Today is another article in this series. We'll look at how to cut chicken into pieces and prepare a holiday roll.

I hope that many of you have already read my articles in this series about. And now we will learn how to “extract” this very breast from a whole raw chicken carcass. Of course, now it is possible to buy chicken fillet separately. But it costs more than using a whole chicken.

Are we zealous and thrifty housewives? From one chicken, cut into portions, we will prepare at least four dishes at once. For example, soup with dumplings - from the "frame", salad with Tiffany grapes - from boiled meat, removed from the bone after cooking the broth, chicken paprikash - from drumsticks and "legs", stuffed chicken breasts - from boneless fillet.

There are so many options for using individual parts of disassembled chicken! How do you like dishes such as chops and boiled ham (without using a ham maker)? Well, let's start looking at how to cut a chicken carcass? Go!

How to cut a chicken into pieces - photo step by step

How to separate legs and wings

Place the carcass breast side up.

Unfold and pull the leg away from the carcass, then cut through the skin between the breast and the “leg.” Do the same with the other leg.

Important Note

A sharp chef's knife makes cutting easier, and a separate meat cutting board helps avoid cross-contamination

Take the right leg with your left hand, and with an energetic gesture, turn it outward (to the left). In this case, you need to twist the joint so that its head pops out of the cup.

Cut the muscle and skin at the joint and separate the entire leg.

Separate the left leg by first turning the hip joint with your right hand.

If necessary, you can cut the leg into two parts, making a cut along the knee joint.

Turn the carcass on its side, move the wing away from the body, twist the joint so that the head pops out of its “nest”, separate the wings by cutting the joint.

Unfortunately, I did not capture the separation of the wings in the photo. I hope that my descriptions of how to do this correctly will help you do it correctly and without problems.

How to separate the breast

Before we fillet the breast, we need to remove all the skin from the remaining structure. Carefully pry the skin with the end of a sharp knife and remove it completely.

On a note

The remaining skin can be stored in the freezer. It can be used to make chicken terrine

This is what we ended up with after cutting up a whole chicken - the skeleton along with the breast.

With both hands we vigorously break the structure in the middle. If it was not possible to completely break it, then use a sharp knife to cut what could not be broken. The separated part of the frame, on which the “tail” is located, is ready to be sent for cooking the broth.

Place the leftovers breast side down. Now you need to cut the chest part. Remove the fillet from both sides, carefully cutting it along the ribs with a sharp knife.

Along the way, we probe, trim, and with a sharp movement of our fingers remove the “bow.”

As a result, we get a whole fillet consisting of two parts.

The leftover ribs are also used to cook the broth.

It's something like in the photo.

We looked at how to cut chicken into pieces for subsequent boiling, frying, and baking in the oven. To make beautiful holiday rolls and galantines, we sometimes need a whole chicken skin in one piece. Removing the skin is not a complicated process, but it is very painstaking. I have selected a video clip for you, dear readers. It clearly, accessiblely, and to the point shows how to quickly cut up a chicken for a holiday roll.

To prepare delicious chicken dishes, you can cut it into convenient small pieces. Frozen chicken must be completely thawed before cutting.

Typically, the chicken is divided into eight pieces: thighs, drumsticks, wings and cut breast. To cut up a whole chicken, you will need a sharp knife or kitchen scissors that fit comfortably in your hand and won't slip out.

Cut at the joints! Don't try to saw the bones.

Place the chicken on its back on a cutting board and cut two lengthwise cuts into the breast along the bone. Unwrap the carcass and cut the joint to separate the fillet and wing from the frame. The wings can be separated from the fillet if desired.

Then make two more cuts from the inside of the thigh. Now the joints can be easily broken off and the legs cut off. Rotate the shin at the joint and separate it from the thigh. You now have eight paired pieces of chicken and a frame. The spine frame can be used to make chicken stock.

How to choose a chicken

It's better to buy chilled chicken. So you will pay only for the weight of the carcass itself: unscrupulous producers pump chickens with water before freezing to increase weight. In addition, the freshness of chilled meat is easier to determine.

Express check of freshness of chilled chicken:

1. Examine the chicken. If there are scratches or bruises on the carcass, the skin is damaged or has yellow-gray spots, it is better to refuse the purchase.
2. Pay attention to the color. The age of chickens is determined by skin color. In young ones it is soft pink, with distinct veins. The skin of an old chicken is thick with a yellowish tint.
3. Touch the carcass. Press your finger on the breast: fresh meat is elastic, it will quickly return to its previous shape. If a dent remains after pressing, this is a sign of damage to the product.
4. Smell the carcass. Fresh chicken just smells like raw meat. Don't buy chicken that smells like medicine or has other off-flavors.

How to cut chicken for shish kebab

To make chicken kebab, in principle, it is enough to cut the carcass into portions and marinate.

But if you use skewers or just prefer boneless skewers, you can trim the meat along the bone. And then cut the chicken fillet into pieces of the desired size.

How to cut up a chicken? How to properly cut chicken for various dishes

Many of us are accustomed to not paying enough attention to cutting chicken. Therefore, the result is that the process is lengthy and also inconvenient. However, if you follow a number of rules, you can spend much less of your time, and the carcass pieces will turn out more neat. At the same time, it takes much less effort to cut, and the breast remains a single piece, which is very valuable.

There are two cutting methods. Both methods are good, but only for their own dish. In other words, the size of the chicken pieces depends on the cutting. The first method consists of small pieces, its feature is economical cutting; people also call this method “waste-free.” The other method involves cutting into equal pieces.

How to save up to 15% on buying chicken at the supermarket

We all go grocery shopping, and most often to the nearest store. And every day on supermarket shelves we see chicken in different versions. So, let's take a closer look at what they offer us. On the shelf with chicken meat we can find:

• Hips
• Wings
• Brisket
• Soup sets
• Whole chickens.

And probably everyone has noticed that whole chicken costs significantly less (by 15-20%). How so? But the fact is that supermarkets earn extra money on the lack of desire and skills in cutting chicken. Although our mothers and grandmothers did it as quickly as we brew tea. But all is not lost. Today we will learn how to properly cut a chicken. So, let’s remember what we need for cutting:

• Chicken;
• Board;
• Bowls for finished products.

Step 1 - wash the chicken

There are many recommendations on the Internet that there is no need to wash chickens. Main argument- with splashes, everything that is on the chicken will spread throughout the kitchen. It's up to you whether to believe it or not. If you bake a chicken in the oven, then all the bad things will probably fry on it. But what if you boil or stew it? In general, the decision is yours.

Step 2 – legs

Place the chicken on its back. Move the paw aside and cut the skin with a knife. You will immediately see where the leg is attached to the carcass. Feel free to cut between the leg and the chicken - there is a joint there. It can be easily separated with a sharp knife. We also easily cut off the second leg. Bottom line: these are your chicken legs. You can cut the legs in half - you will get the usual legs and thighs.

Step 3 – wings

The wings are quick to cook due to the fact that there is little meat on them and it is thin. But there is a trick here. It depends on you how much tender meat remains on the wings. Trim the skin as you did with the legs. There is also a joint there. Now carefully cut the meat, but do not cut it all the way. Try turning it by hand. As a result, you will get a wing, with a nice piece of shoulder meat.

Step 4 - Breast and Back

Now we are left with the breast, back and sometimes the neck. Place the chicken on its side and cut diagonally to separate the breast from the ribs. You will have a whole brisket (can be cut into two portions if desired), and a soupy set of backbone, hindquarters and neck.

I would like to draw your attention to the skin. Many people don’t like it and therefore simply throw it away. Take your time. You don't have to eat it to get the benefits. Add it to any dish made from chicken and a rich broth is guaranteed.

This completes the cutting of the chicken. We end up with eight to ten pieces of chicken. Plus, as a nice bonus, we get a soup set. Namely, the back of the chicken and the bones. To keep them safe, put them in the freezer.

How to cut chicken into portions?

Let's also take a separate look at the concept " portioned pieces". Step-by-step instructions for cutting a carcass into portioned pieces will help you learn how to correctly perform this procedure. This experience will be needed primarily by those who have avoided chilled chicken and always chosen sets of carcass parts.

For proper cutting, a sharp knife and kitchen scissors will be useful, the sharpness of which should also be taken care of in advance. What is most interesting, but, at first glance, difficult - cutting will seem lengthy to you, however, when you know and take into account all the features, this procedure will not take you more than 5 minutes. At home It is better to cut the chicken into eight equal parts. In addition, the back will remain.

Are you thinking the same thing as us? You can spend money once, and not every time go for a set of semi-finished products. As a result, from one or even three chickens you will get six drumsticks, six thighs, and the same number of wings. In addition, if you compare it with store-bought portions, you will get a whole pack of chicken fillet, three backs for rich broth. We freeze all semi-finished products and store them in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Experts assure that it is much more economical, practical and safer.