Monday, June 05, 2006

Jointing a chicken

(I'm writing about this because I've just jointed two chickens and also noticed a google referral on my statcounter).

You will need: a chicken, sharp kitchen scissors (or poultry shears if you have them), a sharp knife

This is the way I do it: it's not perfect but it works well enough. You get 4 pieces per chicken.

1. Start with the chicken breast up.

2. Grab the stubby nasty bit of a leg and twist it until it pops out of the socket - it may actually break, this is ok, but just makes it messy. Once you've got that separated use the scissors to cut it off and pitch it.

3. Grab the drumstick+thigh and twist it to dislocate (this is easier). Some skin trimming may be necessary to get easy access. Again use the scissors to cut the thigh part away from the carcass.

4. Dislocate the wings. I discard them but they can be kept too.

5. Using the scissors, cut down the breastbone and separate. This makes it easier to get at the chicken breasts. I generally find a combination of hands and the knife helps to remove the breast.

There is no point contemplating jointing a chicken if you are squeamish, or don't like the possibility of the sound of bones cracking or chicken guts on your hands. The carcass can be used for stock but beware over-enthusiastic partners who land up spilling the stock on the kitchen floor!