How to Quarter a Chicken

Cooking a whole chicken is a great way to stretch a dollar as well as feed an entire family. Not only can you eat the meat on the chicken, but you can also use remaining bones as the base for a soup. To quarter a chicken, you'll separate the light and the dark meat, ending up with about 4 equally-sized portions to grill, roast, or cook in whatever way you desire.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Prepping the Chicken

1
Remove the chicken from its packaging and remove the giblets. Most commercial chickens comes in tight plastic wrap, which you'll need to pierce with a knife and drain into the sink. Remove the chicken from the package the discard the plastic.
- The giblets are usually in the cavity of the chicken, either in a small plastic bag or loosely packed. Locate them and remove them from the chicken. You can use these to create a hearty chicken stock, or discard them.
- Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to wash the raw chicken before preparing it. Rinsing the bird in water can spread any bacteria found on it around your clean kitchen, increasing the risk of illness. Cooking the chicken to a temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) is the surest way to kill any bacteria found on it. As long as you cook it properly, you don't need to rinse it.^{[1]
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2
Prepare your cutting surface. Chop up the chicken on a clean and sturdy cutting surface designated for meat. Make sure you thoroughly clean the surface and the kitchen knife before reusing, or cutting anything else on it.

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3
Use a sharp and sturdy kitchen knife. Because a quartering requires that you cut through bone, it's important to use a sturdy kitchen knife that'll allow you to do the job. A good chef's knife or a cleaver is essential to quartering chicken. Sharpen your kitchen knife well before you start, or consider having it sharpened.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Quartering the Chicken

1
Separate the two legs from the chicken. Slice along each leg joint using a butcher’s knife, cutting through the skin. This should loosen but not completely remove the leg.
- Pull the legs away from the body, rotating the drumstick until the ball joint of the leg pops out, then make another cut below the ball joints to completely remove each leg and thigh.
2
Divide each leg into a drumstick and thigh piece. Place the chicken leg on a cutting board with the skin side down. Use a butcher’s knife to find the notch at the top of the drumstick where it meets the thigh and cut between them to separate.
- Alternatively, you can leave the leg and thigh together for a larger piece if you wish.
3
Remove the breasts, keeping the wings attached. Position the chicken breast-side down so the neck cavity is nearest to you. Slice along one side of the chicken’s backbone toward the neck cavity, using your kitchen knife or kitchen shears to cut through the ribs. Then, slice through the breast bone, separating the two halts of the chicken.
- Remove excess fat and bone by cutting through the point at which the rib bones meet the breast meat, separating the back bones and discarding them, or using them for stock. Also remove the breast bone and the cartilage that connects them.^{[2]
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- Alternatively, some find it much easier to start with the chicken breast-up. With your finger, press into the center of the breast to find the hard cartilage and insert the knife to one side of it. Use the point of your knife to start, and then the flat of it to break through the front, separating the halves of the chicken in much the same way, then removing the excess rib bone you don't want.
4
Cut through the wing joint to separate each breast and wing. Keep the edge of your knife tight into the body and pull the wing joint back to expose the seam, then insert your knife and remove the wing.

Warnings

Avoid placing any other food on a surface that raw chicken has touched. Bacteria can easily be spread to other foods.

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