Today, there are several ways to cut chicken, depending on what it will be used for later. From portions of the bird receive several servings, which are then used for frying, cooking, cooking kebabs. Chicken is stuffed with meat or vegetables. The main thing is to learn how to properly chop chicken carcass.
Preparatory process
Before you get to store shelves and tables, the chicken carcass is subjected to several stages of preparation. The sequence is performed in the following order:
- Slaughter of a bird. A well-fed bird is caught, held upside down, planted in a cramped space and soldered with water, which allows you to completely clean the intestines. Then use an electric current (in industrial enterprises) or chop off the chicken’s head, cut the artery.
- Bleeding a carcass. Chicken carcass is suspended by the legs so that the blood glass in the substituted container.
- Plucking feathers. Pre-scalding the bird in boiling water, which contributes to the easy removal of all feathers from the carcass.
- Gutting the insides. All internal organs are removed from the carcass.
- Cutting into pieces. The resulting carcass is cut into portions.
Instruments
Before the cutting process, tools and a work surface are sure to be prepared. Gutting a carcass is considered a dirty process, it is recommended that the surface of the table and all objects that surround it be covered with oilcloth. It is advisable for the hostess to wear an apron, and rubber gloves on her hands.
To cut the bird you will need such tools:
- Cutting board. Work with chicken is not complete without the use of a cutting board. For cutting with meat, it is recommended to choose a solid board made of plastic. Wooden surfaces absorb odors and are therefore not suitable for this task. Or, if there is no other board except wood, it is advisable to wrap it with a durable film before work.
- Capacity. Be sure to prepare the container - elongated offal or ready-made portioned pieces will be added to it.
- Knives. There are special knives for gutting and cutting - they have bent ends. If such a tool is not at hand, wide and narrow knives made of thick steel and with a strong handle will do.
- Chopping fork. With its help, it will be possible to carefully get the heart, lungs, intestines, goiter, liver, stomach out of the carcass. The plug allows you to do everything quickly, without putting effort, without polluting the surface.
- Kitchen scissors. They are used to cut the tendons of the wings, legs. If there are no such scissors, it is quite acceptable to replace them with a sharp knife.
A set of kitchen tools at hand is an ideal option when cutting chicken. But it is not always possible to purchase a kitchen kit. For this reason, it is permissible to use several knives of different sizes. Tools should be well sharpened and washed.
Gutting and removing unnecessary parts
After plucking the feathers, it is necessary to prepare the chicken carcass for cutting. For this, the bird is thoroughly cleaned of internal organs. If there are offal in the carcass, this will lead to rotting and spoilage of the chicken, as a result, it will have to be thrown out, it will be unusable.
Before slaughter, the bird should not be fed for 12 hours, so that there are no undigested products in its intestines, so the remnants of the food come out completely with feces. This facilitates the further process of evisceration without any difficulties. After removing the internal organs, they do not have to be thrown away; they are useful for preparing poultry food - they are washed and thoroughly crushed.
What and in what order to do:
- Remove the anus. The chicken carcass is turned on its back, using a sharp knife, they begin to cut out the anus in a circle, without introducing the blade deep, so as not to pierce the insides. In case of accidental eruption of the intestines, the remnants of its contents will come out, due to which the meat will completely deteriorate and the chicken will be unsuitable for food. Anus is not pulled.
- Make an incision by drawing a knife from the anus to the keel. This process is performed no less carefully so as not to damage the intestines of the bird.
- Get rid of the insides. The insides are taken out in a prepared container. The intestines are pulled out gently, slightly sipping on the anus. After extracting the intestines, they begin to excise the stomach and liver. The liver is excised without separating it from the gall bladder - it is removed after. This minimizes the risk of crushing the bladder and spoiling the product.
- Get goiter. Usually during slaughter, the goiter of the bird is empty. But if the animal was slaughtered without preparation, or it died as a result of an accident, and its goiter is full, to extract it, it is required to make a skin incision in the neck and pull the organ through it.
- Remove the genitals. When cutting chicken, the ovaries are removed, the cock - the testis. This process requires a sharp knife.
- Get a heart out. It is cut with the same knife as the genitals.
- Rinse the carcass. After all the entrails of the carcass have been removed, it must be washed under cold running water.
Such a system of gutting is perfect for quick cleaning of the carcass, and the further use of poultry for cooking.
In the video, the man tells in detail and shows how to gut the chicken at home. What and how to do:
The classic way of cutting carcasses
If you train, then over time it will take much less time to chop the chicken, while the pieces will be neat, the whole breast. The hostess will be able to learn to do everything carefully so as not only to leave a clean surface on which she works, but also to minimize waste.
A classic cutting method is proposed. Follow the instructions:
- Wash the carcass well, dry a little, pat it with a kitchen towel.
- Put the carcass on the board so that the back is at the bottom. Grasp the leg and pull it in the direction opposite to the bird’s body, cut the skin.
- Hold the carcass with one hand, grasp the thigh with the other. Separate the thigh from the carcass, slightly turning up. This contributes to the separation of the joints and the exit of the femur.
- Now it’s easy to cut off the leg with the thigh, turning it around and turning the carcass on the back. Make an incision to the tail to completely separate the leg.
- Cut the second ham in the same way. Next proceed to the separation of the wings. Touch the shoulder joint with your hands - it connects the wing with the carcass. Cut through it.
- Separating the breast from the back is easy, most importantly, cutting in the right direction. It is determined using a white fat line.
- Cut the breast on the second side in the same way.
- Cartilage is located along the entire length of the breast - it needs to be obtained. To do this, slightly incise the upper part of the sternum, where there are two bones. Cut between them until the knife comes across a dark cartilage.
- Here you can not do without the help of hands. In order to remove a bone with cartilage without damaging the carcass, poke this bone with your thumbs, push it up with an effort and push your fingers under it.
- Without removing the fingers, move down the breast, pushing and squeezing the cartilage bone.
- Cartilage is almost completely removed. To complete the process, grasp the cartilage bone and gently pull it.
- The bone and cartilage removal process is over.
- Breast divided into two parts.
- The costal bones are located on the breast of the chicken inside - they are removed by cutting with a knife. The chicken fillet is left untouched or cut into two parts.
- Chicken leg is divided into two parts - drumstick and thigh. Cut along the joint.
- The wings are also cut to give them greater attractiveness and to provide convenience for future use.
As a result, according to this scheme, the hostess can get 8 or even 10 portioned carcass pieces. As an additional bonus - the back and bones from the breast, they can be used to prepare fragrant chicken broth.
In half
Another popular way to cut a carcass is to halve it. This method is especially suitable if you want to cook chicken tobacco. They operate according to the following scheme:
- Put the carcass with the breast up, hold the bird by hand. Make incisions on both sides of the spine, which is then removed.
- Incise the sternum (keel) and then unfold the carcass. The breast bone is removed simply by pulling it out of the pulp.
The chicken is left unfolded or divided along into two even parts, depending on which dish the hostess will cook.
Into 8 parts
The most economical option is the purchase of chicken, and cutting it into parts. In this case, it will be possible to divide the bird into 8 parts, they are subsequently used for cooking, frying or baking in the oven. An additional bonus when cutting - getting chicken stock for cooking soups, borsch.
For the cutting process, a well-sharpened knife must be used so that there are no difficulties when cutting parts, cutting the skin and tendons.
After buying a chilled bird that has not been frozen, proceed to the process of cutting:
- Pull the leg slightly away from the body of the bird and cut the skin with a knife, then the meat to the joint. Turn the thigh to the side - this will help the two bones to separate. Cut off the leg from the body. Repeat the same with the second leg. The resulting parts are divided into thigh and lower leg. At the junction of the two main bones, cut with a knife. So it turns out already 4 appetizing parts.
- Put the chicken on its side, cut the costal bones and cut off the breast with wings from the back. After these manipulations, it was possible to get chicken breast and back for the broth.
- Move the breast on a cutting board, putting the skin up, cut off the skin in the neck. With your hands and knife, detach the cartilage bone in the center of the breast. Cartilage can also be used to make broth. Cut each half of the breast into two parts, just below the winglet. It so happened 4 more meat parts. Cut off the upper part of the wing and use for the broth.
As a result, we managed to get 8, almost identical meat pieces - they will be used to prepare mouth-watering dishes. Butchering a chicken is a simple process, especially if you exercise regularly.
If you need to cut the chicken into 8 parts, but according to the instructions it is very difficult to understand how to do this, then a video will come to the rescue, where everything is described in detail:
No waste
If the hostess knows how to cut the chicken so that there is no waste - she is a real smart girl, because such an occupation is a whole art. This option is considered the most profitable. The process itself is simple and takes a minimum of time.
They operate according to this scheme:
- Separate the legs. The carcass is placed on its back, they take the leg with one hand and pull it to the side, where its junction with the body is incised. With a sharp movement, they turn the leg out of the joint and finally pass the knife over the skin so that it separates from the body.
- Separate the wings. Incise the shoulder joint, completely separate the wing, slightly pulling it to the side.
- Divide in half. Make an incision along the spine and in the middle of the breast of the carcass.
- Separate breast and back. Walk with a knife at the junction of the ribs.
If a large carcass is caught, each half of the breast is additionally cut into two more parts. Pieces of poultry are hidden in a freezer for storage.
The video shows an amazing way of cutting chicken so that there is no waste left - everything goes for further use in food. In a few minutes, a man does away with a carcass without dirtying the work surface:
In equal portions
If earlier it was commonplace to buy individual sets of chicken parts, and you did not have to deal with the cutting of chilled carcasses, a convenient step-by-step instruction for portioned pieces is useful. At first, such a process may seem complicated and incomprehensible, but it is only at the start, and already with the second attempt, no difficulties will arise.
Cutting the bird into portioned pieces provides for 8 parts and a back. This is very convenient, because you don’t have to spend money on the purchase of finished semi-finished products. The cutting process in stages:
- Put the carcass upside down. Getting to the separation of the hips. The knife needs to cut the skin - for convenience, pull the leg away from the body. Hold the chicken leg in your hand, hold it with a knife on the skin at the base of the thigh. Confidently break off the thigh, leading him to the side - joints and a protruding white bone will be visible.
- Incise a joint near a white bone. To move a knife in the same direction - the thigh will completely move away from the carcass. Repeat the same steps with the second leg.
- From two legs, you get four portioned pieces - 2 shins and 2 thighs. To separate the chicken legs, they probe the joint between the bones with a finger and press with the knife blade.
- The next step is cutting the wings. Repeat the same steps as with the hip. Holding the wing with your hand, cut the skin, then the wing is bent to the side and the joint is cut under the bone. The same is repeated with the second wing.
- Now separate the chicken breast from the back. The use of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife is recommended. The carcass is placed on its side, back up. On both sides, under the breast, there is a fat strip, it begins to be cut from the bottom up. Next, the carcass is cut to the very top on the left side. Similar actions are carried out on the other side of the chicken carcass. This will separate the chicken’s back from the breast. The back is used for cooking broth.
- Next, you need to start cutting the chicken breast into a portion fillet. First, cut the breast in half, turn it with the skin up, and make an incision with a knife exactly in the middle to rest against the bone.
- The breast bone is considered one of the hardest, so you have to make every effort. With a good press, it will be possible to cut the breast along the bone into two equal parts.
- Next, the fillet is carefully separated from the costal bones, and the skin is removed. The fillet is bent to the side, cut it off the bone with the tip of a knife.
So we managed to get 8 portioned pieces of chicken and a back for cooking chicken broth.
The man in the video shows how to quickly and accurately cut chicken into portions in his kitchen:
Boneless cutting
When it is necessary to cook minced meat, meat rolls, semi-finished products from pulp, the ability to separate meat from bone comes to the rescue. It is important not only to be able to cut meat, but at the same time maintain an attractive appearance of the pieces. It is best to remove the bones from the entire carcass without damaging the skin.
Farmers who supply chicken stocks to restaurants may be faced with such a request. Such skill is appreciated and considered a plus seller. For boneless cutting, use the sharpest knife. The process provides two options for cutting: open and closed.
Open method
For an open method of separating meat from bone, follow the following scheme:
- The skin is incised vertically throughout the back. It is acceptable to start with the breast, but this can cause damage to the carcass. The bones in the dorsal are very close to the skin and when pressed can break it.
- They carefully clean the meat from the skeleton with a knife, moving from the tail from the bottom up. Break the ischium, wing and thigh joints to expose the ribs. Hands help move the flesh.
- Release the femur to the end by cutting the veins in a circular motion. Move the meat with your fingers.
- Gently peel the flesh to the extreme cartilage, keeping the joint of the thigh and body. Reaching the lower point to cut the upper joint.
- Turn out the resulting “stocking”, repeat the same on the second side.
- Cut ribs using scissors. Get rid of the keel and fork-shaped bones by cutting off the remnants of the joints.
- Leave the wings on the carcass along with the bones or cut off the skin. The process is over.
Private method
In order to use the closed method of boneless carcass cutting, follow these recommendations:
- Through the lower hole in the carcass through which the bird was gutted, cut a tail, expose the sciatic skeleton. An incision is made in jerky movements, moving up to the upper femoral cartilage. For convenience, it is permissible to slightly twist the skin with pulp in the process. Next, the joint is carefully cut with a blade at the junction.
- The veins are trimmed around the entire circumference of the ham. Where the knee is in contact with the lower leg, a joint is broken. The same fraud is carried out on the second side of the carcass.
- Then you need to trim the meat on the ribs to the neck, still tucking the skin with the pulp already separated.
- The neck is sharply torn out by hands. The breast fillet is cut from the skeleton, the joints of the wings are broken off.
- Fork-shaped bone must be removed, and the flesh of the lower leg peeled around the circumference, cutting the ligaments. Before the cartilage, bones are chopped off, the skeleton is taken out and the skin with meat is turned out.
The closed meat cutting option is great for stuffing carcasses. So it will be possible to cook incredibly delicious and visually appealing dishes that will surprise guests at the festive table.
We get the breast fillet
Very often for salads or diet food chicken fillet is used - it has a low calorie content, is rich in protein, and saturates the body.
But when buying a whole chicken, sometimes the housewives face such a problem as removing chicken breast from the carcass. But this is a simple process that does not require much time:
- An incision is made along the ridge of the chest, pressing the knife to the bone.
- Carefully cut the meat from the frame.
- Separate the second half of the brisket from the back.
Cutting chicken for meatloaf and kebab
To prepare a delicious dish - whole chicken roll, you will need to use the closed method of boneless cutting. Even if the hostess wants to cook the roll in cling film, or bake it with vegetables, one way or another, but removing bones from the carcass is a necessary procedure.
You can cook chicken kebab from individual parts of the bird. To do this, use the method of portioning the carcass into 8 or 9 parts - they are pickled, then fried on the grill.
In the case of using skewers or the desire to eat barbecue without bones, an open method for boneless cutting of a bird is suitable. Then simply chop the chicken breast into pieces of the required size.
Secrets of experienced chefs
All chefs have their own tricks in cutting the bird. Many world-famous masters suggest paying attention to such details:
- Freshness. All processing must be carried out on a fresh carcass. In the case of using frozen poultry, before cutting it must be completely thawed, rinsed well and dried.
- The right tool. To cut the chicken into pieces, you need to take a large knife, and to separate the pulp from the skeleton, it is advisable to use a small tool. Kitchen scissors with teeth on the blades will not interfere.
- Hygiene. Before cutting, it is important to inspect the carcass for parasites, check the sanitary documents from suppliers. It is recommended to wear rubber gloves before handling the poultry. After the procedure, the tool blades are poured over with hot soapy water and thoroughly cleaned. Hands wash with soap.
- Aesthetics. By removing the extreme phalanx of the wings, it will be possible to significantly increase the visual appeal of dishes prepared in any way.
- Tendon removal. The bird fillet has tendons - one in the large muscle and another in the small muscle. They need to be removed, which will help make the meat soft and attractive after cooking. The end of a sharp knife in turn cut both tendons. A blade is led along the fibers until it comes out.
- Helping hands. Not always a sharp tool helps in such matters as skin removal, joint search and shifting meat from bone. In this case, you need to help yourself with your fingers so as not to damage the carcass.
- Separate storage. Parts of the carcass should be placed in the freezer separately from vegetables and fish. In the fridge, portioned pieces are left where there are no nearby products suitable for raw consumption. This will help prevent spoilage of foods.
It is equally important to cook this or that part of the chicken correctly. If the chicken is improperly processed, this can lead to dry pulp, the destruction of all useful trace elements, and the deterioration of taste.
Butchering a chicken has many ways, depending on the further use of the carcass or its parts. The first time such a procedure may seem complicated, but subsequent cutting will be easy and quick. Nevertheless, it is much more economical to get several different parts from one carcass than to buy them separately at exorbitant prices.
Posted by
3
Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
Publications: 110 Comments: 0