CHICKEN LITTLE, CHICKEN LITTLE, THE PRICES ARE SKYROCKETING!
Yesterday at the grocery store the person in front of me placed a small package of 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts on the conveyor with a price tag of $8.98. I looked at the whole chicken in my cart with its price tag of less than $7.00 and reminded myself that, with a little time and preparation, I too would have boneless, skinless chicken breasts for dinner. But I would also be able to stock my freezer with chicken thighs for my stir fry, drumsticks for my BBQ night, and bones that would make a wonderful chicken stock to be used for a ton of preparations. So here’s the scoop on how to easily de-bone a chicken in less than 10 minutes with a pair of kitchen shears and save yourself some cash.
Remove the backbone
Using kitchen shears, start at the tail end of the chicken and cut along one side of the backbone. Repeat the procedure on the other side.
Cut the chicken in half
Flip the chicken over and cut up the centre of the breasts, following the seam of the breast bone. The chicken should now be in two pieces.
Separate the breast quarter from the leg quarter
Place the chicken on the cutting board cut side down. Cut the breast portion from the leg portion along the natural dividing line. The separation should be obvious but can be confirmed by feeling the natural separation between the two with your fingers before you begin cutting. After this step you will have four pieces
Separate the leg from the thigh
Place the leg quarter on the cutting board skin side down. Cut the drumstick from the thigh by cutting through the joint connecting the two.
Remove the wing
Use your shears to cut the wing from the breast.
Remove any skin as desired
Remove the skin by gripping firmly and pulling it away from the meat. You may also need to trim some extraneous fat at this point with the shears.
Remove the breast from the bone
Turn the breast over and work your fingers gently between the meat and the bone. Peel the meat away from the bone. If the meat is stubborn and is not easily pulling apart, you can use a knife and scrape the meat from the bone. You will notice that the breast comes apart in two pieces, a large one about the size of your palm, and a smaller thin piece, known as the tender.
You have successfully cut up a chicken!
Freeze whatever pieces you want to use later. Remember that the bones boiled along with celery, carrot, and onion also make a delicious chicken stock. Wash down all surfaces that have come in contact with the raw chicken thoroughly with an anti-bacterial cleaner to prevent contamination.
