How To Cut Up Poultry

Cutting up poultry into its various component cuts (called “fabricating” in the culinary industry) is a very good skill to develop.  Not only is it generally more economical to buy whole birds, but you are also left with the bones, which can be used to make stock. The most important thing to remember when cutting up poultry is to let the bird’s bone structure guide you.

Fabricating Poultry
Caveat: Sorry, but we didn’t catch every step with the camera…Bear with us as we go with the flow…

1.  Remove any giblets, livers, etc from cavity.  These can be cooked and eaten, used in gravies, or frozen for later use.

2.  If attached, remove the feet and head (at neck) using a meat cleaver or the heel of a chef’s knife blade with a forceful strike down.

3.  Find the center breast bone and slide your blade down between it and the breast meat with shallow slicing motions.  Follow down the rib cage, and angle out of the flesh above the leg. Repeat with other breast. Almost any longish knife can be used but a firm boning knife is best if you have it.

4.  Pop leg joint open with your hands and cut straight down through the resulting gap. You may have to crunch through some cartilage, but shouldn’t have to cut or break the bone.

5.  Once the leg joint is split, follow the leg around to the bird’s back with your knife, being sure to cut out the soft lumps of flesh (called the oysters, these are considered the most tender meat on the bird) with the leg.  They are located just above where the leg connects with the back (although they are quite small on the heritage chickens and may be impossible to find on smaller birds).  Separating the leg from the bird results in what is called a leg-thigh combo cut. The thigh joint can be popped and cut through to separate the two if you like.

6.  To remove the wings, cut the skin webbing, and pop the joint nearest to the body, cutting down through (may have to crunch through a little cartilage).

Prepping wings
Often people simply throw the wings away, as they contain little meat.  However, if you are a wing fan, they can be prepped and frozen until you have enough for a serving.  They can also be used to impart flavor to broths.

Cut off the end joint (the nubbin) and separate the two middle joints.  Each of these is one wing piece for the purposes of buffalo wings and similar recipes.

Poultry - Diagram of Meat Cuts

Poultry - Skeletal Diagram

Meat Cut Nomenclature and Description

1. Poultry: is meat derived from dressed carcasses of birds as defined by the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations.

Note: the name of the bird species from which the meat is derived is required to appear in the product description in lieu of the word Poultry.

2. Dressed Poultry Carcass (Whole Poultry): means a poultry carcass from which the feathers, hair, head, the feet at the tarsal joints and uropygial gland have been removed and the carcass has been eviscerated.

2.1 Poultry Half (Half Poultry): means one of the two (2) approximately equal portions of a Dressed Poultry Carcassobtained by cutting through the backbones (thoracic vertebrae), pelvic bones (pelvis) and keel bone (sternum) along the median line.

Note: the Poultry Half shall exclude the neck.

2.1.1 Front Quarter (Breast Quarter): means the front (anterior) portion of a Poultry Half obtained by cutting immediately behind (posterior to) and parallel to the rib cage (posterior to the seventh (7th) thoracic vertebra, seventh (7th) rib and sternum).

2.1.2 Hind Quarter (Leg Quarter) (Chicken Leg, Back Attached): means the hind (posterior) portion of a Poultry Half which is separated from the Front Quarter as described in item 2.1.1.

Note: the term Leg, Back Attached may also be used to identify this cut.

2.2 Wing: means that portion of the Whole Poultry obtained by cutting through the shoulder joint (articulation between the clavicle, coracoid and humerus). It includes the Wing Drumette, the Winglet and may include the Wing Tip.

2.2.1 Wing Drumette: means that proximal portion of the Wing which is separated from the Whole Poultry by cutting through the shoulder joint as described, and from the Winglet by cutting through the elbow joint (articulation between the humerus and radius/ulna).

Note: the Wing Drumette shall not be referred to as Drumstick.

2.2.2 Winglet (V-Wings): means that distal portion of the Wing obtained by cutting through the elbow joint (articulation between the humerus and radius/ulna). Part of the Wing Tip may be removed.

2.3 Leg: means that portion of the Whole Poultry obtained by cutting at the natural seam through the hip joint (articulation between the femur and the pelvis). It includes the Thigh and Drumstick jointed or disjointed and may include pelvic meat. It excludes pelvic bones, back skin, abdominal skin and excessive fat.

2.3.1 Thigh: means that proximal portion of the Leg which is separated from the Whole Poultry by cutting at the natural seam through the hip joint as described, and from the Drumstick by a straight cut through the knee joint (femoro-tibial articulation). It may include pelvic meat but shall exclude pelvic bones, back skin, abdominal skin and excessive fat.

2.3.2 Drumstick: means that distal portion of the Leg which is separated from the Thigh by a straight cut through the knee joint as described in item 2.3.1.

2.4 Breast (Full Breast): means that portion of the Whole Poultry which is separated from the Wing by cutting through the shoulder joint, from the Neck by cutting approximately through the twelfth (12th) neck bone (cervical vertebra), from the Back by cutting through the ribs at the junction of the vertebral ribs and back and from the Hind Quarter by cutting immediately behind (posterior to) the rib cage (7th rib and sternum). The Breast includes the "Y" shaped ends of the ribs and excludes the neck skin.

2.4.1 Half Breast: means one of the two (2) approximately equal portions of a Breast obtained by cutting through the breast bone (sternum) along the median line.

Note: the Breast may be portioned in two (2) approximately equal parts (Half Breast) as described or in three (3) parts by first removing the Wishbone (2.4.2) portion then by cutting the breast bone (sternum) along the median line. For exact weight-making purposes, these parts may be substituted for lighter or heavier pieces and the package may contain two (2) or more of such parts without affecting the appropriateness of the product description as Breast.

2.4.2 Wishbone: means that front (anterior) portion of the Breast obtained by a cut passing through the hypocledial ligament located between the tip of the wishbone (hypocledium) and the front point of the breast bone (carinal apex of the sternum), then between the wishbone (clavicle) and coracoid up to a point where the wishbone (clavicle) joins the shoulder. The neck skin shall be excluded.

2.4.3 Trimmed Breast: means that portion of the Breast obtained by a cut passing along the junction of the vertebral and sternal ribs. The sternal ribs may be removed and the neck skin shall be excluded.

2.4.3.1 Half Trimmed Breast: means one of the two (2) approximately equal portions of a Trimmed Breast obtained by cutting through the breast bone (sternum) along the median line.

Note: the Trimmed Breast may be portioned in two (2) approximately equal parts (Half Trimmed Breast) as described, or in three (3) parts by first removing the Wishbone portion as described, then by cutting the breast bone (sternum) along the median line. For exact weight making purposes these parts may be substituted for lighter or heavier pieces and the package may contain two (2) or more of such parts without affecting the appropriateness of the product description as Trimmed Breast.

2.4.4 Breast Fillet: means that round, elongated fusiform muscle, (supracoracoid muscle or deep pectoral) found on each side of the keel bone (sternum).

2.5 Whole Back: means that portion of the Whole Poultry which is separated from the Breast as described in item 2.4. It includes the neck, thoracic vertebrae, pelvic bones and tail. It may include parts of the vertebral ribs.

2.5.1 Back: means that portion of the Whole Back which is separated from the Neck by cutting in the vicinity of the shoulder joint (approximately through the twelfth (12th) cervical vertebra). It includes the thoracic vertebrae, pelvic bones and tail, the skin and adhering meat. The vertebral ribs and/or scapula may be removed.

2.5.1.1 Stripped Back: means the Back from which the meat adhering to the pelvic bones has been removed.

2.5.2 Neck: means that front (anterior) portion of the Whole Back or carcass obtained by cutting near the shoulder joint (approximately through the twelfth (12th) cervical vertebra). It may include the skin.

3. Poultry Giblets: means the liver, the heart or the gizzard or any combination thereof of the same species, obtained from a Dressed Poultry Carcass.