A whole chicken and all its parts

chicken

Chicken is the most economical when you buy it whole. Roast it, stick it in a Crock-pot or cut it into parts to use for different meals. It's a little extra work than buying just the breasts or wings, but worth the effort.

How to carve a roast chicken:

  1. Set the chicken breast side up. Pull the leg and thigh back to expose the joint that attaches it to the body (wiggling the thigh section and pulling it away from the body with your hands helps).
  2. Use a sharp paring knife to probe for the socket and cut through it, separating the leg and thigh from the carcass. Repeat with the other leg and thigh.
  3. Use the knife to cut through the joint that connects the leg to the thigh.
  4. Pull off the wings by gently twisting them away from the carcass. You may need the aid of your knife to separate the wings fully.
  5. The breastbone runs along the top center of the chicken carcass. Feel for it with your fingers. Make a 3-inch-long slit along both sides of the breastbone.
  6. Dig your fingers into one of the slits and peel the entire half of the breast meat off the carcass. Do the same to remove the breast meat on the other side. Slice each half of breast meat crosswise, making 5 or 6 slices per breast half.
  7. Pick or cut off whatever meat remains on the carcass. Arrange the legs, thighs, wings, and meat on a platter and serve with pan juices or gravy.

— Source: Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham, by Marion Cunningham

Try these great chicken recipes

Get cooking with this recipe for Easy Roast Chicken by PCC Chef Lynne Vea. Use leftover chicken in these delicious recipes: Three meals and a chicken — A satisfying dinner tale.

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