We are starting with a whole chicken for this little endeavor, but the technique applies to all fowl. A quality boning knife makes the job much simpler. Easy cutting is best achieved when the weight of the bird is helping you work and the carcass is not "floppy" while working with it. The steps presented maximize these goals. We will process each piece to the fullest extent. You can stop whenever the result is what you want for each piece. Note: Always cut the side that feels to be the most awkward to do first. Right handed persons should remove the left side of the bird (as it faces you) first and vice versa for left handed persons. Since we are not as adept at working opposite our favored hand, doing this will allow the bird to better work with you throughout the process.

The first step is to remove the wings. Set the bird on its neck opening and balance it by holding onto a wing. The body weight should give a nice pull at the shoulder joint, but still allow you to comfortably control the pull by varying how far you allow the body to lean. Set the knife flat against the side of the bird to make the cut to access the joint to remove the wing. Note: The picture only shows the theory of balance and the knife position to make the cut (if flat to the skin). The next picture shows the proper holding of the wing during the removal.

Make the cut parallel with the side of the bird near the shoulder joint. As you cut, the body weight will open the cut and move the joint, allowing you to steer the cut to the joint (by feel). The joint is also separating as you do this (give it a twist if not). What you are doing is feeling where the joint is and cutting the tendons that hold it together as you cut through it. Once through the joint, continue the cut in the same direction to separate the wing from the body. Note: This picture shows proper holding of the wing during the cut. The knife is well below the index finger with the cut going downward - NEVER cut meat towards you. We didn't pose well and the knife should be turned 45° counter clockwise for the cut. Yes, there are two cuts into the meat. Call it no time, no planning, no camera batteries, and only one bird to use....

This is what the finished cut should look like. Notice that it went cleanly through the joint, cutting the end of the ball joint off. Remove the other wing using the same procedure.

The next step in cutting up the bird is to remove the legs. Place the bird on its back and pull the knee away from the body to stretch the skin. Carefully cut the skin to expose the hip joint. The skin cuts easily and the weight of the leg will pull the cut open to expose the joint. You are only cutting skin, not meat. The meat is naturally separated.

This is what the end of the skin cut looks like. The leg rests comfortably on the board and no skin is stretched. The cut ends where the skin attaches to the meat at each end of the cut.

The next step is to pop the leg bone out of the hip joint. Unfortunately, the picture shows only the end result (sorry we missed a picture). The process is simple. With one hand roll the body up and away from the leg and with the other hand press down on the leg to force the joint to dislodge. If this proves too difficult, place the bird breast down and roll the leg and body towards each other. Either method continues to rotate the leg away from the body as was done to stretch the skin. The picture shows the end result, the leg bone has "popped" out of the hip joint and is clearly visible with the bird resting on its back.

The next step is to separate the thigh meat on the tail side of the bird from the body. Starting at the hip joint, cut down and in along the body to separate the meat. The goal is to get as much meat as possible with the leg.

Now roll the bird onto its breast. Lift the leg and start the cut at the hip joint angling the blade against the body while cutting. Make the cut as high up the bird as is shown as this also removes the "oyster". The oyster is a dollop of meat that is the juiciest and most flavorful of the entire bird. Finish the cut by following down along the body. The goal of the entire cut is to obtain as much meat from the body as possible.

Here is a picture of the body with the leg removed. The oyster was located up near the backbone. Now remove the other leg using the same procedure

Here is a picture of the body with both legs removed. The hollow sections on each side of the backbone are where the two oysters were located.

The next step is to remove the tail section of the bird. You will be removing the backbone from the breasts to the tail. With the bird resting on its back, lift the end of the breast up to expose access for the cut. Cut the thin membrane at a 45°F angle down to the kidneys.

This picture shows the first part of the cut completed. The kidneys are clearly visible (the kidney bean shaped organs on each side of the backbone). The knife position shows where the backbone will be cut to separate the tail section from the body.

The last step in removing the tail section is to cut down through the backbone. A french knife can be used for this if the boning knife proves to be too difficult. The tail section can be discarded or saved for making stock.

The next step is to remove the rest of the backbone. With the bird resting on its back, cut through each side of the backbone, next to the backbone. Again a french knife can be used for this and the backbone can be discarded or saved for making stock.

Here is what you have to this point in cutting up the bird. The body has been flipped to rest skin side down in preparation for the next procedure.

Now we will work on the breast meat. The first step is to cut the wishbone. Place the knife vertically and cut towards the center of the end of the keel (the large white triangle). You will feel when you hit the wishbone and when you cut through it. Don't worry about whether you cut the wishbone exactly in half. The purpose of this cut is to simply separate the bone into two pieces.

Next we need to remove the keel. The keel is the long triangular white cartilage that is connected to the breast bone. You will be removing both at once, in one piece. Again we have missed a picture. Fortunately, it is easy to do. With the bird resting on its breast, push each side of the ribcage down and together. This movement will put pressure on the breast bone, forcing it up. It will "pop" through the membrane. Carefully pull it out to remove. The meat will tend to stick to it, but will break cleanly free.

This picture shows the keel removed. It can be discarded or saved for stock.

The next step is to remove the ribs. With the breasts resting skin side down, look towards the small end of one side to find the end of the longest rib bone. It will end in a flat tab. Cut under this tab to free it from the meat. The picture shows the intial cut to expose the lower rib. The cut continues toward the end of the rib to free it from the meat. Angle the knife up as the cut is made to remove as much meat from the rib as possible.

Now pick up on the exposed rib, and (angling the knife to clean the meat from the ribs) cut the ribs from the meat. The ribs will come off cleanly at the end of the cut. Repeat the procedure to remove the ribs from the other side.

This picture shows both rib cages removed. The ribs can be discarded or saved for stock.

The next step is to remove the bones that connected to the wings. Pull up on the bone by placing one finger against the end and start cutting the meat off of it. Angle the knife against the bone to remove the most meat.

Cut along the bone to the other end and remove.

This picture shows the wing support bone removed. Now remove the other wing support bone. The wing support bones can be discarded or saved for stock.

This picture shows both wing support bones removed.

The next step is to remove each half of the wishbone. The tip of the wishbone can be found at the end of the breast. Grab the tip, and with a twisting motion, pull it out of the meat. The half with the spade still attached to it will be harder to remove.

This picture shows the wishbones removed. Both bones are shown how they lay in the meat and illustrates the one with the spade end. The wishbone can be discarded or saved for stock.

The next step is to remove the breast skin. Flip the breast to skin side up and gather the skin in your hand. Pull from the narrow end of the breast to the wide end to remove the skin from its attachment point. Discard the skin.

This is a picture of the breasts with the skin removed.

The next step is to remove the tendon from each of the two tenderloins. Flip the bird over. The tendons are white with the wider ends visible near the top of each breast.

To remove the tendon, pull up on it by holding onto the wide end. Slide the knife along the underside of the tendon until the tendon cuts free from the meat. Remove the other tendon. Discard the tendons.

This is a picture of the breasts with the tendons removed.

The next step is to separate the tenderloin meat from the breast meat. Starting at the thicker end of a breast, insert a finger under the tenderloin and pull the meat up working it out towards the narrow end of the breast. There is a covering of silver skin that needs to be broken as the tenderloin is removed. The tenderloin will tend to stick to the inside edge of the breast and care should be used to not tear the meat during removal. The picture shows the tenderloin about half removed.

This picture shows the tenderloins removed. We were in a hurry and tore the tenderloin meat while removing - as seen by the ragged edges on one side.

The next step is to separate the two breasts. Simply cut along the thin fat line that connects them.

This picture shows what you have to this point.

The next step is to separate the whole leg into pieces. Place the leg with the skin side of the thigh facing up. Starting from the bottom of the leg, look up the leg to where the silvery skin turns yellow (fat layer). Move the knife approximately one inch further up the leg (for a chicken) and make the cut as shown. When you hit the bone, wiggle the knife to feel for a groove and cut straight down through the leg. Divide the other leg using the same procedure. (Continued)