Breaking down a whole chicken can feel a bit intimidating at first, but once you understand where the natural joints are, it becomes a very straightforward and rewarding technique. Doing it properly ensures you do not waste any meat and gives you the backbone left over to make a rich homemade stock.
Before you begin, place the chicken on a secure cutting board and pat the entire bird thoroughly dry with paper towels so it does not slip while you cut. A sharp boning knife or a standard chef knife will give you the cleanest cuts.
The first step is to remove the leg quarters. Lay the chicken breast-side up. Pull one leg gently away from the body and slice through the skin between the breast and the thigh. Next, take the leg in your hand and bend it firmly backward away from the body until you hear and feel the hip joint pop out of its socket. Run your knife cleanly behind the joint and slice close to the carcass toward the tail to release the whole leg. Repeat this on the other side.
To separate each leg quarter into a thigh and a drumstick, turn the piece skin-side down. You will notice a distinct line of white fat running across the joint. Cut directly along that fat line. If you are in the correct spot, your knife will glide through the cartilage between the bones without needing any heavy force.
The next step is taking off the wings. Pull each wing away from the body to expose the joint connecting the wing to the shoulder. Slice through the skin and guide your blade right through the ball-and-socket joint to detach the wing cleanly.
Finally, separate the breast from the backbone. Stand the remaining carcass upright or lay it on its side, and slice down through the thin rib bones on both sides of the spine from tail to neck. Set the backbone aside for stock. Lay the breast skin-side down on the board and cut firmly down the center line through the breastbone to divide it into two neat halves. If you like, you can cut each breast half across the middle to create an eight-piece cut for your roast.
Take your time feeling for the natural joints with your fingers before each cut, and let the edge of your knife do the work rather than forcing it through bone.
