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NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

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CUTTING UP A WHOLE CHICKEN

Buying chicken parts is convenient, but packages often contain pieces of varying sizes. Cutting up a whole chicken yourself isn’t difficult and it will guarantee evenly sized pieces of meat.

1. Using a chef’s knife, cut off the legs, one at a time, by severing the joint between the leg and the body.

2. Cut each leg into two pieces—the drumstick and thigh—by slicing through the joint that connects them (marked by a thick white line of fat).

3. Flip the chicken over and remove the wings by slicing through each wing joint.

4. Turn the chicken (now without its legs and wings) on its side and, using scissors, remove the back from the chicken breast.

5. Flip the breast skin side down and, using a chef’s knife, cut it in half through the breast plate (marked by a thin white line of cartilage), then cut each piece in half again.