Step by Step Guide to Portioning a Chicken

Julian's step by step guide

1. You will need a very sharp filleting knife and a steady hand!

2. Cut through the loose skin between the leg and breast, and loosen the legs, pulling away from the bird (but not completely).

3. With the chicken upright, cut along one side of the backbone, keeping the knife as close to the bone as possible, pulling the breast away as you cut. Repeat on the other side.

4. Cut down through the wing socket to separate the breast from the carcass. Repeat on the other side.

5. Slice off the wings from the breasts, leaving you with chicken fillets and wings.

6. Turn the bird over onto its front (breast side down) and cut in around the thigh bone at the socket to remove the leg joints.

7. You can either leave the legs whole or cut in half to get drumsticks and thighs.

8. You should now have 2 chicken fillets, 2 chicken wings, 2 chicken thighs, 2 chicken drumsticks and the remaining carcass can be used to create a lovely stock.

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