Breaking down a whole chicken into different pieces can sound intimidating, but with a quick guide anyone can do this with success. The wonderful thing about breaking down a chicken is how many meals you can make, and many times – how much money you can save yourself versus buying the pieces separately. I have been a big advocate of buying whole chickens and breaking them down for years – but when I bring this up with others I occasionally meet resistance. Not only is there the argument that the task seems complicated, many also argue that even if they were to successfully breakdown a whole chicken they wouldn’t know what to do with everything once they were done. Because of this I would love to share with you a variety of dishes, recipes, and links I like to use to help you on your way!

Our whole chicken broken down into 2 boneless skinless breasts, 2 skinless bone-in thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 4 cutlets (these are smaller pieces found on the back of the chicken breasts – 2 per breast). I also had two wings which I chose to add to my stock pot, but if I were breaking down multiple whole roasters I may have opted to save these and break them down further for making buffalo wings!

Dishes & Recipes / Ideas

• Thighs – The Joy of Cooking (1964 printed edition) Chicken Paprika pg 468, City Chicken pg 420, Chicken Tarragon with Wine pg 469. Mostly Plants Sheet Pan Turkish-Spiced Chicken pg 188, Chicken Scarpariello with Escarole pg 193, Tandoori Chicken & Veg Sheet Pan Supper pg 182. Grilled with BBQ sauce. Fried Chicken – classic southern style.
• Legs/Drums – Grilled with BBQ sauce. Fried Chicken – classic southern style. Marinated and Grilled. (All of the same recipes listed above for thighs). Please also reference Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and Simone Beck, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, and The New Way to Cook Light by Cooking Light magazine.
• Cutlets – Asian stir fry, diced up and added to green bean casserole, Schnitzel (this is a huge hit with children), Arroz con Pollo, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, & anything you would regularly add boneless skinless chicken breasts to.
• Wings – Buffalo hot wings! Stock!
• Breasts – Marinated and grilled or roasted. Seasoned and pan fried. Soups, stews, and casseroles. Sliced thin and added to stir fry. Breaded and baked. Butterflied and stuffed (pesto, sun dried tomato and goat cheese is an excellent choice). Supremes de Volaille from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Any and all recipes listed above!

Websites:

• Feeding the Frugal Family
• My Heart Beets
• Cooking Light
• Instant Loss
• Serious Eats
• Jamie Oliver All Recipes

These are of course only a few of the websites, recipes, and recipe books I use – but as you can see using the whole chicken doesn’t have to be scary or complex. If you’re making food for 1-2 a whole chicken can make 6-10 meals. Feeding 2-4 you can get 4-6 meals (especially if the chicken is a compliment to the meal as opposed to the star (as in stir fry, casserole, soup, rice, and pasta dishes). Feeding 4-6 usually 2 meals!

We hope you have found this quick overview of how to breakdown and use a whole chicken helpful. Wishing you all safety and good health.

From all of us here in the Wee Laird’s Kitchen – Happy Cooking!