Butchering a chicken (intentionally)
Tonight I tackled a culinary task that has always made me nervous. Butchering a chicken is one of those skills I feel I should be able to do with a few deft blows of my knife, but a slight squeemishness and an inability to believe that I could turn a whole chicken into 6-8 beautiful cuts has prevented me from trying, until now.
After planning to make two separate chicken dishes for dinner this week - each requiring different cuts - and needing to make some stock, I decided now was time to conquer my nerves. So, armed with a basic knowledge of avian anatomy (thanks in part to my zoology degree) and some words of wisdom from Stephanie (Alexander), I did some more research! A video courtesy of youtube (How to Chicken Butcher from foodease.ca) gave clear, easy to follow instructions. Now I had no excuse.
I procrastinated a little further by removing the bird from the fridge, washing it, patting it dry and placing it on the chopping board, where I contemplated it just a bit longer. Lifting my knife, I made two incisions between each leg and its adjacent breast, until I reached bone, as my trusty youtube instructor taught me. Next to dislocate the legs - possibly the part I had been dreading most. However, the sound of crunching bone was not as disturbing as I had feared. Another couple of cuts, and the legs were freed. Following the rib cage, I then removed each plump breast from what was left of the bird. After separating the wings from the breasts and the thighs from the drumsticks - success! I had 8 beautiful cuts, and a carcass for my stock.
So successful was my butchering, that I have pledged to only buy whole chickens from now on. Not only more economical, butchering your own birds makes you think more creatively about your cooking, appreciate where your ingredients come from - and makes you feel like a real professional!
Kat
