How To: Debone a whole chicken

Place the whole chicken on the cutting board breast side up with the wings facing away from you. You will need a sharp heavy chef's knife to cut up the chicken because you will be cutting through bones. Start by finding a joint in the wing and cut off the wing at that joint. Then do the same thing with the second wing. Next, cut off the chicken legs by running your knife down on the side of the chicken toward where the leg joint is. Bend it back until the joint pops. Cut through the joint and the leg will come right off. Repeat the same process with the other leg. Next, flip the chicken around so that the wings are facing you. Find the breast bone. It should run down the center of the chicken. Take the knife and cut along side the breast bone using short little cuts until you reach the edge of the breast bone. Once you have cut the breast away from the bone cut along the bottom of the breast following the contour of the rounded breast with the knife. Cut from the top down again to completely sever the breast. Repeat the same steps on the other side. Next, cut off the wings. Turn the chicken on its side and pop the wing joints back until they pop. Run your knife through the wing at the joints and cut them loose. Save the carcass and the wing tips to use as stock. Once the wings are removed, you have deboned the chicken.