Save Money, Cut Up Your Own Chickens, Tutorial.

I start with a cutting board I use just for meat and then wash in the dishwasher on the sanitize setting.

The prices of food and everything else seems be going through the roof.  It is a bit scary.  There seems to be no end in sight.  For my money it pays to save in all of the little ways you can and this is one way I find.  Friday I saw chicken packaged and breast meat was $15.-$17. dollars for 3 half bone in breasts!  I went to Rivertown Butcher and bought 2 whole free range chickens or a little more than half that amount.  So here is how I cut up whole chicken,

Chicken stock is easy to make and will save money if you simmer the backs and wing tips and freeze it for later use.   We are planning our first B-B-Q chicken today so I will simmer for stock the extra pieces we will not be grilling and freeze the meat for later use also.  It is handy to freeze stock in extra ice cube trays then pop them out into a freezer bag for use as needed.

Cutting out the backbone for making stock.

Rinse the chicken and using a kitchen scissors cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it.

Cutting the thigh from the body.

Using a sharp butcher knife remove the entire leg section on both sides.

Removing the drumstick from the thigh.

Place the leg section on cutting board and cut at the joint between the leg and thigh.

Clipping the wing from the breast.

Removing the wing tips to add to the stock pot.

Cut the wings at the side of the breast.  Clip off the wing tips to add to the stock pot.

Feel the center front of the breast and locate the bump about 1/3 way down the center front and with it positioned flat side down on a cutting board cut cross ways all of the way across.

The breast yields 3 pieces when cut this way.

Next place the lower breast portion flat side down on the board and using the knife split it top to bottom along one side of the center bone.

Upon cutting up 2 chickens I salt them well with kosher salt and add freshly ground pepper then stash them in a zipper bag in the lower part of the refrigerator until we are ready to start the grill.

This will net 3 pieces of the breast,  2 drumsticks,  2 thighs,  and  2 wings resulting in 9 pieces of chicken.

Were we not cooking all of this today I would double wrap in serving size packages and freeze dated and labeled.  Meanwhile the backs and wing tips plus 2 thighs I threw in for good measure are simmering on the stove.