| LEARNLETS |
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What is the best way to cut up a whole chicken for frying? |
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The best way I've found to cut up a chicken for frying is: 1. Make sure the chicken is completely thawed and washed.2. Using a cleaver, cut leg and thigh at the joints. 3. Make a clean cut down the middle of the breast bone, then cut the two sides in half. 4. Clean up, season, and fry.
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There are a few different ways to cut up a chicken for frying. My favorite I call disjointing. This is because you don't cut through any major bones. If you have purchased your chicken from the store you will first need to remove the package of neck and giblets from inside the body cavity. Then rinse the chicken and pat it dry.
I first remove the wings. If you sit the chicken on its tail and look down beside the neck you will see an indention where the wing joins the body. If you can't see it you may feel it by pushing down where the wing meets the body. This is the path of least resistance through the wing joint. Using a sharp knife, cut down into the joint and around the wing on each side, removing the wings. I like to then fold the wings back on themselves to form a triangle, this makes frying easier.
Next, remove the legs. If you lay the chicken on its back, and look into the cavity you can see where there is a flap of skin and meat with no bones under the ribs and between the legs. Cut through this flap back to the spine on both sides (I sometimes use scissors here, it's easier). Bend the back of the chicken back and cut the bottom and top half apart. You now have a "saddle" of thighs and drumsticks. If you bend this "saddle" back against itself it will bend at the point of least resistance. Cut through this area (scissors are good here too).
To separate the "drumstick" from the thigh, bend the leg at the "knee." There will be an indentation; this is where you should cut with a sharp knife. The next cut is optional, but I like it because it is a family tradition.
The last cut is to seperate the breast halves. You can just cut them apart on either side of the keel bone. But I have a secret: if you cut through the cartilage at the top of the keel bone and bend the sides back, the keel bone will pop out. Just peel the keel bone out the rest of the way and cut the halves apart where the keel bone was. You should now have two breast halves, two thighs, two drumsticks, a back, plus neck and giblets.
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