Week 17 -- Advanced Knife Skills

  • Chickens are classified by age and sex often with terms used for cooking methods
    • Cornish Game Hen: 5-6 weeks old, under 2 lbs, actually a specialty breed
    • Broiler/Fryer: 9-12 weeks old, under 4.5 lbs, flexible cartilage, most popular
    • Roaster: 3-5 months old, under 6 lbs, cartilage less flexible, tougher meat, but more flavorful
    • Capon: 8 months old, under 8 lbs, castrated male, tougher meat, large proportion of white meat, very flavorful
    • Stewing Hen: 10-12 months old, under 6 lbs, tough meat but flavorful, good for stewing, braising
  • Cutting up a Broiler/Fryer into 10 Pieces
    • See video
    • Breast side up, cut alongside the cuttle bone with boning knife, till your knife hits the rib cage, then cut around the contour of the rib cage closely, saving as much breast meat as possible
    • Cut down till you meet the first joint, the wing joint, then do the other side same way
    • Separate wing/ribs-back joint at ball and socket, both sides
    • Find the thigh/ribs-back joint ball and socket and separate on both sides
    • Do long cut and separate that whole side of the chicken, do same on other side
    • Back, cartilage, and ribs can now go in stock pot
    • Cut to separate the leg/thigh and wing from the breast
    • Separate wing pieces at the ball and socket (wing tips go in stock pot), and do the same to separate the legs and thighs
  • Deboning Whole Chicken (see course video)
  • Breaking down a whole beef tenderloin (see course video)

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